Michael (Mike) Posner has been in the music world for quite some time now. He was featured on Big Sean’s first mixtape, a series of studio and poetry albums, an album under the name Mansionz with duo partner Blackbear and his single “Cooler Than Me” peaked at number eight on the charts in 2010. Now, Posner is back on the music scene with his solo album, A Real Good Kid.

As a poet, Posner knows how to write beautiful and creative lyrics. His spoken word poetry is featured on Mansionz’s self-titled album in the song, “I’m thinking about horses.” A Real Good Kid is a combination of spoken word, emotion-filled lyrics and also includes some recorded conversations with his father.

In the intro track “Introduction,” Mike explains exactly how you should listen to the album: in one sitting, straight though, with no distractions. That’s the only way to properly feel the album whole-heartedly. You’re able to hear every transition, every note, every feeling he was having at the time and you can understand what he was going through better. In the intro track, he also mentions that people keep asking what happened.

If you’ve followed Posner on social media over the years, you can see a change in his state of mind, specifically a change over the past few years. A Real Good Kid gave me a deeper look into the mind and life of Mike Posner.

One of the main topics covered on the album is grief, the second track on the album is “January 11^th, 2017.” The track starts out with angelic music and Posner explains what happened the day his father passed away. I feel as if a lot of college age people struggle with properly handing grief and strong emotions properly. The songs covering sadness on the album can reassure people that they aren’t alone, and it’s okay to feel the way you do during rough patches in your life.

Another topic covered on the album is breakups. Throughout college, I have experienced different types of breakups. Posner talks about breakups in a way that they should be talked about: in a positive manner and that there are ways to move on.

The tracks “Song About You” and “Move On” are very R&B, featuring modern rhythm and funk. They lean more towards the negative feelings associated with breakups, but he manages to make the tracks more upbeat with the way he sings and the music on the tracks.

A Real Good Kid is like a book about the past couple of years of Mike Posner’s life. Raw emotion and heartfelt lyrics poured into each track explain how he managed to deal with his tough emotions. Even if you haven’t personally had to deal with emotions like these, the album is insightful and emotional, and it truly pulls at your heart strings.