Album Review
Destin Conrad - ROADRUNNER
Is there anyone else who can seamlessly jump from genre to genre without losing their unique identity? No, we don’t think there is anyone else in the game like Destin Conrad. April 2025 saw the release of his official debut album LOVE ON DIGITAL. The album was packed with smooth R&B songs heavily inspired by pop music and the summer season. His follow-up album wHIMSY!, released in April this year, took quite the U-turn and went full jazz. And no, we don’t mean ‘jazz-inspired R&B’, but actual jazz true to its genre. Obviously, we had to take another surprising turn for his third album. ROADRUNNER is reggae, it’s dancehall, it is rebellion. It wouldn’t be a Destin Conrad album if it didn’t completely stay true to what it is claiming to be. Expect a body of work that has clearly studied those who came before him in the genre. By this, we don’t just mean a summer-soaked reggae production and that’s it. It means carefully selected samples, handpicked guest appearances and vocal stunts that match the vibe of the music. Each single that led the way to the full-length album did an excellent job of predicting what ROADRUNNER would sound like. To this day, we can’t stop moving our hips from left to right to ‘NERVOUS’. The track truly relives the days when this genre was dominating the charts with the likes of Sean Paul and Kevin Lyttle. It has the right dose of confidence to boost your own confidence, step onto the dancefloor and dance like no one is watching. Writing this review is hard when every song makes you want to get up out of your desk chair to dance. We fully pressed pause on writing when ‘CHI CHI’ blasted through our speakers. The song instantly resonated thanks to its sample of the 2000 song ‘Chi-Chi Man’ by T.O.K. In Jamaican Patois, ‘chi chi man’ is a slang term for a gay or effeminate man. With this track, Destin is reclaiming the term and turning it into an anthem for members of the LGBTQIA+ community. It wouldn’t be the album it’s claiming to be without a sexy song to slow-whine to. Thank God we get the Kwn collaboration ‘DADAMAN’. The track has already been claimed as the fan favorite on the album. It’s sexy, it’s charming, it’s cheeky, it’s fun and, may we say, it is very deserving of receiving a video that interpolates all of this. We know Destin is no stranger to making a slick, hot and sexy video, so hey, we don’t think it’s too much to ask. Is it? Besides the carefully sourced samples, we also receive a full-on cover with ‘TURN ME ON’. To be honest, at first we were a bit scared of this one. Kevin Lyttle’s ‘Turn Me On’ feels like one of those classic hits that should stay untouched. Luckily, Destin right away proves he is more than capable of respecting the original naughty energy while completely making it his own. The tempo slows down a little, making it even sexier than the original. What a way to close down the album. We know we only highlighted a few of the songs throughout this review. But trust us, we could write a whole other review highlighting each and every other song on the project. This album has no skips. Destin Conrad is a gymnast and can jump between genres like a chameleon, without ever losing respect for the genre itself or getting too experimental and straying too far from what makes each sound so special. He is one hell of a talent!
