GENRE; Rap

LABEL; Freedom Sounds

REVIEWED; 25 November, 2025

RATING; 7.9

Navy Blue’s The Sword & The Soaring is an intimate ledger of grief and small mercies, an album that feels less like a collection of songs and more like a quiet ceremonial walk through memory. From the hushed opening moments to the tender close, Sage Elsesser furthers the stripped-back, conversational delivery that’s become his signature: measured, exact, and emotionally unshowy. 

Production is the album’s other protagonist. Sparse piano, subtle strings and occasional breathy wind textures create a cathedral of space for Navy’s baritone — beats by Child Actor, Chris Keys, Graymatter and Navy himself stitch together moods that range from mournful to buoyant. That restraint keeps the record from theatricality; instead it insists you listen to lyric details about family, loss, and spiritual resilience.

Lyrically, Elsesser is at his best when he trades grand pronouncements for tiny, vivid images: a line about an orchard or a reference to guardian figures lands harder because it’s delivered plainly, almost conversationally. The guest appearance with Earl Sweatshirt on the closer (a standout moment) reframes the album’s arc — from elegy toward a tempered hope. 

Where the record occasionally falters is in its uniform pacing; the steady tempo and contemplative timbre mean a few tracks blur together on first listens. But repeated plays reveal careful sequencing and small production shifts that reward patient listeners. Across 16 tracks, Navy Blue balances confession with craft: this is music meant to be lived with, not merely skimmed.