Album Review: SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE by Russ

Russell James Vitale, better known by his stage name Russ, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and author. This is Russ’s 14th album at the age of 27 proving his hard work and dedication towards his music. Russel embarks on a stylistic shift on this record which is suggested rightly by the title of the project. A new melody driven focus and his ever-present uncompromising lyrical content make this project unique and an enjoyable listen. He details personal experiences eluding to a refocusing of his life and career, even if he still delivers some lines with a sense of his signature superiority complex.

Let’s look at my favourites from the album

• NEED A MINUTE: Russ talks about his humble beginnings and his rise to fame. Russ is taking a step back from his busy entrepreneurial lifestyle and appreciating what he has accomplished thus far, effectively establishing the main theme to the project. The muted guitar over trap drums pave the way for the signature sound of this project. 

• GUESS WHAT: a triumphant Synth starts this track off and is a brag rap song about the luscious lifestyle of both Russ & Rick Ross. At this point Rick Ross has become a veteran and he delivers the best verse on the project with a perfect flow. 

• CAN’T GO ON: this is a break up song where Russ tells a lover that he’s over their relationship and that it is unlikely to progress any further due to her lack of self-worth and “overbearing ways”. Russ sings the chorus beautifully and this is a very enjoyable track. 

• ASSHOLE: in an interview Russ said that this song is inspired by Kanye’s ‘Runaway’ and the influence is clear. Russ and Bugus talk about putting themselves first which has resulted in their success. Russ knows how he’s got here and never leaves a chance to brag about it. 

• NIGHTTIME (interlude): this is a smooth, melodic trap-rap song where Russel talks about his commitment phobic nature coming over the relationship between him and his partner. The song sample Rihanna’s song ‘Man Down’ and the second verse to this song has also been mirrored to the above-mentioned song. 

• ALL TO YOU: ‘All To You’ adds another song to Russ’s romantic song catalogue. Featuring a chorus with beautifully mixed vocals from Kiana Ledé over Russ’ soothing guitar chords, this track is one of the standouts from SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE. 

• PATIENCE: Russ gets introspective and talks about the threats that comes from the fame that he has achieved. The production creates a chill vibe that let’s Russ glide over the beat and make his message translate well. 

• I THOUGHT YOU GOT ME: the slow/reverbed chorus makes this track sounds smooth and something that you keep coming back to. Russ and Benny The Butcher talk about being backstabed by someone who they trusted and it’s another self introspective cut on this project. 

• MOMMA: the track embodies the album’s theme of Russ’s gratitude for what he has accomplished thus far in his career. The track is an ode to the promises made by Russ to his mother’s and how he has accomplished them in no time. 

With Russ finding success on his own terms, ‘Shake The Snow Globe’ is unique. Consistent from start to finish, it’s a complete body of work. Russ thinks of himself as an underdog producing music in his basement but it’s just that the size of the basement has substantially increased. This is a solid body of work and deserves a score of 7/10.