The latest single “Official” from Southern California based Cap, the performing moniker for Michael Capshaw, shows this talented figure and entrepreneur making the next logical step in his recording career. He’s shared stages with major acts on the Bones Thugs and Harmony tour as well as serving in the capacity of producer for a number of independent recordings. He’s currently working on his fifth solo release Scorpio and, if “Official” can be heard as a preview of that forthcoming work, it’s clear Cap is ready to bust out in a way and on a scale he’s not previously experienced. His new single is a powerhouse entry in a growing discography coupling authenticity, style, lyrical dexterity, and an idiosyncratic delivery that makes the cut his own. Cap is building an empire steadily, one song at a time, and “Official” is an impressive step into the future.
It shows how much more evolved he is than many of his peers and contemporaries. Cap’s music doesn’t fall squarely into a single camp – instead, “Official” is best considered a hybrid of sorts embracing both R&B and hip-hop influences. The R&B and soul sounds of the piece are a much more dominant element of what makes the song go, but the added accents Cap incorporates are essential for the song to stand out in a very competitive style.
He’s unafraid to tweak listener’s expectations about the style, as evidenced by his ability to bring hip-hop into the picture, but through less than typical instruments like guitar exerting a major influence on how the song turns out. It has a striking, colorful fluency as it weaves through the song and the rhythm section gives it a traditionally solid foundation to play over. Cap’s “Official” isn’t just geared to impress us with its singing, but musically as well and proves totally satisfying.
The vocals are definitely showstoppers however. He’s consciously invoking a relatively complex vocal melody from the first and always brings an audible sense of style to even parts where he relies on pure power. He hits a particular high point, naturally, with the song’s chorus and bridge, but his performance is uniformly good throughout. The words aid his cause.
The talent is abundant in Cap
Cap is an insightful writer with a talent for writing percussive lyrics ideally suited for popular song, but he also possesses the instincts sharp enough to prune away any excess musical moves and/or verbiage to make for a better song. As a result, the three-plus minutes we spend with Cap feel invigorating and play in a wildly entertaining way. Cap’s new single “Official” heralds the next chapter in this Southern California artist’s increasingly visible career and will hopefully spread his name far and wide as one of the R&B/soul and hip-hop genre’s most compelling talents. Based on this song, it’s safe to say that his future prospects are ridiculously bright.
Find Cap on REVERBNATION
Hear some more Cap on COAST2COAST MIXTAPES
-review by Scottie Carlito