Bryson Tiller returns to the R&B scene with his most zealous project this fall, a double sided album named “Solace & The Vices.”

This was the first album released by Tiller since his self-titled album “Bryson Tiller” in April 2024.

“Solace & The Vices” offers two different sounds from the Louisville artist — the first with Hip-Hop energetic sounding tracks and the second with R&B intimate and love sounds.

The album puts into perspective the range that Tiller has been able to reach and display throughout his career as a singer and rapper.

The first side called “The Vices” released in August features some of the best Hip-Hop themed material that Tiller has released in quite some time.

This side of the album features many guest appearances from T-Pain, Plies, Rick Ross, Bun B and various other artists.

Tracks from the first side such as “First Place,” “I Need Her” and “Burnout” help highlight the ability that Tiller has to combine rap culture and soul music effortlessly. 

The closing track “Finished” is a personal expression of himself responding to all of the critics commenting on his career — leading into the second side of the album, creating a powerful and strong summary to the first set of tracks.

The second side titled “Solace,” released this month, steps away from all of the featured artists and high energy for tracks that are more sentimental and seductive.

Tiller addresses the many themes of personal growth, self-care and the pressures of being in the entertainment industry.

Tracks such as “Workaholic” and “Strife” show the vulnerable side of Tiller as he reflects on the early sounds of music from the beginning of his career.

The production of both sides of the album allows Tillers’ vocals to take a strong stand and showcase the vocal range that he has developed over the years.

Splitting the album into two separate sides has strengths and some weaknesses. “The Vices” showcases the theme of having strong ambition and high self esteem, while “Solace” enters in as a self reflection and quieter melodies.

However, the timing on some of the tracks seem to be too short, making them feel like some of them are unfinished tracks more than a completed piece of work.

There are several tracks on “The Vices” side are under two minutes and “The Solace,” heavy focus on mood oriented tracks occasionally has some songs that are longer than three minutes.

Another area of both sides of the album is the heavy reliance of features from other artists. While it does offer a lot of star power, it kind of takes away from the personal narrative that Tiller tries to establish throughout both sides of the tracks.

Some listeners may find that the best material from Tiller is when he goes solo on the tracks without any of the features, giving listeners a reminder of his talent to fuse R&B with unique storytelling.

For new listeners of Tiller, it should provide an introduction to an artist that is not scared to explore the themes of his identity and can do it through rapping or having a great singing voice.