JCoReyTruStory’s new track “I.D Crisis” does a great job of reminding us what it means to be a human being reaching for an ideal concept that is greater than one’s self. It all seems like a nice little adventure until you’ve got to live it out, particularly as a creative professional. The artist starts to identify with his/her ideal at some point. He/she may take on a new name, and perhaps a broader outlook on the world. Listeners start to identify with that ideal and become fans. But somewhere underneath and perhaps even within, that ideal persona wrestles a flawed mortal, inherently exposed before the world, co-defining the artist and his work right alongside his creative persona. This, my friends, presents us with an “I.D. Crisis”. JCoreyTruStory explores his own crisis with a rare humility and skillful candor that is both edifying and musically strong.
JCoReyTruStory seizes the opportunity on this track to sound off on his struggle with drink, his history as a young man “considered a nerd” and losing his privacy by sharing his life through the lyrics of his music. Holding himself together proves difficult along this path, and he admits that even his sometime successes in reigning in his vices can ultimate lead to a future failure along the way. But if “I.D. Crisis” teaches us anything about JCoReyTruStory, it’s that he seems to willfully choose the reality of his experience, the contradiction over a false impression. He sees himself as living a life that’s “wrong but… righteous” and actively invites his listeners to sit in. I think JCoReyTruStory sums up his paradox best with the line, “I’m overly committed ‘till my soul gets witnessed”. He wants to share more of his life and struggles than the average person might expect to hear. For him, too much is just enough.
The smooth and meandering trap-jazz beat that underlays “I.D. Crisis” slows down in the end, screws the vocals and grinds down to a slow pace but doesn’t quite halt before the track stops. To me, the moment feels hopeful, as if to suggest that this crisis, like any other, won’t derail JCoReyTruStory, not completely. There’s always hope for something more to come. In the meantime, “I.D. Crisis” is a very well made song that I think is a great listen on those days that seem to give you snowfall in the morning and bright beautiful sunshine all afternoon long. I like it.
– iLikeZach
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