Marcus Orelias is an artist who somehow manages to blend sophisticated soul, tender R&B, bursts of pop atmosphere, and classic hip-hop so seamlessly that it sounds both fresh and immediately gripping. Where does he find the energy to mix genres with such finesse and still remain so strikingly genuine?

I already knew he wasn’t your average artist — who else can be a musician, a sci-fi writer, a former (but clearly still sharp) professional athlete, an actor trained at the American Conservatory Theatre, as well as a content creator, visual artist, and more all at once? Even so, I wasn’t expecting his new album Maybe It’s Somethin’ to land so precisely at the center of my musical sweet spot.

This is Marcus’ fourth studio album. Before it came Rebel Of The Underground (2013), 20s A Difficult Age (2017), and Marcus Orelias (2022). The range of his pursuits and projects has always been impressive, but now I see someone who’s pulling every imaginable string at once while also channeling his many talents into a cohesive musical mosaic. The first thing that hits me is the album’s overall R&B backdrop — it wraps around you like a warm blanket, with flashes of hip-hop, touches of light pop, and soulful passages with dramatic keys breaking through again and again.

Marcus Orelias is not a newcomer — he already has a solid amount of experience behind him.. And here, it seems, he set out to fully explore the boundaries of genre, drawing on different sides of his creative self. These 11 tracks feel like a vivid burst of honesty that echoes around your head for hours after listening. What hit me the hardest were the moments when gentle R&B melts into hip-hop liveliness, sprinkled with a bit of pop flavor, and takes on a whole new breath.

The lyrics come across as quite personal. Marcus clearly knows how to craft stories. I get the impression he can immerse himself in any creative field, pull out the interesting techniques, and bring them into a musical context. In Maybe It’s Somethin’…, that shows through in the metaphors and the imagery tucked between the lines. I often catch myself imagining a whole movie unfolding — one where I’m building the soundtrack out of the tracks I’ve just heard.

The world of Maybe It’s Somethin’… is vast and sweet — but let’s take a closer look at some of its most flavorful moments. Along the way, Marcus brings in a stellar lineup of guests — Jamila Thompson, Dnalkao, Tay Walker, and more — each adding their own spark to the album’s rich palette.

It’s Definitely Somethin’

It all kicks off with the opening track of the same name — Maybe It’s Somethin’…. The moment it started, I felt a massive wave of soft yet voluminous vocal layers pouring over me. Imagine falling into a lush featherbed, surrounded by warm air and pleasant sounds. The arrangement, on the other hand, is rather minimal — just a few delicate background elements that let the layered vocals fully unfold. This contrast immediately won me over because it’s clear Marcus Orelias puts the focus on the voice, without overwhelming the listener with a flood of instruments.

When Parallel Lines came on, I felt a sudden surge of energy. This one runs on a sharper rhythm, and the flow grabs your ear instantly. The lyrics are structured in a way that makes you tune into every line. The production is tight, the beat is elastic, and I instantly wanted to turn the volume up a couple notches.

Fireworks Interlude pushes the mood further, followed by Just Entertainment, which takes that energy and kicks it up another level. You can tell Marcus Orelias isn’t afraid to bring in more electronic accents and mix them with a hip-hop rhythm. The result is a track with almost a club vibe, but it doesn’t lose its emotional edge. That’s what gets me — the play between contrasts. On one hand, it makes you want to move, on the other, it invites you to pay attention to the lyrics. The flow is confident, the production sparkles with bright details, and it all comes together into something distinct from the usual patterns.

The second half of the album takes a clear turn toward more romantic, airy moods. Doin’ The Most, for example, is a genuinely tender, almost intimate journey. A couple of times I slipped into a gentle nostalgia, recalling some warm memories of my own. I love when a track stirs personal reflections and lets you feel alongside the artist.

Next comes Givin’ It All Away, and here there’s a noticeably darker tone, as if the music is quietly pulling me into a more introspective state. By the time Be My Number One arrives, I’m already expecting another shift in sound — and I get it. A deep beat rolls in, heavy as if drawn from the core of the earth, layered with a soft harmony that hooks the ear with its rhythm. The final note is Forevermore, which brings everything to a powerful close. An orchestral arrangement unfurls wide, and the vocals spread across it like light spilling over an evening city. There’s a bit more drama here than in the other tracks, and it brings a sense of resolution.

After finishing Maybe It’s Somethin’…, I felt the urge to go back and revisit Marcus’ earlier work — to see how far he’s come since Rebel Of The Underground, then 20s A Difficult Age, and Marcus Orelias (2022). It feels like with this new album, he’s really figured out how to strike a balance between lyrical vulnerability and the confidence of a seasoned artist. That contrast creates a satisfying emotional range.

It’s worth noting that Marcus Orelias has been on a theater stage, written sci-fi, dabbled in game design, visual art, and more — and it all seems to seep into his music. It absorbs the richness of his interests. I’d recommend the album to anyone who likes R&B that doesn’t stick to standard formulas, but instead searches for new directions, mixing genres with a layer of personal emotion. Maybe It’s Somethin’… is something like an immersive guide through the artist’s inner world — and I, for one, don’t regret spending time there.

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