Rory Farrell Ambitiously Attempts First Musical Foray With ‘I Thought It’d Be Different’

Written by Eli Gillespie

Rory Farrell rose to prominence as a co-founder of the traveling party company Dussepalooza and during a stint as co-host on The Joe Budden Podcast. After departing Budden’s show in 2021, Farrell would go on to found his own podcast, The New Rory and MAL show, with Jamil “Mal” Clay, another former Budden co-host. Despite being known as a podcast host, Farrell broadened his horizons by releasing a compilation album entitled I Thought It’d Be Different on May 26 under the name Rory. 

Farrell is not a musician, and while he does have producer credits on every song on the album, it is clear that he relied on an all-star cast of musicians and producers to execute the musical heavy lifting on this album. Ari Lennox, Conway the Machine, Goldlink, and Jay Electronica are among the featured vocalists on the album, including production credits from Allen Ritter, Bink!, and Nineteen85.

Like many compilation albums, I Thought It’d Be Different sounds more like a playlist than an album due to the number of artists featured on the album. Even though each song features different artists, Farrell and his producers ensured that the entire album flows together from a musical standpoint.  

Sonically, I Thought It’d Be Different is primarily a laid-back, easy-listening R&B album, with occasional rap verses sprinkled throughout. The production is exceptionally smooth, with elements of 90s neo-soul sprinkled in. The instrumentation is generally guitar-forward, as standout songs like “My Phone Can Die" and “Enough” are buoyed by simple, elegant guitar riffs. 

The album also stands out due to the unique collaborations as Farrell was able to orchestrate artistic pairings that probably would not have happened without his input. The best example arrives on the third track “See How This Thing Goes” featuring pop-R&B group Hablot Brown and rapper Conway the Machine. The song has an uptempo, funky R&B groove, which completely departs from the dark and gritty, 90s-rap-inspired production that Conway normally raps over. While the collaboration is unexpected, it was a pleasant surprise since Conway’s verse was one of the highest points on the album. 

From a content standpoint, the album provides little in terms of lyrical substance or depth. Many of the songs discuss the difficulties of romantic relationships but fail to do so uniquely or interestingly. For example, the album's second track “Not Me” is a duet between Raahim and Shantel May, in which the two vocalists cosplay as scorned exes. While the idea behind the song is interesting, the song’s lyrics are surface and occasionally cringeworthy. 

All in all, I Thought It’d Be Different is not the most cohesive and thought-provoking album, but it is a fun, listenable effort containing a few standout tracks -  great tunes to have in the background of summer cookouts or a late-night drive.