With 2020 having been off to a slow start on the music front, fans kept a close watch to see who will make the first move to get the year going. For a minute, it seemed like the first drop will come from Emtee. But PdotO decided to claim the spot with his long awaited album, Cold Waters.
While some have labeled it a surprise album, PdotO did reveal in an interview with Jointz that he has an album ready for release. This was back in May of 2019. The hold-up may have been a matter of timing or working in details in production. Nonetheless, Cold Waters is no longer held captive.
Theatrical sounds are prominent on the album. Grand piano keys open things up while P gives a poetic intro. He kept this project less intense, with a healthy dose of some love music. It comes together to give a balanced offering. P proceeds with a laid back poetic sound until Changes
at track 3. He then dabbles in a trap sound on You Don't Know Me, getting Ras, Zaddy Swag and Linden Mark to tag along.
That heavy poetry comes back on Saints & Sinners. The title track also gives us some of the best poetry work from PdotO. He flows like water on Black Water.
P drops some great raps indicating how far he has come and that he still got it. He speaks of a hunger to be recognised as one of the greats. A hunger than can often be felt when he spits (a reoccurring message in his music). Even with this as the case, there are pockets on the
album where he is caught slipping. His best comes out on songs like Dear God and Stage Fright.
You get a full grasp of his lyrical abilities and his ability to pack emotion in his music. You can feel his frustration as if it's your own. The 17-track body of work wraps up with Stage Fright. P paints a picture of the turmoil that takes place inside, while he looks calm on the outside. Doing what he’s great at, he pours heart and soul into it. Sky Nomonde comes in with a somber poetic piece.
PdotO’s frustration might be far from over. That’s because while Cold Waters is a good body of work that will be appreciated by his core fanbase, it lacks that mass appeal that could break the bubble he feels suffocated by. Still, he captures emotion unlike any other and with that, he’s on top of his game.
