JSWISS is a true wordsmith. That’s one thing I learned when I reviewed his Every Word is a Dollar project back in 2019. The man has a deep vocabulary and a vivid imagination that allows him to link concepts that are novel but become obvious when he spits them.
And even when taking on a topic that he addresses in “Superman” – his new song that finds him collaborating with Eric Roberson – JSWISS frames the subject of trying to do it and be all things to all people in a way that forces the listener to question what this society encourages us to value.
On this song, JSWISS takes on the archetype of the Man of Steel, the comic book hero that we all know uses his otherworldly powers to save the world. Our families are filled with real life Supermen who often get called on to multiple deeds of daring for friends and family – all while holding down their 9 to 5. Like Kal-El from Krypton, these heroes are never truly off the clock.
Unlike Superman, earthly born mortal superheroes can’t fly faster than bullets or leap over skyscrapers. They get tired, they catch colds and sometimes – as Erro sings in the hook – they want to get away and be unburdened for just a little while.
JSWISS’s precise yet rapid fire delivery serves as a nice counter for the longing for peace that Roberson infuses into the hook. JSWISS paints a picture of a man trying to stand tall and respond to SOS coming from multiple directions, while also recognizing the guilt he feels on those occasions when he can’t be present, and the damage that trying to be Superman takes on his mental and physical health.
Check out JSWISS and Eric Roberson on “Superman” here.
By Howard Dukes
