At only 25-years-old, OVO Sound veteran Roy Woods has had quite the tumultuous career.
After scoring his first hit-single in 2015 with “Drama” (featuring Drake) off his debut EP, Exis, Denzel Spencer’s (Roy Woods) path to stardom would soon be muddied by the overwhelming power that is October’s Very Own.
It has been long discussed why artists who are rostered on Drake’s all-seeing OVO Sound factory aren’t the stars they were meant to be. OVO artists in PARTYNEXTDOOR, Majid Jordan and Woods all have the potential to break further into the mainstream, as the situation with former OVO member ILOVEMAKONNEN brought Drake’s overall managerial ability into question. However, it seems as though OVO is the place where artists go to grow Drake’s sound instead of their own.
Take The Weeknd for example — knowing the repercussions of signing with an artist as universally known as Drake. This, in turn, would diminish his reputation and The Weeknd’s potential star in the future. Now, Abel Tesfaye is one of the biggest artists in the world — standing toe-to-toe with Drake in both album sales, awards and total streams.
Although Woods has been pushing out music for the better part of six years, the promotion the Brampton-based artist receives doesn’t enable him to bolster the success he’s previously attained. It’s disgruntling for both Woods and his fans to see that a majority of causal listeners label him from “that one Drake song,” when his catalogue details the sights, sounds and singing of another Michael Jackson in the making.
Regardless of OVO’s track record, Woods has seemingly come into his own under the label. He started his own artist collective called Unlock The Underground (UTU) — a branch of OVO Sound. The artists on this collective include in-house Producer/Engineer BATMANONTHEBEATZ, RAYNY and DOLOINDACUT.
With UTU, Woods’ has been much more active in recent years. Releasing mainly singles since 2018, it looks as if Woods’ music is best experienced in small doses. While his last official album Say Less dropped in 2017, it seems that “Touch You” is the start of a new era for the OVO apprentice.
Woods’ voice is something to behold — a sound completely unique and all his own. Inspired by artists in Nelly, The Weeknd, Michael Jackson and OVO pseudo-duo Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR, Roy Woods’ most recent project Dem Times EP was a snapshot of his previous full-length LP’s in Waking At Dawn, Nocturnal and Say Less.
On “Touch You,” Woods convincingly revives his sultry, sensual underwater sound that OVO has crafted from the ground-up — yet Woods’ singing immerses the listener into the world he resides in — surrounded by the warmness and punchy auras of afro-inspired production.
Woods croons throughout the track about missing the woman he seeks attention from, frivolously speaking on going to the beach, seeing her “in a two-piece” and mostly, just letting off some steam. He’s comfortable and collected on this quarantine cut, with the accompanying music video emulating his laid-back nature with him walking barefoot on a beach.
Baby, can’t lie, I’m convinced
Quarantine got shorty in her feels
Tryna stack somе money, not the bills
Baby got it poppin’ wherе she lives
Why was it my heart you had to steal?
Got me spendin’ hunnid dollar bills
We both can’t leave the 6ix
And shorty’s on her own
Roy Woods — “Touch You”
Despite OVO’s questionable lack of promotion for their rostered artists, an uncharted talent is apparent in Roy Woods. Hopefully, in the next phase of his career, he’s able to make it out of the ‘Woods’ and into the spotlight yet again.
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