The most unbothered moment on the “31” album is track 12, “Beer,” where Harmonize brings in Ghanaian dancehall heavyweight Stonebwoy.
This idea cannot be simpler. Drinking, having fun and just enjoying the moment without overthinking things. But for a 14-track album that features the anguish of “Siwezi,” the love of “Huyu” and the weight of the concluding title track, “Beer” merits its spot as the project’s essential exhale. Every album has to have that moment where you simply let all the strain out and everyone in the room just moves.
This particular record is the man for Stonebwoy. His Ghanaian dancehall personality adds a rhythmic swagger that organically pairs with Harmonize’s Bongo Flava intensity, without either artist having to sacrifice their sound. So “Beer” doesn’t sound like a party song, anonymous and stitched together from two different musical realms. It’s like two artists who are naturally drawn to the same joyous frequency.
The repeated hook also does what a singalong record needs to do. By the second listen you’re already within it. It’s this accessibility that makes “Beer” the kind of sound that works just as well at a party as it does through headphones on a commute.
Also strategically clever to place this song at track 12, immediately before ‘All Nite’ with Darkoo and Yemi Alade and the closing title track. Pure energy starts the last leg of the record, before the more sprawling collaborations tie things together. “Beer” sends that final run into motion.
Listen to “Beer” off the “31” album and tell us if this is the most entertaining record Harmonize has made all year?
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