Devil’s Whisper is the only song in this category to make good use of a sudden end, closing in a flurry of rapping and ominous near-tribal beats and finishing on a disconcerting note that fits the song’s darker themes and vibe. Trap Tears is one of a few songs that ends more abruptly than it should, closing on an intermission-style section rather than giving the song proper closure this is something that also occurs on Friends and Peace Prevail. If there’s any issue to be found on All We Need, it’s that these ideas often end all too soon, rather than expanding on their beginnings. Near the album’s end point, Trap Tears mixes a Spanish-influenced guitar line with more 808 beats before evolving into a straight trap song, offering one of the album’s strongest hip hop moments even as it retains plenty of acoustic elements. Later on the track Forbidden Knowledge, a looping distorted choir of vocals supports Raury as he raps over a sparse beat and accompanying guitar, making for a less flashy track but one that instead shows off his rapping skills.ĬPU pairs 808 beats and an endearing piano line with Raury’s own distorted vocals, offering a perfect mix of the two influences despite lacking any rapping from Raury.
As the title track All We Need bypasses its grating synthetic intro, it evolves into an appealing acoustic jam, surrounding the initially lone guitar with layered vocals from Raury, which are piled top of each other to fill every little corner of the track eventually some bass is added, and it eventually transforms once more into an arrangement full of violins and trumpet it all feels exceptionally seamless. The album’s strongest point is the versatility it finds with its niche sound. It’s an ambitious piece of work, and just barely falls short of getting it all completely right. Mixing rap and hip-hop elements with a sparse folk rock sound, All We Need feels like a fresh piece of work, hovering equally between the two extremes that it draws influences from. At just 19 years of age, Raury is already carving out a niche of his own. Don’t take my brother, God is our friend I’ve walked for miles and I see no end To the hate, oh, to the hate And we just, sit and wait on… Who can save the world, my friend? Who can save the world, my friend? Who can save the world, my friend? All we need is love Who’s gonna save the dyin' lamb from his hunger? Who’s gonna take from the rich And give to the ones who never had a chance? Who’s gonna wipe the tears? Are we ever gonna overcome the fear? We’ve got a battle Who can save the world, my friend? Who can save the world, my friend? Who can save the world, my friend? All we need is love And now I’m just 18 in the summer The world is hot as Hell as the devil walks up my street And I’m out on my Georgia porch Scorchin' the board with the pen My hand has been forced We’re meant to be tools of God But instead we cop us a Porsche Temperature risin', money disguise the fact That we need to discover love in the earth and sky and beyond Love is what’s missin', love don’t live here no more Dear America, please listen, that sound will open the door To new reality, probable types of fallacy Live my life young and reckless But keep that shit on the balance beam What do you love? Find it, let it consume you Deserve it after the thing that you do, I know that your pupils Have seen Hell twisted over and backwards Soon as we learn to speak we begin our career as actors Always agreein' with things we’re told to believe in Time is repeatin', somebody knows what is needed