There’s a laid-back, jazzy vibe that permeates Young Deuces‘ new solo LP, All I Ever Wanted Was An Opportunity. Smokey saxophones and pianos weave their way in and out of the record, from opener “Always Had It Hard” to mid-record highlight “Grass Ain’t Greener.” But make no mistake: All I Ever Wanted isn’t easy listening. It’s nothing less than Young Deuces’ life story, complete with all the thrilling highs and bracing lows of a life fully lived.
Young Deuces is one-half of Milwaukee’s long-running Streetz-n-Young Deuces, though All I Ever Wanted is his third solo album. “Always Had It Hard” serves as an origin story, detailing Deuces’ childhood and hardscrabble teenage years. “Black Sheep” fast-forwards to the present day and drops listeners directly in a Black Lives Matter march. “My people been on the rise / And they shooting for the sky” Deuces proclaims on the Misha Green- and Jordan Peele-referencing “Black Hollywood Dreams.” Finally, Gloria Gaynor’s disco take on “Never Can Say Goodbye” serves as the foundation for “Say Goodbye,” a sprawling and uplifting love to letter to Deuces’ children, family, friends, and fans.
“I put my all in this motherfucker” Deuces proclaims in the record’s opening minutes. He’s talking about the record, but he’s talking about his life, too. Listen to it all below.
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