“Give or Take” is a 15-track LP and the latest project released by R&B crooner Giveon. The Long Beach native has graced the ears of music fanatics since 2018, when he released his debut single, “Garden Kisses”. Within a short a while, Rupert “Sevn” Thomas Jr., a Canadian producer, helped him get signed to Epic Records. With the guidance of Epic record executives and the thick skin garnered from playing at live venues, Giveon went on to release his second single, “Like I Want You”. “Like I Want You”, which was received well both commercially and critically, provided him the opportunity to be the opening act on the North American and European legs of Snoh Alegra’s “Ugh, A Mini Tour Again” tour. In 2020, Giveon took a chance and released the EP titled “When It’s All Said and Done”. This EP, produced the single “Stuck on You”, which reached the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot R&B Songs. A full-length LP of the same name was released in 2021 and it produced the top 20 single “Heartbreak Anniversary.” 

Now, in 2022, Giveon has decided to embark a new emotional journey with the studio album “Give or Take”. “Give or Take” is an album rooted in soul, heartbreak, and honesty. Using his vocal prowess and unfiltered lyrical commentary, “Give or Take” may very well be Giveon’s most raw album to date.

The album opens with the song “Let Me Go”. “Let Me Go” begins with a testimonial from Giveon’s mother about her never-ending pride for her son and his success. A few seconds in, though, this declaration of praise gives way to a trap-R&B fusion beat laden with metallic synths reminiscent of 2000s R&B. In this track Giveon begs his lover to wear her heart on her sleeve and make sincerety the focus of the relationship; otherwise, he believes that the time and effort he put into the relationship will have all been in vain. Near the end of the 3-minute track and throughout the rest of the album, Giveon’s mother continuously makes cameos in the form of voice memos. These voice memos contain advice on love, relationships, and romantic anguish.

“Scarred” is a ballad that commences with sonically alluring orchestral strings and a subtle yet significant guitar line. This track endorses the idea that the downfall of a relationship can be influenced by personal detainments rather than the wrongdoings of others. In this, Giveon goes back and forth, contemplating and elaborating on his unresponsiveness to the romantic advances his partner makes.

After “Scarred”, comes the albums first interlude. “dec. 11th” is used as somewhat of a palette cleanser and a love letter to a woman given the moniker “pretty brown eyes.”

“This Will Do” provides more details on the affair between Giveon and his paramour “pretty brown eyes”. He details various occasions in which she would attend his concerts in hopes of becoming his part-time lover. Giveon expresses his dismay with this physical exchange as he would rather have her in a long-lasting, monogamous sense; however, he doesn’t vocalize his opinions to her because he settles on the belief that being given a piece of her is better than being left emptyhanded completely.

“Get To You” explores Giveon’s frustration with being single, considering the fact that he is never getting any younger. Further making the claim that being single is a young-man’s game, he finally realizes that his attention should be reverted and devoted to winning the heart of the woman discussed earlier.

“july 16th” is another interlude that that introduces a new, warmer theme with declarative lyrics and testaments about Giveon’s never-changing ability to fall fast and hard for whichever woman enters his life and captivates his soul.

“For Tonight” provides listeners with a Sam Smith-esque vibe as it begins with a spacey atmosphere where sound is only given in the form of snaps, snares, and light piano chords. It then unfolds into, once again, an orchestral piece of sorts. In this track, Giveon discusses his unwillingness to leave a relationship that has long been dead and can never be revived. After long contemplation and unfortunate realization, he understands that the most he can receive from her is one final night to once again feel the presence of his lover.

Quickly, though, Giveon’s lover-boy reputation is thrown away in the song “Lost Me”. In “Lost Me”, Giveon prioritizes having fun over his significant other’s wish to turn a fling into a long-lasting affair. He blames this inability to settle-down on his trauma from past relationships.

The album ends on a woeful note with its most lyrically compelling song “Unholy Matrimony.” Here, Giveon uses his songwriting ability to give a detailed literary narrative illustrating a wedding without any guests. He uses wedding traditions such as rice being thrown into the air, having bridesmaids/groomsmen, and the usage of the song “Here Comes the Bride” as warnings for the treacherous road he’d be walking down if he continues to pursue a sour relationship.

Now comes the critique. Despite the albums incapacity to be completely uninteresting, about 2/3 of the way in, the album starts to fall flat. It falls flat because it uses gimmicks and formulaic space-fillers. Also, songs that are intended to give short and sweet glimpses into Giveon’s mind just, instead, feel way too short. This is a consistent problem apparent on even his first EP. It would be nice if the tracklist could be shortened in exchange for more thought and time to be devoted to each song; and, in turn, these songs could be lengthened to make them more emotionally compelling and lyrically complex. Some of the best, most introspective lyrics are shown on the interludes. However, it feels as though the interludes are used as a way to distract from the consistent use of balladry in response to heartbreak. The songs are always downtempo and it would be a pleasant change of pace to see less of a focus on expensive production and, instead, favor musical versatility and wide-ranging thematic elements.

Giveon cites artists such as Drake and Adele as some of his biggest influences and it is incredibly apparent on this record both vocally and creatively. This LP is reliant on the sorrowful and skillful vocals of Adele, but there are, also, little sprinkles of what can only be described as the “club aesthetics” someone like Drake would proudly flaunt. “Club aesthetics” is a phrase I have coined to describe songs that attempt to be an emotionally mature ballad, but, instead, become what sounds like a collection of old texts and drunken thoughts heralded as lyrics. To say the least, Giveon’s artistic growth has changed little, if not at all, since his last EP. All of the songs on “Give or Take” could easily be B-sides on “When It’s All Said and Done”.

Giveon’s “Give or Take” album is his most unafraid and truthful collection of songs, and, for that, his devout fans should be grateful. Despite it’s various challenges, “Give or Take” is worth a listen as it is sonically compelling and relatable to both content observers and even the most heartbroken of love-fools.