Leven Kali has been on one hell of a singles run this year. The gifted singer-songwriter played fast and loose with genre on previously released cuts “Are U Still” and “Pieces,” and even gave us fun live performance clips for each. Now he’s back with his newest single “Crystal Ball,” which also gets its own stylized performance clip.
“Crystal Ball” is yet another genre blender, though this time the song’s R&B and alternative rock elements are much more defined thanks to a blend of crunchy electric guitar, smooth bass and tight harmonies. The song also has an angsty vocal from Leven, who channels fellow eschewer of genre Miguel to give a rock edge to the proceedings.
The song finds him professing his love for his girl, though it seems that she might not think he means what he says. He sings on the cut’s opening verse, “Girl, you said it when you read those cards on me, so unimpressed / Oh, how they gon’ say this don’t make sense? I’m so obsessed with you / Only you can make that call and light that flare / And you know that I’ll be there for you.” He hammers that sentiment home on the chorus, letting her know that he’d give and has done everything for her.
He employs his usual crew for the song’s performance video, including our fave Fana Hues on background vocals. Leven switches the energy up, however, by taking over the drum set for the performance’s entirety and reinforcing just how much of a musical talent he is. The clip is also run through a hazy filter that distorts things enough to make it feel like we’re peering in at the performance through an actual crystal ball. Whatever he’s using, it adds a bit of grit and romance to an already enthralling clip.
With this amount of material out in the ether, Leven Kali has to be readying a new album, right? Well, if he is, he’s staying very tight-lipped about it. While we head to the comments on his socials to pry some information out of him, listen to “Crystal Ball” and watch its live performance video below.
