Cassie Ray Puts it Down on New Single Acting Up
By Deuce
The Cassie Ray story isn’t like that of most other emcees. He seems to both rap and sing with equal abandon (although the latter is aided by a good amount of Auto Tunes vocal effects). He’s following up a string of five singles released last year with his first of the decade, the appropriately titled “Acting Up”, just a couple weeks into the new decade.
Most of all, he’s launching all of this activity from the cozy confines of the United States Air Force which, although known for fostering a credible work ethic, isn’t currently acclaimed for its recording studios.
Somehow, some way, Cassie isn’t letting that tiny fact hold him back. Instead, as even a perfunctory listen to “Acting Up” indicates, he seems to be doing quite well for himself in his militaristic confines. Heavy Keys was enlisted for manning the production on Cassie’s latest offering, and he or she deserves some form of commendation (pun included). The pianos are unusually clear, sparkling at the outset of the track. The overall keyboard work is similarly pristine with easily accessible, pop overtones that seem to resonate with modern audiences. And, the 808’ kicks unequivocally kick, solidly, to hold down the low end of the track with aplomb.
As for Cassie’s vocals, dude manages to hit you with some nice melodies on a multifaceted chorus that not only involves singing but also conventional chanting worthy of traditional rap hooks. Plus, he’s got a few flows he unleashes. Actually, he likely excels at this aspect of his craft more than the others. He can bust so fast you don’t even know what he’s saying—which is a testament to the fluidity of his wordplay. However, this fact is also demonstrative of his elocution which, purely in terms of clarity, could stand some polishing. Still, we’re in the days of the so-called mumble mouth rappers, so more than likely this part of the tune could make for a decent selling point.
The fact of the matter remains that on “Acting Up” Cassie takes a smooth track, smoothes it out even more with a nice ditty on the hook, and delivers on the sole verse with a cogent rap style. It’s not hard to visualize this one on any urban or R&B playlist, which may hint at the direction in which he’s going.
