BAR EXAM: 'SORRY, I CHANGED' by Aaron Cole

First-Listen Review

Welcome to my first listen review of Aaron Cole’s newest project, SORRY, I CHANGED. I will be sharing my thoughts from my true first listen to the project. I provide in-depth thoughts and commentary on anything from flows, rhymes, beats, creative direction, track placement, and concepts. At the end I’ll let you know if the album is better than most (above the bar), status quo (at the bar), or could have been better (below the bar). Let’s go.

This article originally appeared in Midnight Donuts #4 from July 2024. Want to read the most recent edition of Midnight Donuts? You can do so here! 

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“Two Cents” - Starts out with a soul sample, and a chilled-out beat lays in behind it. “It took a lot of tears for me to reach this tier…” It sounds like an intro to an album—he’s laying the foundation for some rawness and honesty in his bars. Really laid-back vibe. ”You can’t elevate by staying the same.” Oh, and then the beat switches and the pace has picked up a bit. This back half is a BOP.

“Hand On My Life” - I love how easily Aaron can switch to the melodies after the double time flow. Another soul sample is in the background here. I love the style. He’s inviting the listener to look at his life and see the fruit of God at work. I feel like that is a worthy challenge for all of us as believers.

“SBTN” - KIRK! With the chipmunk soul sample now. Faster beat, a lot of repetition with the hook at the top. With the quicker pace, Aaron is still giving himself space between bars with his ad-libs. This song might be a loose connection to the old Gaither Vocal Band song “Something About That Name.” Kings and Kingdoms will all pass away but there’s something about that name. In the same way, Kirk and Aaron are pointing to Christ as their anchor throughout whatever storm they face.

“Refuge” - So far, all these beats definitely fit the same style and theme. Saint X has done a great job so far of keeping the beats fresh, but still fitting together—keeping the album sounding cohesive, like these works belong together. The sequencing here is great too. Aaron was going in with bars for the first three tracks, and now he’s laid back with the melodic vocals.

“I feel your pain  / I see the rain comin' / I'll be your strength / You not in danger / You can fall ten floors down, I'll still catch you / Lean on me, I'll be your refuge”

“I Love It” - This instrumental is dope. I love the flute sample, and how the other layers fit. This is a “God is good” type vibe. He loves his life, and the first verse is through the lens of his relationship with his wife. Second verse is kind of an explanation of how he got here—he had to let go of old things and deny himself. The faster-paced melodic vocals over the laid back instrumental work really well.

“Have Your Way” - We’re in R&B mode now. He’s really just singing. This hook is super catchy. This beat is reminiscent of something Ja Rule and Ashanti would perform over in their heyday. A lot of repetition in this song. It’s mainly about vibes here. Aaron has great vocals. He’s deviated from the bars so much that it feels like this is a feature. I love the variety to what he can bring to a track.

“What It’s Like” - “Change is inevitable, growth is optional.” The soul samples are back. Feels like he’s gonna be back to rappin’ again on this one. This song has Aaron telling about his life, and it’s sort of a “you haven’t walked in my shoes” type theme.

“I was up in the pews / Had Tye Tribbett on loop / I knew I would stand out / Now look, my life is the proof / I never made the dean's list / Had dreams to play for Dean Smith / I always stayed ten toes / Could never let my feet slip”

“Proof” - Acoustic guitar riff on loop to start. Very musical. R&B sound again. I love how the vocal keeps stepping up and up to get into the hook. I love how on the surface this could be played in the club, but it’s professing the faithfulness of God. This song is fantastic.

“Infinity” - The production throughout this project is exceptional. He’s in his Ne-yo type bag throughout and the production lays a perfect bed underneath what he’s trying to do. I’ve already stated this too, that each beat feels like it belongs on this project. With an artist as versatile as Aaron Cole is, it could present as an issue when each beat is similar, because he can really go off rappin’ wise on some boom bap or even trap, but on SORRY, I CHANGED he stays in this R&B/Pop vibe and I really think it works.

“Safe Haven” - He’s struggling with perfectionism, impatience, and is being honest about where he is with God. This instrumental still has some samples laced throughout, but the textures lend more space so you can focus on these honest vocals. The tone of this song is darker than the rest of the project, causing me to lean in a bit. I love the placement of this in the track listing, because I was in need of a switch up.

“Tables Turned” - We’re back to a chipmunk soul sample. Big bass. He’s spittin’ heavy here. It’s crazy how I was just commenting that Aaron doesn’t need a modern sounding rap track, and then he throws this in here. The intentionality of including the chipmunk soul sample at the start and end of the track helps it still fit within the rest of the project.

“Look @ God” - Slower vibe, slowed down vocals in the sample at the top, but the speed is turned up as the verse begins. His flow here is effortless. He’s grateful for where God has him, and he knows he doesn’t have anything without God. He’s exemplifying a confidence in Christ and boasting about how God has blessed him.

“Prayed 4 Me” - For some reason this instrumental makes me think of Alicia Keys. Saint X really killed the production throughout. Aaron is talking here about how he doesn’t get to where he is without the support of others, without his community of people caring for him and lifting him up in prayer. It’s a dope song. He’s also pointing to the fact that there are better days if you persevere and endure. Perseverance produces character. In every hard time the sun still rises the next day.

This is really a strong album from Aaron Cole. It’s solid throughout, and I’m not sure it ever dipped below the bar. He went for a concept and really nailed it. Because of how consistent it is, overall my thoughts on it are that it shot for and hit the middle. However, I don’t know of another artist who could put out an album like this and do it as well as he did, which is why I would say this is slightly above the bar.