The subject of our second Music Focus is Ras Xix, an artist who’s self-titled album debuted back in May of this year. Ras Xix has lived from the city of Los Angeles as well as in Singapore, but has currently settled to Austin, Texas in pursuit to reach new fans with his music. The debut album is a mix of genres, ranging from rock to soft acoustic.

The leadoff track “Weightless With You” is more of the latter, feeling like a contemporary version of a Jack Johnson song. What makes this track and every track on Ras Xix’s album is that he plays all the instruments (sans drums) as well as the lead and backup singing. You clearly feel how much work was put into every track and the careful decisions made to make each track sound right.

Another track on the album worth a listen are “New Religion”, a progressive rock song that has some very funky beats with some nice vocal effects that will leave you rocking out in your car for a good three and a half minutes. The different genres within “Weightless With You” and “New Religion” comes to show how much depth that Ras Xix has, taking risks that continually pay off.

Ras Xix’s album is a cumulative 11-tracks that transport you through different musical genres, essentially taking you on a roller coaster ride that lasts a good 45 minutes. Unlike many artists today that release “radio friendly” tracks with a catchy beat, Ras Xix has relied more on his songwriting and musical abilities to shine through the album.

That’s not to say that the songs aren’t catchy. “Consent” has a fun punk rock rhythm and feel that sticks in your head and will most likely continually be on repeat. “Over” is another track that has a nice rhythm as well as some vocal effects and a little bit of hard rock in the mix that keeps the song catchy.

Take a listen to the whole album from Ras Xix below and tell us what you think in the comments section!