☆☆☆☆☆ 5/5

It’s no surprise that Philadelphia-based R&B artist Tiffany Majette originally wanted to become an astronaut. What with her stage name “Orion Sun” and dreamy synthesizers that make the listener feel like they’re floating, space has been an ever-present theme in her musical career. 

She mixed this ethereal sound with mixtape-style vocals and beats, creating a listening experience like no other in her first album, “A Collection of Fleeting Moments and Daydreams.”

Her sophomore album, “Hold Space For Me,” not only maintains this original sound—it elevates it. Her smooth vocals still carry the project, her experimental audio bits connect each track, and her earnest performance ultimately shines through. 

Orion Sun’s jazz and R&B roots drive the first track, “Lightning.” But her vocals ultimately dominate the song, setting the stage for the rest of the album’s interplay between her own voice and unique synthesizers.

An abrupt transition into the second track, “Trying,” introduces a change in tone—but not one that leaves the album disjunct. Orion Sun maintains a similar style of songwriting and sound blend throughout the entire album, while venturing into different emotions and characters—something she hadn’t done much of in her previous work. 

These ventures are a welcome change of pace. They add an element of complexity to the album, one that gives the tracks diversity while tying the album together. 

While she sings about serious experiences, like grieving over a friend’s death in “Grim Reaper,” she takes on a more playful voice in the hip-hop oriented track “El Camino,” where she jokes about letting the small amount of fame she’s achieved get to her head. 

Tracks like this depart from her typical dreamy, bedroom-pop sound and show a side to Orion Sun that her listeners haven’t heard before. In this age of music, where many artists begin to sound painfully repetitive, Orion Sun finds a way to vary her sound.

While most of her vocals flow lyrically, she provides a nice contrast with shorter, rap-like verses in “Golden Hour” and “Sailing.” As the penultimate track on the album, “Sailing” is followed by a much slower ballad, “Birds Gave Up,” in which Orion Sun performs with sparse guitar, showcasing her ability to captivate listeners. 

“Hold Space For Me” marks a new chapter in Orion Sun’s life—one where she emerges from her indie status and begins to find fame and success. Bound to no genre, Orion Sun appeals to listeners of all kinds while staying true to her own reflective writing style.

While she never got the chance to find herself floating in space among the stars, Orion Sun’s sophomore album “Hold Space For Me” displays her potential to become one.

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