JON BELLION, GENIUS OR OVERRATED?

By ablvckpoem
22nd October, 2018

Jonathan David Bellion released a 14 track album titled the Human Condition on June 10, 2016 to a number of glowing reviews, it also debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200. Alisson Wulforst aptly calls it a mix of several genres but wraps up into a listening experience that is beyond any other. We are all yet to fully recover from the dizzying effect of the outro, Hand of God. I still think that is the best outro I have heard in my entire life. There are so many layers to the Human Condition and Jon painstakingly peels back each one and shows us our own vulnerabilities.
Ever since its release, Jon’s fans have grown at an alarming rate and so have his critics, people have begun to questions his artistry, stating that he might simply be overrated. Just recently, he announced on social media the release of his long-awaited sophomore album Glorious Sound Prep scheduled to be out November 9, 2018 and like clockwork, the “how good Jon Bellion really is” enquiry began to make the rounds. Jon has always demonstrated a gift for storytelling employing his skills as singer, songwriter, rapper and producer to weave a new element of vividly animated universe he has built throughout his discography. It would seem Jon listens to his critics as he ever so deftly alludes to that enquiry on the first single off his album, Conversations with My Wife where he places more value on his personal relationships than perceived public opinions with these lyrics, “They’ll Say that I fell off and it’s alright/ I’m so ready to run from the spotlight”.
Jon proves with this single that gets better after every listen, that he is still every bit as creative and adept at weaving magic out of the most mundane experiences using simple and relatable lyricism. After the first listen, I thought the song was basic and totally unremarkable and even tweeted that it wouldn’t have made it into the Human Condition album in terms of quality, but after a few more, I got hooked and discovered that as with other Bellion songs, they aren’t the characteristic hit songs that jump at you on first listen. It takes more than one to get the entire picture. At this rate I am very excited about the new album and can’t wait for all the stories Jon has to tell. I am ready to be in my feels all month.
As to where I stand on the divide, one thing is evident, Jon Bellion does not fit into the mainstream stereotype, he is way more talented and his ease of execution is out of this world. I don’t think Jon is getting even half the props he deserves. His ambit of lyricism is enviable. It is humanly impossible to dislike Jon Bellion and if you think you do, you just might need to seek help.

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