Songland review: Did Aloe Blacc pick Steve Fee, ‘Same Blood’?

Tonight’s new episode of Songland brought something a little different to the table — it wasn’t just about giving Aloe Blacc something to sing. Instead, it was about getting a song featured in Hobbs & Shaw! The latest edition of Fast and the Furious franchise is looking for a fantastic anthem for a pivotal moment in the movie and this is a great honor — while there’s no guarantee that any other winning songs will be memorable for a long period of time, this one absolutely will. It’s going to live on in the movie for years to come.

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Without further ado, let’s go ahead and get to talking about some of these tunes featured in the episode!

Kyle Williams, “I’m Just Getting Started” – A cool, anthemic, driving song from the get-go. We love the message here and what it represents for this franchise — even though there are already a billion different editions of this franchise already, it don’t quite matter. There’s going to be so many more. The verses in the new version felt different but, insofar as the chorus goes, it was probably the catchiest of the bunch.

Afika, “Chosen” – Afika’s family originally came from Swaziland and he’s got a really cool, confident style. He is one of the few people we’ve heard come in with a hip-hop background and this was a potential genre-bending hit. We’re kinda bummed that this wasn’t chosen in the end, mostly because this brought SO much musicality and uniqueness! It just wasn’t right for the sort of singer Aloe is.

Tvte, “Call for a Hero” – All of the different speeds and styles in the final version of this song was all sorts of slick and cool. It did give you that driving Fast and the Furious vibe, but also some change-ups that will make listening to the song feel like somewhat of a vocal journey.

Steve Fee, “Same Blood” – This was a song all about brotherhood and making sure that you’re there for the family that you choose. Brotherhood is really the core of this whole franchise and we can’t say we’re shocked that the producers, Aloe, and the movie’s director loved us. The second version of the song was so much better than the first, especially with the backing on the chorus.

Who won between Tvte, Steve Fee, and Kyle Williams?

This was a tricky choice. Tvte’s was the most interesting musically, while Kyle had the strongest chorus and Steve probably had the best overall story behind the song. His was also the most improved from where it was at the start of the episode to where it was at the end.

In the end, though, Kyle was the winner — “I’m Just Getting Started” will be in the movie. (It was also announced that Aloe recorded the Steve Fee song “Same Blood,” so clearly, he loved more than one of the songs. There are multiple winners!)

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What did you think about tonight’s Songland episode? Sound off right now in the comments. (Photo: NBC.)