Album Review: ‘Pray for Me’ by RAAHiiM

Toronto-based R&B artist, RAAHiiM recently released his third all-new, full-length release, Pray For Me. Rahiem Hurlock, the man behind RAAHiiM, is a leading artist at the moment in the Toronto R&B scene.

Pray For Me uses religious symbols to convey the message that prayers don’t always have to be about religion. They can be about listening to people in their vulnerable moments. With each song, the artist introduces unique concepts like love, heartbreak, reflection, and moving on. As a whole, the album unfolds with a strong narrative. It has heartfelt spiritual messages, late night confessions, and the desire to be felt and understood.

Track one, “On God,” has a church choir vibe alongside religious imagery, making it on theme with the record’s title. On “On God,” Hurlock sings about the significance of spirituality and heartfelt moments. With the following tracks building on this song’s softness and emotional appeal, this track has an important place on this record. The religious imagery with choir music was unique and grounded the song in self reflection, and the soft vocals carry emotional depth making the song memorable.

Tracks two and three, “Too Much” and “WiiCKEDEST,” blend into each other with similar themes of wanting reassurance. On “Too Much,” Hurlock especially does a wonderful job of expressing a want for reassurance from his relationship. He indulges in paradoxes and uses contradicting themes and lyrics which really makes this song so interesting. The play between the two tracks is what makes for such a strong narrative throughout the record.   

“Just Like Me” is the most important and vulnerable on the album. Hurlock opens up about making love, being married, and exchanging rings. It’s a perfect late night drive song. The song’s emotional vulnerability makes it compelling and it draws you in. While “Just like me” makes you feel like you just fell in love for the first time, the following tracks introduce heartbreak. 

The next couple of songs, “Falling Off,” “96 Camry,” and “Save A Moment” are somewhat lighter. Hurlock takes us through his journey of exposure and being vulnerable. These songs are perfect in the middle of the record, being a transition between praying and love, and heartbreak. They don’t explore complex themes, but just allow the listener to vibe with the music instead.

Hurlock ends the album with “Everyone’s Girl.” This closing track makes the listener feel like we are coming to an end of a movie. Not with a happy ending, but an impactful one. He comes full circle here. He realizes that the reassurance, vulnerability, love, and heartbreak he felt throughout the entire album ends at the end of the night. After the confessions, heartfelt prayers, and spiritual and emotional appeal, the artist wants to move forward. And he encourages the listener to move forward as well.

This song ends the record well because it insists on quiet acceptance rather than a dramatization of pain. Hurlock reflects on the fact that everything he may have felt was temporary and tied to the single night that has ended. As a listener, it feels like the artist did this intentionally and it feels satisfying. The record doesn’t fade out aimlessly but ends with a purpose.        

Hurlock encourages the listeners to not just hear the album but to feel it, imagine it, and recognize the same emotional appeal within themselves. The record is effective and expressive. It’s greatest strength is that it makes one reflect with sincerity, encouraging us to move forward in life knowing that everything is temporary, even the pain we feel in the moment.