From the discovery of Jon Bellion’s first studio album “The Human Condition” full of catchy fast-paced tracks like “All Time Low” and “Guillotine,” which combined a fun mix of rap and ranged singing on top of funky beats, I was excited to see what his newest release “Glory Sound Prep” offered.

The album opens with serval pre-releases such as “Conversations with my Wife” and “JT.” These tracks offer a beautiful start. “Conversations with my Wife” is a peaceful opening with delayed and layered vocals covering themes of not wanting to be a “digital Jesus” after his massive success on his previous album “The Human Condition,” which went double platinum.

The first new track of the album “Let’s Begin” is the first taste of rapping in the album. The song offers three different features who have decent bars, but Bellion has the most outstanding verse by far. In comparison, the features appear lackluster.

All over the album, Bellion brought some very enjoyable tracks, like “Blu” and “Cautionary Tales.” “Blu” is a collaboration of funky electronic drum beats and scratches that sit under Bellion’s chants that then transition to a beautiful piano ballad. “Cautionary Tales” starts as a guitar-based track that pairs with Bellion’s mix of singing and rapping. All of a sudden the chorus hits like a brick wall with a funky bass and abrupt claps that don’t last long.

Through the entire 10 tracks, no song truly disappointed. However, some did not blend in as well as they should. “Adult Swim” is a five-minute track with numerous beat switches with Bellion rapping under different flows. The track is an interesting concept but most of the instrumentals are mediocre at best. The only enjoyable element of the track is Bellion’s quirky bars like “I’m silence in the lamb, call me Hannibal failed” referencing classic horror film “Silence of the Lambs.”

“Couples Retreat” could have been amazing, but an instant turnoff is the addition of the first verse as weird chops in the audio where the song will play but cut out very briefly. This feature made me replay this song numerous time like it was a glitch, but for all the wrong reasons. Although the supposed glitch is most likely on purpose, it just leaves me confused and turned off from the potentially amazing track.

Through the span of “Glory Sound Prep” Jon Bellion does an excellent job of bringing something new and interesting in the pop genre. Demonstrating his flawless production and vocals his growth as an artist is clear. With a few minor track changes, the album could be next to perfect.

Glory Sound Prep: ★★★★☆