Jermain Reese Jr. is Preserving the R&B We Love
Rhythm & Blues—our generation's forgotten genre. Once defined by lyrics of pure intimacy and sensuality, has become drowned in the monotonous murk of trap 808s and triplet-feel hi-hats. It’s hard to ignore the dwindling presence of perennial R&B traditions in today’s pop landscape. Greenville, South Carolina, singer-songwriter Jermain Reese Jr. is set on preserving those very traditions that are so vital to the genre.
Since making his introduction last year with the viral single “Can’t Explain It,” the young crooner has been doing the groundwork to cement himself as one of contemporary R&B’s most versatile songwriters. An amalgam of neo-soul, new jack swing, and hip-hop influences, Jermain Reese Jr. exhibits what it sounds like when a student of the game becomes a formidable hooksmith.
His follow-up project comes in the form of a two-piece EP featuring singles “Call Me” and “1Time,”— an exercise in seminal R&B conventions. Self-produced and self-written, Reese stays at the helm of his creative process, favoring intentional compositions and layered vocal harmonies as he captures the essence of Y2K soul aesthetics.
On “Call Me,” Reese interpolates Musiq Soulchild's “Just Friends (Sunny),” making for an inescapable earworm of a hook as he draws from the warmth of 2000s R&B. The subtle reference feels less like imitation for the sake of and more like homage—an acknowledgment of the genre’s emotional blueprint.
The second track, “1Time,” finds Reese in his MTV Unplugged bag, with a stripped-back acoustic sound. Slower and more minimal, the track creates space for vulnerability, emphasizing tone and control. Where “Call Me” leans into fullness and rhythm, “1Time” focuses on an unfeigned intimacy, highlighting the relentless authenticity found in his songwriting as he continues to shape his signature sound.
Jermain Reese Jr. handles R&B with care, treating the genre as his place of solace, an open journal where vulnerability is not performance but a muse for his introspective storytelling. Reese isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel; he’s reinforcing its foundation. And in doing so, he makes a clear case that R&B’s future doesn’t require louder moments—just the most honest ones.
Listen to "Call Me" and "1Time" below:
