“Ratchet, from Las Vegas singer-songwriter Shamir Bailey, feels like a study in the best dance-pop of the past decade. It's an honest, earnest pop record, as Shamir elaborates on the gutsy melodies of his early demos and singles.”
“Las Vegas newcomer Shamir works disco into a state of undress on his first full-length album. He isn't operating in the same romantic vein as, say, Sylvester, one obvious predecessor — just delivering a healthy dose of real talk, set to clean cuts of vintage Chicago house grooves. On "Vegas," the 20-year-old artist recounts the squalor of his hometown with lounge-like ease; for "On the Regular," h”
“The bubbly and danceable singles from Shamir's debut LP are fun and fantastic, but the rest of Ratchet is weighed down by a series of off-the-mark ballads.”
