Jhene Aiko’s velvety performance on Big Sean’s recent single “Beware” totally stole the show, so to hear a cover of the song by a young woman with vocals just as sultry and warm is a treat. Moxie’s version of “Beware” isn’t exactly so much a cover as a re-envisioning and re-packaging of the original, and as it tends to do independant art once again trumps it’s mainstream counterpart. The minimal electric beat and it’s clappy drum walk are replaced by a light string accompaniment that pops off it’s own negative space and lays out a smooth and straightforward path that Moxie’s airy vocals float over.
Both the content and the context of this track are beautifully crafted. Halfway through Sean’s opening verse Moxie brilliantly flips the original narrative of the male-centric and fidelity minimising verses to express the pain and frustration from the side of the person who was actually betrayed. The warning to “beware of a woman with a broken heart” feels much more genuine and daunting when repeated by a women scorned. WIth only two released songs we will hopefully be seeing much more creative and beautiful music from Moxie.