“I know what it feels like to be in a position to put out records that I don’t believe in,” Normani has said of her time as part of Fifth Harmony. Maybe that’s the best way to describe the lengthy gap between the girl group’s last release in 2017 and the singer’s highly anticipated solo album, Dopamine.
Normani’s 2019 hit “Motivation” drew inspiration from early-aughts trailblazers like Beyoncé, Ciara, and Ashanti. She’s since described the track’s dance-pop quality as not enough of a challenge for her, which is probably why you won’t find any Fifth Harmony-style club bangers on Dopamine. Instead, the album embraces contemporary R&B trends, deftly balancing hip-hop and soul with collaborations with Starrah, Gunna, and even James Blake.
Normani shines brightest, though, on solo tracks like the sultry “Lights On” and the disco-infused “Take My Time,” both of which reflect a star quality that was apparent as soon as she appeared with Fifth Harmony on The X Factor in 2013. These songs pay homage to the R&B giants that preceded Normani, like Janet Jackson, while also incorporating more current styles, borrowing from the likes of Kehlani, H.E.R., and Nicki Minaj.
As part of Fifth Harmony, Normani was often reduced to the background, rarely singing lead vocals or showing off the choreographic ability that would earn her a spot on Dancing with the Stars in 2017. Dopamine quickly reminds us of her power as a vocalist. “I’m a baddie and I don’t know how to act,” she sings on “Candy Paint,” suggesting a lifetime of curbing her feminine desires to be her true self, especially as an artist.
Normani reportedly revised the tracklisting of Dopamine a good four or five times, and that perfectionism is evident in how smoothly the nearly 42-minute album flows across its 13 tracks. The sole misstep is the closing song, “Wild Side,” a duet with Cardi B that feels like an anticlimactic conclusion to an album otherwise filled with sleek, understated R&B.
“I finally stopped the tears from runnin’/And I know that’s gotta count for somethin’,” Normani laments amid lush, Brandy-esque backing vocals on “Insomnia.” Dopamine is a reflection of who Normani is as an artist at this particular moment in time, and it reinforces the notion that there is indeed value in taking one’s time in order to deliver something of substance.
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