James Amaker II released his album “HEARTBREAK CIITY” in late December 2022. Instead of copying everyone else underground, Amaker decided to show his true abilities. Also, he took a concept album approach for his latest project. Amaker guides the listener through the album by immersing them in a talk-show-like scene. In the opening song, he plays the interviewer and the interviewee. After that, he hypes himself for the rest of the album but uses the skits to present his whole personality.

As mentioned before, Amaker uses the entire length of his vocal range. Music. He quickly steps up to the mic and exudes his confidence for everyone to hear. Nowadays, underground artists are going for a destroy-lonely-type voice where they mumble and have a lot of rasps in their vocals. Instead, Amaker shows that he can sing and sing well!

My favorite is track 11, “Confronting U.” In the background, you can hear the many-layered vocals of Amaker. As mentioned before, his vocal range shines through the entire album, but in this song, I feel his talent shines through. On top of the fantastic vocals, as the title suggests, Amaker confronts this woman about how she’s been treating him. It speaks volumes that an artist is willing to get this vulnerable and relive an experience like that. It allows him to connect with his audience who have gone through something similar, and it’s beautiful.

If you want to connect with Amaker, you can follow him on Instagram here. And if you’re going to experience his music, you can listen above or watch the music video for “NOT THE ONE.” below!