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This May will mark two years since Lucky Daye graced the world with his official debut album, Painted, and with it came an exponential rise to the top of the R&B world. The New Orleans native was stamped as the next best thing in the genre, and rightfully so. Lucky’s ability to shine in different areas of R&B made him an instant appeal. From the infectious grooves of “Late Night,” “Extra,” and “Karma,” to the heavy-hearted symphonies of “Concentrate,” “Misunderstood,” and “Love You Too,’ the Keep Cool singer’s chameleon nature is a thing of beauty when it comes to his music.
With that being said, Lucky has a couple of things to prove on his upcoming sophomore album: growth and consistency. While that remains to be seen, his latest project, Table For Two, put two things on display for listeners, versatility and charisma. Lucky proves the former by working with six different female singers across six different tracks and the latter comes to life with the EP’s underlying narrative: a well-put-together man who seeks the ideal woman to bless with his top-notch table manners and incomparable charisma. However, despite his attempts, his hopeful meal for two often becomes nothing more than an exaggerated late-night TV dinner.
Lucky’s missteps with love begin with “How Much Can A Heart Take” featuring Yebba. The singer gets levied with accusations of infidelity, as Yebba sings, “And somehow you find the time to wine and dine your b*tches better than me.” Lucky lines up his rebuttal and paints her in a gold-digging light, seeking his wallet and nothing else. “You take my money / And I don’t get a thing back,” he croons. Determining who’s right or wrong is a matter of viewing the wine glass as half-full or half-empty. Even then, the answer is subjective. Regardless, neither party has received a full offering from each other and that, quite frankly, is the root of the problem in this scenario.
At other points on the EP, Lucky’s attempts to woo the attention of a lonesome damsel result in the sting of a door that’s been slammed in his face. Fear keeps a potential partner at a distance on “Access Denied” with Ari Lennox, while the best moment on Table For Two stands as another moment of denial with “On Read” featuring Tiana Major9. The project’s lead single encapsulates the digital qualms of dating in the 21st-century, as Lucky Daye longs for a response from his love interest, but the London singer couldn’t care less for the message he hopes to receive. In a world where blue bubbles prevail over green ones, Lucky is one of the few who receive neither.
The thing about Lucky is that his soul is far from jaded in the realm of love. A missed shot warrants nothing more than the opportunity to try again. He fantasizes love as something that’s well within reach, despite it falling through his hands multiple times in the past. “Dreams” with Queen Naija presents the EP’s first example of love in its best form, but doubts about its very existence cause both singers to voluntarily reside in their romance dreamland. However, once its reality is confirmed on “Falling In Love” with Joyce Wrice, a moment of jubilee is coupled with a stern warning to not let what they’ve built go to waste for nothing.
Table For Two proves that while Lucky is dressed to impress, it will always take two to tango. In his mind, things are set up perfectly. The meal is on ten, the music is just right, and the entire aesthetic of the night is sure to bring good results, or so he thinks. All of that is just half of the puzzle and the absence of his guest of honor makes all of the aforementioned things pointless. With a warm meal in front of him, Lucky was forced to watch the ghost of what could’ve, should’ve, and would’ve been in the world of love take a seat across him time and time again. Table For Two champions the idea of collaboration while advocating for a life that’s shared with another individual, one worthy enough to bestow the heart to. It also reminds us that love is never a request away, but rather, it’s something that arrives at its own discretion, with little care for how long we’ve waited for it.
Table For Two is out now via Keep Cool/RCA. Get it here.
