T-Pain continues his assault on conservative music listeners by uploading yet another video of himself singing without Auto-Tune. The new song, “Say The Word (I’m Gone),” will appear on his long-teased fifth album, Stoicville: The Phoenix. Listen below.
Sticking to the formula that got him so much attention at the NPR Tiny Desk concert, T-Pain keeps it simple — just voice and piano. But he adds luxurious layers of self-harmony that help to emphasize the tragedy of his words: “Why do we do this? Why do we chase after dreams?”
“Say The Word (I’m Gone)” sounds like it could appear on an old album by Bon Iver or James Blake.
Exclusive Video: T-Pain Sings His Hit Song ‘I’m Sprung’ Sans Auto-Tune Backstage at ‘Larry King Now’
While this is guaranteed to earn more headlines along the lines of, “Wow, T-Pain can sing,” it’s worth remembering that T-Pain’s clever use of Auto-Tune completely re-shaped the pop landscape. It’s great that he can sing in a traditional sense, but he shouldn’t have to prove that unless he plans to embark on a second career as a retro-soul singer.