Gemini Rights
by Steve Lacy
  • Record Label: N/A
  • Release Date: Jul 15, 2022
Metascore
80

Generally favorable reviews - based on 9 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 9
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 9
  3. Negative: 0 out of 9
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  1. The Observer (UK)
    Jul 18, 2022
    100
    A sumptuous listen that glows like a freaky summer love.
  2. HipHopDX
    Sep 12, 2022
    80
    Gemini Rights is a coming of age album where Lacy asserts that whatever journey he’s been on, it’s clear he now knows who he wants to become.
  3. AllMusic
    Aug 5, 2022
    80
    From top to bottom, Lacy's strums scratch an itch with a tinge of abrasiveness. Keyboards supplied throughout by sensitive and unobtrusive players John Carroll Kirby and Ely Rise, background harmonies from a quartet of women (including Lacy's sisters), and occasional production help from DJ Dahi and the Internet's Matt Martians all enhance Lacy's sound without complicating it.
  5. Rolling Stone
    Jul 15, 2022
    80
    Gemini Rights is a 10-song tight collection of rock and R&B, funk and jazz, psych and hip-hop that’s as warm and airy as the cusp of summer, when Geminis are born.
  6. New Musical Express (NME)
    Jul 15, 2022
    80
    ‘Gemini Rights’, which feature his most direct compositions yet, will make the ‘cult artist’ tag surrounding Lacy increasingly redundant.
  7. Pitchfork
    Jul 20, 2022
    71
    For the first time, Lacy’s virtuosity is in service of his vision rather than the extent of it.
  8. The Line of Best Fit
    Aug 1, 2022
    70
    With his sophomore album, Lacy has established a few things. He’s talented, driven, and able to connect and resonate with his listeners. He hasn’t harnessed the full power of his ability yet, but as he continues to pave a path in front of him, his Gemini star will shine brightly when he does.
  9. Clash Music
    Jul 15, 2022
    70
    The execution doesn’t always match the scale of its creator’s ambition but ‘Gemini Rights’ is a time capsule of Lacy’s metier right now, and you get the sense he’s one or two masterstrokes away from a classic that will be distinctly his own.
  10. The Telegraph (UK)
    Jul 15, 2022
    60
    On Gemini Rights, his second solo album proper, Lacy returns to a familiar well of sexy debauchery and smooth licks, while unpicking the emotional aftermath of a recent break-up.

Awards & Rankings

59
#59 Most Discussed Album of 2022

User Reviews

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User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 52 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 47 out of 52
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 52
  3. Negative: 2 out of 52
  1. Diego_19
    Jan 31, 2023
    7
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  2. coywow
    Jan 13, 2023
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. Very solid album from Steve Lacy. With standout hits like Bad Habit, Static, and Helmet; Steve gives us a really good overall album with some of the best songs of 2022.
    not much to sya just good.    … Full Review »
  3. chachic
    Dec 12, 2022
    9
    Since his 2017 debut “Steve Lacy’s Demo,” Lacy has been breaking records and boundaries as an artist. In his 2018 TED Talk, he speaks aboutSince his 2017 debut “Steve Lacy’s Demo,” Lacy has been breaking records and boundaries as an artist. In his 2018 TED Talk, he speaks about doing the “Bare maximum,” doing the most you can with the little you have. At a time where DIY producers and musicians were on the rise because accessibility to Digital Audio Workstations “DAW’s” became more commonplace, Lacy’s TED Talk served as a manual for those wanting to explore the art of music. This led to him being called on to work on songs with the likes of J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Solange, and Frank Ocean. Gemini Rights is a change of formula for the 23-year-old hit record producing artist. Sitting at a mere 10 songs and 30 minute runtime, this album packs an evolutionary punch for RnB lovers and those looking for something new and alternative. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Lacy talks about how the way he approaches song writing changed once he spent time working alongside fellow singer/songwriter, Foushee. He finds a new way to express his emotions, utilizing the resources he has now, allowing himself to shed light on personal topics such as love and loss. Within this album he doesn’t shy away from sensitive subjects; instead, he chooses to embrace them, placing them in the forefront of each songs’ theme.

    Static
    The album opens smoothly; piano chords and a synth bass gently guiding you into the harsh and beautiful honesty of Steve Lacy, a master at simplifying the musical process to extend past his own physical or financial limitations. He doesn’t hold back, neither in saying nor doing what he feels. At times the directness in his words catches you off guard, but his soft and at times, intense vocals, and instrumentals make the words feel softspoken, graceful even. His self-expression seems to have grown since his 2019 album Apollo XXI, casually tackling themes of drug abuse, relationships, and sharing advice from his experiences. A plucking guitar riffs as he harmonizes and sings the chorus, creating an ambient moment that catches you between reality and the world of art.

    Bad Habit

    Bad Habit, the second single off the album, seemed to blow up overnight. A soft start featuring Foushee’s soft voice leads the song into the drop of the instrumental, and the start of the theme of the song, “I wish I knew you wanted me.” The bass and lead guitar go hand in hand accentuating the “boom, boom, clap” of the drums. He utilizes the same idea as before, the bare maximum, but don’t let that phrase distract you from the musical intelligence shown in this song. The tone of his guitar is as smooth and full in their strums, percussion feels heavy yet distant, and synthesizers chime in to give an accent of the future, all layered under Lacy’s singing. Focusing on his lyrics more than previously, he seamlessly seams together scenes from his own experiences full of emotion and drama to create a musical experience. Lacy says he takes a rapper’s approach to songwriting now, starting off by just freestyling and going verse by verse, line by line. Each verse seems to uncover a different side to him, not only in tone, but in speech. Lacy can’t help but let you into the feelings and experiences he went through, it all feels uniquely honest.

    Give You the World

    String sections, wah wah bass, acoustic guitar that sounds like its being played in Spain, synthesizers used like a harp; all create this masterful ballad of a man exploring himself through love and wearing his heart on his sleeve. I cannot help but feel a sense of reminiscence, as though I was thinking back to the moment I heard this song. This song is powerful, a conclusion to an album that re-establishes Steve Lacy as not only a great musician, but a lyricist and poet capable of expressing complex themes of his life, simplifying them down for his listeners to have their own experience. This song proves to me that time travel has always been possible; it has always been in the music. Thoughts of 2022, the craziest year I’ve ever had, will always flood my mind, and light up my heart when I play Give You the World by Steve Lacy. To me, it is a masterpiece. A synthesizer introduces you, rising up the scale and arriving at a crescendo. A bass that seemingly comes right from Bootsy’s Collins’ hand is there to welcome you into a funky soul ballad. I am here now, imagining the future, seeing myself think about the past and feeling that wave of nostalgia that fills my heart and mind. It feels as though the song is something Nina Simone would sing and reminisce on, and the addition of the softness and intimacy in his falsetto, flowing boundlessly over quiet guitars and drums, catered by soft bells. He sings as if he’s reliving a moment in his life, not remembering, but as if he was there now. This song belongs in prom night movies.    … Full Review »
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