As a musical project, Ginger Root sticks out among other artists for having such an enjoyable mix of different genres of pop and jazz. Through the production, instrumentation and arrangements, they have a sound that feels simultaneously identifiable yet unique in its own right, blurring the line between what genre their music identifies as.
Cameron Lew, the lead singer of the project, does have a specific name for what he creates, calling Ginger Root’s genre “aggressive elevator soul,” which is not really that far off from what they create.
That term can be visualized very well, especially with one of their most popular works to date, “City Slicker,” an EP released back in 2021, with just six tracks and a small 18 minute runtime. Despite it being a very short project, that is not to say it does not utilize its time well.
Over the course of the runtime Ginger Root gives us an overwhelmingly blissful and fun mix of songs that each come in at around two to three minutes in length, each presenting their own sets of ideas to show. Take “Loretta,” easily the most popular song on the album, with its fun vocal melodies, and almost lo-fi groove created with its fun guitars and electrifying saxophone solo. Or take “Juban District” with its small jam sequences and its earworm hook that will surely stick with you after a listen.
Jackson Moulton (’26), a current fan of this album, has a great point about the instrumentation overall within this project. “It is very unique, it has things like the funk bass and jazz drums of classic soul, and then it has these really interesting synth chords, and these really plucky violin sounds, and the guitar is very excellent.”
There is even room on here for more relaxed, city pop adjacent songs like “Fly To,” the introduction to the EP. The specific touch of flutes throughout the instrument that goes along with the keyboards of this song are especially nostalgic-feeling. “Entertainment” also has this sort of feel to it, while admittedly being a much simpler song compared to the others. It still does feel effective though, serving as the outro to the album, and leaving the listener off with a satisfied and relaxed feeling.
Some moments can feel a bit less impressive though, specifically the song “Neighbor,” while it does have its select positives, it feels a bit less in tune to the musical pallette the EP brings overall through its less memorable hooks and melodies.
Tracks like “Juban District” and “City Slicker” do speed up the momentum from it though, and this is not to say that “Neighbor” is that bad of a song, it is just a little less memorable.
“City Slicker” specifically feels like a peak in excitement through the glamour and jamming, packed with such a memorable hook and fantastic jam sessions, similar to “Juban District’s” same aspects of what makes it so good.
As Moulton says about the EP, “It is just such a blend of so many things that come together so well, you would not think that all these varied ideas would come together like this, but it just works.” Even with “Neighbor,” there really is no break in the mind bending avenues of jazz and soul and pop that just clash together to create a one-of-a-kind lo-fi sound. There are so many fantastic solos, jam sessions, accompaniments, and details in the instrumentation and structure within each of these songs, that each time you could possibly catch something new each time you give it a listen.
“City Slicker” by Ginger Root should serve as a breath of fresh air for anybody yearning for something different in the pop genre, only to be met with so much more in such a small package. It is a fun and relistenable EP that will surely keep your head bopping with jams and sequences that should be played in a crowded city street at night. It surely lives up to the title genre of aggressive elevator soul, which leads this album to be a nine out of ten.