One thing about our girl Chlöe, she’s an extremely talented artist. Not only is she one of the best vocalists of the newer generation, but the 28-year-old singer-songwriter has also been holding her own as a producer, with her giving us an amazing example of that burgeoning talent on last year’s single “Keep Watching.” So what happens when her future-leaning style matches with the nostalgic, off-kilter sound of Timbaland? You get their collaborative mixtape Resurrection.
The mixtape is a great showcase for both Chlöe and Timbaland, with her stylings colliding with Timbo’s beats in exciting ways. Perhaps the most notable occurrence of this is “Talking Dirty.” The set’s first track, it leans into elements of some of Timbaland’s past jams — namely his “d-d-dirty-dirty” ad-lib from Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody?” and the drums similar to Missy Elliott’s 1997 jam “Beep Me 911.” Chlöe floats over the heavy production, making things feel sexy and sensual but with an edge.
The song’s brief video plays this up, with the singer bossing up while playing a high-stakes game of poker with the fellas. With Timbaland by her side, she commands the room and all the attention while taking the dudes at the table for all that they’ve got. Though the clip runs much shorter than the actual song, it delivers on the set’s promise, juxtaposing Chlöe's flirty, feminine wiles against the harder edge the men bring to the table.
The rest of the mixtape has the same push-and-pull juxtaposition between Chlöe and Timbaland, with their styles proving to be a musical match that sits well together. And it’s especially intriguing when Tim drops references to his past work, allowing us to see an evolution in both his sound and Chlöe’s that takes the past and pushes it into the present.
Whether it be the more pop-leaning cuts like “World On Fire” and “Caught” or straight-up jams like the ’80s-referencing “Better Than She Can” and “Main Attraction,” the two weave their styles together quite effortlessly and make this one of the more cohesive efforts in Chlöe's discography.
Chlöe & Timbaland Resurrection [Amazon][Apple Music][TIDAL]
