With not much notice, Gwen Bunn has released a new album. Phase marks the first full-length from the Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter since 2018’s Safe Travels.
Bunn released two songs ahead of Phase, “2ManyThings” and “Put It On Me.” The first is a dazzling groove with a singer anxious to get a concrete answer from a lover on the next steps in the romance. Yet the second has an unrestrained rumbling production, similar to an ultrasound. Here, Bunn takes the fall for whatever an insecure partner brings up, not to declare their relationship dead.
Later on, a syrupy jam (“One Up”) illustrates Bunn’s passive nature as it relates to problem-solving in love. There is no power struggle on Bunn’s end. She simply wants her security level to rub off on her frail lover.
A few tracks later, Bunn gets the picture on “Faded” that she’s been way too nice to this person, refusing to be manipulated anymore.
Bunn wrote and produced much of the material on Phase. She also collaborated with Bryan-Michael Cox (Usher, Mariah Carey), WaveIQ (Duckwrth, GoldLink), Patrick “J. Que” Smith (Toni Braxton, Britney Spears), Lido (JoJo, Chance the Rapper), Epikh Pro (Bryson Tiller, Kiana Ledé) and more.
Next month, Bunn joins Alex Isley on the road for Isley’s headlining Marigold Tour. She’ll perform on four dates in major cities such as Dallas, Austin, New Orleans and Atlanta. Get details on tickets here.
Bunn recently teamed up with Kenyon Dixon for his new album Closer, released in May. Last year Bunn contributed to Keep Cool Records’ project Songs From Scratch: Volume 1.
Listen to Gwen Bunn’s new album Phase below.