SEMAJE – ’92

SEMAJE
‘92
Maje Entertainment / Tyscot (release date: August 22, 2025)

By Robert M. Marovich

SEMAJE is a young gospel vocalist whose frictionless tenor evokes fellow Detroiters J Moss and Deitrick Haddon, and whose style has been variously called “millennial funk” and “neo-soul.” Perhaps not coincidentally, then, on his album ’92, SEMAJE covers “Watch Me Praise Him,” the Deitrick Haddon and the Voices of Unity selection from 2007. With Deitrick’s ex-wife Damita on lead, the song channels couplets from the Biblical Gospel Singers’ late ‘60s hit, “I Come to Praise Him.”

The brief nine-track album—’92 representing SEMAJE’s year of birth and the ‘90s vibe of the music—is high energy and earnest, sunshiny optimism, with effusive singing about praise, hope, and encouragement. Examples are the bouncy “Green Light,” a song about God’s love through salvation, and the equally buoyant “A Ok” and “Fine,” which offer shoulder-shaking declarations about the power of faith and staying the course. SEMAJE does his best singing on the single “I Rely,” a lovely ballad that emphasizes one of the album’s lyrical threads: we are human and we make mistakes, but God loves and protects us anyhow. It’s the only mellow moment on the album and an indicator that SEMAJE can deliver a pewburner when needed.

Liquid electronica, reminiscent of ‘90s R&B, oozes through the arrangements, no more so than on “First Love,” about the power of God’s unconditional love. Detroit singer-songwriter Anesha Birchett joins SEMAJE on “The Best is Yet to Come,” their voices blending so tightly you’d think they have been singing together all their lives.

“Watch Me Praise Him” and “I Rely” are the songs that have drawn the most fans to SEMAJE over the past couple of years, and “I Rely” is certainly a compelling single, but to my ears, “Change” is the standout track on ’92 for its Sunday morning vibe, memorable melody, and exciting interplay between SEMAJE and his background vocalists. It’s also the song that other artists, particularly choirs, can pick up and sing on Sunday.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “Change,” “I Rely”