Singer/songwriter Afgansyah “Afgan” Reza has released his fourth studio album Sides, a collaborative project with respected names in the industry, including Mark Hill, who produced the early albums of British singers Craig David, Ed Sheeran and Malaysian Sheila Madjid.

He worked with Singaporean singer/songwriter Taufik Batisah, Malaysian rapper SonaOne as well as Indonesians Alam Urbach, Rian d’Masiv, Mhala and Inu Numata on the album that, as the title suggests, reflects his personal journey in exploring his musicality, perhaps to alter his public image as a pop crooner belting out sad love songs.

With his broad vocal range, going from deep notes without frying to high notes without cracking, Afgan has the modality to sing any kind song in that fat, meaty voice of his, whether it has an upbeat tempo or soul rhythm.

He had tried it on with dance songs “Without You” and “Katakan Tidak” (Say No) three years ago, but they were met with a lukewarm response compared to “Pesan Cinta” (Love Message), “Sabar” (Patience) and “Jodoh Pasti Bertemu” (If It’s Meant to Be) from his 2013 album L1ve to Love, Love to L1ve.

Under record label Trinity Optima, Sides comprises 13 tracks, including three singles “Knock Me Out”, a duet with Raisa “Percayalah” (Believe) and “Kunci Hati” (Key to the Heart), with Afgan co-writing 10 of them.

The launch was followed by a mini concert, where Afgan greeted fans with the upbeat “Rollercoaster”. It was followed by the sweet “Knock Me Out” before slowing down with “Count on Me”.

In “Berani Sadari” (Dare to Realize) featuring Yuri and Rayi, Afgan revives the pop jazz sound of the 1980s with fleeting rap thrown in.

R&B numbers “Thinking About You” and “Brand New Day”, which he co-wrote with Mark Hill, are his attempts at becoming known as the next R&B lothario.

“Percayalah” featuring Raisa is probably the best duet of the year, and has been popular since late last year, having been included on the soundtrack of the romantic drama London Love Story.

The remaining three tracks, “Ku dengannya Kau Dengan Dia” (I’m with her, you’re with him), “Setia Menunggu” (Wait in Time) and “Jalan Terus” (Move Forward) reflect his current image, although the last song is accompanied by a full orchestra.

With regard to his full-English songs, if Afgan sounded more like John Legend, Bruno Mars or Jason Derulo, he might gain mass appeal. While in the songs with Indonesian lyrics, he still sounds like he did when he started with “Terima Kasih Cinta” (Thank You, Love) in 2008.

Sides is a welcoming departure from Afgan’s previous works, but he needs a better runway to fly higher.  — JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak

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