Genesis Owusu -- Smiling With No Teeth: Review

Genesis Owusu -- Smiling With No Teeth

[Ourness]

Coming out of nowhere, Ghanaian-Australian musician Genesis Owusu delivers a multi-colored experience on his debut record Smiling With No Teeth. The obscure fresh-faced artist is coming off of a several year-long hiatus starting after a debut EP--Cardrive EP--released in 2017. Now almost 4 years later, Owusu circles back on his hip-hop tones before, while expanding his repertoire with an ambitious record rich with influences of post-punk, industrial, and funk.

Kofi Owusu-Ansah was born in Koforidua, Ghana and immigrated to Australia when he was 2. He came up in the nation’s capital of Canberra where he collaborated with peers exploring hip-hop and R&B. Owusu released his first EP at 18, which is a fiery 19-minute thrill ride of buzzy industrial production and explosive rap performances.

“I wanted to make a whole cohesive project,” says Owusu to Apple Music on his debut full-length record, “I wanted to make something akin to To Pimp a Butterfly and Food and Liquor and all the awesome concept albums that I grew up listening to.” The ambition to kick off his discography with a concept album was ambitious enough but Owusu explains it with full confidence in his work.

“‘Black dog’ is a known euphemism for depression, but I’ve also been called a black dog as a racial slur. So I thought it was an interesting, all-encompassing term for what I wanted to talk about.” So through all of Smiling, Owusu uses these two ‘black dog’ metaphors to comment on depression and racial stereotypes. The illusive rapper was teasing something huge on his debut record, and when it dropped, it did not disappoint.

Smiling With No Teeth starts with “On The Move”, a punk rap intro with skittering industrial drums, letting the listener know that this isn’t your average hip hop album. Right from the entrance, the theme is reinforced with yelps of “BLACK DOGS ON THE MOVE!” The song’s loopy synth effects and buzzy bass synths contrasting with the R&B vocals sound like if Frank Ocean featured on a Death Grips song.

“The Other Black Dog” is a wild gothy banger personifying the black dog of depression, attacking Owusu from the inside out. The ascending synth lines and driving beat make it a truly unique rap song, not to mention Owusu vocals which go from speedy bar spitting to alluring gothic chants. At this point on my first listen, I had no idea where this album would take me, but I knew I couldn’t stop listening.

“Centrefold” is a groovy nu-R&B jam that explores toxic love. Following is its sister track “Waitin’ on Ya” which is Owusu at his most traditional R&B. On these two tracks, we first experience Owusu’s chemistry with his backing band. Both songs are lovestruck ballads that put Owusu’s chameleonic singing voice on display.

The most cheery song on Smiling With No Teeth is “Don’t Need You” which initially comes off as a celebratory break-up song but actually digs a little deeper. The “you” mentioned is actually Owusu’s black dog--depression--which he reveals in lines like “you made a bet today, said, I can’t leave my bed today, you tied me on my chest today, wanna rear your head on a better day.” The song’s incredibly catchy hook mixed with its confrontational attitude to depression is fantastic. I never thought a “fuck depression” kind of song could be this good.

Owusu’s guitarist and alt-pop peer Kirin J. Callinan makes his formal appearance on “Drown” contributing fitting vocal bravado to this pop anthem. Kirin and Owusu trade lines about letting the black dog of depression in themselves drown--”You’ve got to let me drown.” The chittering upbeat new wave vibe is infectious and reeks of dance-punk legends like LCD Soundsystem.

The shimmering R&B “Gold Chains” is a turning point where Owusu begins talking about the other other black dog. Owusu disguises a sexy chorus to ridicule the stereotypes of black male musicians always being rappers: “When it looks so gold but it feels so cold inside these chains.” Callinan’s funk guitar embellishments mix with the hip-hop drums to make a blistering neo-soul rhythm.

The album’s centerpiece is the title track--”Smiling With No Teeth”--an R&B slow jam that channels the minimalist energy of a D’Angelo track. The song is a weaving epic tying together the two black dogs, waxing about his anxieties of expectation and battle with depression. Despites its heavy-handed message the song is coated in R&B warmth with dancing gospel vocals. The song is an adventure, and probably my favorite here.

“I Don’t See Colour” and “Black Dogs!” are both anthems with bones to pick about the black dog of racism. The first of the two delivers the message in a shuffling samba beat and low-key background vocals. The latter of the two is a violent punk interlude that goes for the neck with a grinding bassline and Owusu’s most unhinged vocals.

“Whip Cracker” is Owusu at his most direct. Over a thumping beat, Owusu embraces the expectations society has for him and uses it as a weapon against his oppressors: “Spit up on your grave, hope my thoughts behave, we so depraved.” Then out of nowhere, the beat flips over into this shimmering Prince-inspired funk beat that rides out a groovy jam for the last two minutes of the song. Owusu’s is commandingly funk and this song that started so intensely rolls with its unexpected ending perfectly.

Jumping over to “A Song About Fishing” which is where Owusu signals the third act of the album. Despite his can-do attitude throughout the rest of the narrative, “A Song About Fishing” tackles the anxieties of beating back intrusive thoughts. It’s sobering vocal performances mixed with its gospel chord-progression make it the most human moment of the record, and is one of my favorites.

The two songs that end Smiling are bittersweet. First is “No Looking Back” which Owusu described to Apple Music as “a pop ballad about how I’ve gone through this journey and now I’m finally ready to put these things behind me.” It’s a sweet piece that feels like it should end the album until the true bookend plays, “Bye Bye.”

Genesis Owusu’s debut record Smiling With No Teeth shows an eager musician who has a tenacity for the genres before him and a hunger for experimentation. This album is an opening statement that signals Owusu as one of the most exciting freshmen in the R&B genre, and it also happens to be a damn good listen. [Ben Nguyen O’Connor]

8.4/10.

Listen To: “Don’t Need You”, “The Other Black Dog”, “Smiling With No Teeth”, “A Song About Fishing”