Scenic Drive
| Khalid
Scenic Drive
Scenic Drive is the first mixtape by American singer Khalid, released on December 3, 2021, by RCA Records. Originally planned to release as an extended play, Khalid tweeted shortly after announcing Scenic Drive that "this is no longer an EP, it's way more special to me". -Wikipedia
Critic Reviews
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Commedia
Khalid’s release of “Scenic Drive (The Tape)” was not able to impress. He seems to stick to his discography tightly and rely on feature artists to add character to his songs. Hopefully he was able to rid himself of his mediocrity with this mixtape and will produce a comeback with “Everything Is Changing.”
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Pitchfork
With a stacked guest list, the 23-year-old singer’s latest mixtape showcases his curatorial instincts even as it cruises through a familiar landscape of soft, shapeless R&B.
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Uproxx
Aligning himself with talented artists like Lucky Daye, 6lack, Kiana Lede, JID, Majid Jordan, and more only add to the appeal of the whole project which is filled with good and enjoyable music. Hopefully, this makes things easier and less weighted for Khalid as he returns to working on Everything Is Changing.
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mxdwn Music
Overall, the creativity exemplified by Khalid in this album is the most evident factor throughout each song. Scenic Drive will definitely make one want to take a ride while letting it play from top to bottom.
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The Independent
‘Scenic Drive’ is no doubt a listening experience with each track blending seamlessly into the next – but maybe that’s the problem.
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Ratings Game Music
Scenic Drive practically stays at one gear. Throughout the project, Khalid sings over instrumentals that are designed to make your heartburn symptoms disappear and hits us with vocal performances that don’t have a single smidge of anger in them.
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The Breeze
“Scenic Drive,” while moving away from Khalid’s early years in pop, may prove to reinvent the artist's fanbase, as it speaks to a more mature audience and creates a divide between those who identify with his pop versus R&B side. Despite this, Khalid seems to have orchestrated the perfect combination of ecstasy and sorrow, melding both to create the album of the times that many youths can relate to. Khalid’s mature voice and lyrics signal a twist in his career, spinning him toward a new chapter.
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The Central Trend
None of the songs are particularly revolutionary and have made no impression on me as a listener—I’d describe this album as good background music. And even though I had high hopes for this album to be the soundtrack that brings back summer memories, it’s unfortunately falling short in that category and in my opinion, isn’t worth the listen if you’re also looking for music perfect for late-night drives.
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Rated R&B
What makes Scenic Drive undoubtedly one to pop in and let play on any backroad is that it shows Khalid’s efforts to appeal himself more in the R&B community aren’t diluted nor forced but a gradual step in a potentially more prosperous direction.
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Vinyl Chapters
Like a show car, Scenic Drive looks (and sounds) stunning, but doesn’t really go anywhere; as a whole it gleams, but look closer and you can see the rust on the parts. After this release, it seems like Khalid’s production might be due for a service.
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The Chronicle
“Scenic Drive” is a near soulless experience, and while its intention is to provide relaxing, chill background music, a plethora of mainstream artists are currently delivering more engaging and entertaining R&B/pop, like Jazmine Sullivan’s Heaux Tales and Adele’s 30. Hopefully, Khalid eventually grows as a vocalist and a writer, because all “Scenic Drive” amounts to is background music for an H&M rather than an enjoyable listen.
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Ben's Beat
If Khalid is looking to rejuvenate his career, we should all be hoping that these are the final remnants of his old ideas before he hits us with something new on the upcoming project. At the moment, finding new artists who provide the same things isn’t going to be hard.
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Heromag
There is no weight in Khalid’s songs, neither acoustically nor thematically; even when approaching the thought of heartache, it is from a careful distance, or quickly and neatly resolved. This standard sunniness is part of what drove his progress in pop, but after four projects in the last five years, it would be refreshing to hear him take a risk. He no longer writes as explicitly about youth as he did in 2017 with “Young Dumb & Broke,” but he is also not matured as a singer or lyricist.
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