And just like cuffing season romances aren’t necessarily built for the long haul, Claudio explores the possibilities and uncertainties of opening up to new lovers when time is of the essence. Her melismatic coos manage to capture a sense of sensuality and soul that many of the sadboy R&B singers lack. Though her breathy, moody vocal style has been en vogue in R&B for some time now, Claudio has far more vocal presence than many of her contemporaries. Preceded by two singles (both produced by Stint), the no-strings-attached anthem “Unravel Me” and the ode to self-love “Belong to You” (plus a remix of the latter featuring buzzy rapper-singer 6LACK, whom she’ll tour with this fall), About Time‘s lyrical content and hazy sonic universes provide a solid soundtrack to your cuffing season adventures. It’s this intersection of love, growth, and time that permeates the aptly titled About Time, which follows last year’s warmly received Confidently Lost EP. Claudio encourages us to make love while simultaneously questioning it. On her debut album About Time, Claudio’s vocals drip like honey over each production, which cite everything from Maxwell to bossa nova.
The Miami-bred, Cuban-Boricua singer is right at the precipice of youth and adulthood, but unlike many of her R&B peers, who are intoxicated (literally and figuratively) with a sense of invincibility, the inevitability of time passing and its role in romance weighs heavily on Sabrina’s mind when she puts pen to paper.
Sabrina Claudio may have turned 21 less than a month ago, but she sings like someone who’s experienced a full Saturn return’s worth of heartbreak and self-reflection.