Muni Long seemingly came out of nowhere in 2022 when her single ‘Hrs and Hrs’ blew up in the US and scored her a Top 20 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and a number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. In actuality, Long had been making and releasing music for years before ‘Hrs and Hrs’ was released. Under her real name, Priscilla Renea, she released two studio albums – ‘Jukebox’ in 2009 and ‘Coloured’ in 2018. She also made a name for herself as a songwriter, writing for the likes of Mariah Carey, Rihanna and Kelly Clarkson. ‘Hrs and Hrs’, which won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance, was taken from ‘Public Displays of Affection: The Album’ and Long’s breakthrough was finally happening.
Two years on from that record and Long is back with her new album ‘ReVenge’, technically her fourth overall but her second under the Muni Long name, which was preceded by the Top 20 Billboard 100 viral sensation ‘Made For Me’. Ahead of the record Long has shared ‘Make Me Forget’ and ‘Ruined Me’, along with ‘Made For Me’, showcasing her intent to double down on the 90s R&B sound that ran through her debut. At a time when modern R&B is so studio-manipulated you can’t even tell if the artist can sing or not, Long’s commitment to being authentic is admirable.
‘ReVenge’ opens with the gorgeous piano-led ballad ‘Superpowers’, which sees Long singing about thinking she’d closed the door on love until a special someone walked into her life. The song tracks the duration of a relationship as she battles to keep it but ultimately ends up alone again. It’s a bold start but it sets the tone for an album that charts the ups and downs of love. ‘Made For Me’ follows, throwing the listener into familiar territory and reminding them of what Long can do at her most powerful. The chorus is an ear-worm that’s helped the song translate to social media domination as fans have used it to soundtrack their own videos.
The church-feel of ‘Make Me Forget’ finds Long battling with attraction to a man that isn’t the man she’s with. She asks her heart to help her forget her temptation while delivering a vocal that’s pure soul, complete with impressive riffs and ad-libs. You don’t hear R&B singers singing like this anymore and Long stands out as a vocalist in her own league. Explorations of love can be found across the record. On the mid-tempo ‘30s’ Long reflects on the expectations that she put on herself throughout her 20s and the fear she had of being alone in her 30s. The title track, ‘Revenge’, is surprisingly not the angry kiss-off you might expect, with Long choosing to take the high ground and offering an olive branch to a man that doesn’t deserve it.
‘Bessie’ picks up the tempo of the album, paying homage to sisterhood the song leans into a harder hip-hop beat with Long delivering the lyrics in a spoken-word fashion. It’s a departure from the rest of the record but proof of her versatility as an artist. ‘Played Yourself’ is packed with finger snaps and a pulsing beat as Long sings about an ex that realises what he’s missing. She even showcase her rap skills, which honestly I’d like to hear more of. Rapper GloRilla guests on the break-up anthem ‘Leave My Baby Tonight’, which has the kind of production that brings to mind ‘Velvet Rope’ era Janet Jackson.
8 songs (and an interlude) in and ‘ReVenge’ is shaping up to be on par with ‘Public Displays of Affection: The Album’ but the last 5 songs help her to best it. The dreamy ‘Things I Never Said’ explores the thoughts that rattle around in our heads but we never voice, ‘The Baddest’ is a realisation of self-worth after being cheated on, and ‘Waste No Time’ is a vocal showcase for Long, stripping back the production and allowing her gorgeous voice to shine as she leans into romance. The acoustic-guitar riff led ‘Type Question’ is my favourite song on the record. Long asks a series of hard-hitting questions to a lover, emphasising that it’s important to ask the right questions when getting into a relationship.
The album comes to a close with ‘Ruined Me’. The song perfectly brings ‘ReVenge’ to a close as Long sings about struggling to move past a relationship that’s ended. She captures that all-encompassing grief that hits when romance ends, declaring ‘after you, I know I’ll never love again, this kind of heartbreak don’t ever end’. The production on the song is big and Long more than steps up to the plate vocally.
‘ReVenge’ is the strongest R&B record, and one of the strongest records of any genre, to be released in 2024 so far. I’m surprised by how little fanfare there’s been about the album’s arrival but credit Long, she’s been killing it on social media posting live performance clips and creative teasers. Long is one of the only R&B stars in the modern era that can do it all; she can sing the hell out of any song, she can write killer hooks and she never gives anything less than 100% in a live performance. ‘ReVenge’ should be a huge record for her and by rights, Long should be the biggest R&B star in the world.
Track list: 1. Superpowers 2. Made for Me 3. Make Me Forget 4. 30s 5. Revenge 6. Reverse (interlude) 7. Bessie 8. Played Yourself 9. Leave My Baby Tonight (feat GloRilla) 10. Things I Never Said 11. Type Questions 12. The Baddest 13. Waste No Time 14. Ruined Me Record label: Muni Long, Inc / Def Jam Recordings Release date: 30th August 2024 Buy ‘Revenge’ now
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