Actor, singer, songwriter, record producer, grammy winner and NAACP Image Award nominee Leon Thomas recently released his new album “MUTT” on September 27th, 2024.
“MUTT” is Thomas’s second major album after his first album, “Electric Dusk,” released in 2023 under Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY Records Imprint. Thomas is actually the first artist ever signed to this label.
I listened to his first album back when it first came out mostly because I was interested in what his music sounded like after growing up watching him on “Victorious.” This is a decision I do not regret in the slightest– Thomas’ music is very good. “MUTT” is no exception to this, as it has the same genre of R&B sound and flavor that was a part of his first album.
Two songs that encapsulate my feelings on the album are the titular track “MUTT” and my personal favorite track, “Answer Your Phone”. These two tracks perfectly show his range within the R&B genre.
“MUTT” centers around the struggle of being emotionally honest in a relationship. The title possibly is a reference to how Thomas is essentially a stray dog in terms of his commitment to a woman – like a stray dog. his heart has no owner and just drifts between anyone interested in him.
He says “But I'll let my guard down for you, Said I'll put my guard down for you, Said I'll be vulnerable, So you can break my heart if you want to,” to just show how even in the brief moments where he’s willing to be a little open he still needs to have his guard up. He still needs to be able to stray off after all of this.
“Answer Your Phone” on the other hand is a song about Thomas begging a woman to take him back even though he knows he doesn’t deserve her. Stating this in the song “I know I don't deserve it, But please have some mercy.” Thomas even hopes at the end of the song that his place in this woman’s life hasn’t been taken by someone else yet.
There is a lot of imagery that indicates how tied they are together despite their separation, like in the lyrics “Is there somebody's lips on you, Where mine used to be, yeah?” and “God, I hope you're alone, And someone new isn't next to you,” are almost self-explanatory in this context.
Two wildly different types of characters are portrayed between these two songs but Thomas pulls off both of them through his amazing delivery and voice.
Thomas isn’t the only artist on the album as well. As like with any album these days, there are a few collaborations. Guest artists include people like Masego, D.C.’s very own Wale, Axl Folie, Baby Rose, Freddie Gibbs and the owner of Thomas’s record label, Ty Dolla $ign. Each of them deliver performances that are comparable to Thomas’ and add to the tracks they are on. Especially Freddie Gibbs on the final song of the album “MUTT” remix. So all in all MUTT is another banger album under Thomas’s belt. I cannot wait to see what projects he’ll cook up in the future.