Vocal Points is a collaboration featuring Jackson Whalan’s rhymes and GES’s tracks. The 11-track album is a prismatic but cohesive collection of textural and positive-minded hip-hop. On the ethereal, “Hope,” Whalan grapples with finding peace in the wake of missed opportunities. His militant flow pierces through rugged beats and dreamy ambience on the rousing “Coming Alive.” His penchant for writing undeniable pop hooks is evident on “Moving With You.” Here, the verses rhyme swaggeringly, and the choruses boast a sensual, sung melody.
Whalan explores narrative songwriting in the mesmerizing “A Bicycle Story.” This true-story epic details how he bizarrely found his stolen bike. “It’s a crazy New York miracle,” Whalan says. One standout stanza is: I woke up and walked back to my bike/Suddenly a cloud covered up the sunlight/Started pouring rain flash flood-like/And my ride was nowhere in sight.
– Written by Lorne Berhman
The album title Vocal Points is inspired by the definition of focal point: the point at which rays or waves meet after reflection or refraction, or the point from which diverging rays or waves appear to proceed.
Jackson Whalan and GES (Greg Somerville) first met in New York City after being introduced by a mutual friend, the legendary musician and playback engineer Laura Escudé. They started making music together and never looked back. Kicking things off with their debut single, “Source Code,” in 2023, they went on to create the Vocal Points album. Between 2023 and 2024, they worked on the album in studios across Queens, NY; Hoboken, NJ; and Great Barrington, MA.
Vocal Points is a studio album that dives deep into themes of exploration, perseverance, struggle, a stolen bike, miracles, relationships, basketball, things falling into place, and much more. Stepping away from his usual producer role, Jackson focused exclusively on songwriting and vocals, while GES refined the production—delivering a dynamic palette of sounds, beats, and styles that unlocked new creative breakthroughs for Jackson’s vocal performance. The project showcases fresh flows, melodic singing, infectious hooks, and elevated storytelling. Both artists pushed their creative boundaries in the making of this album.
Vocal Points features Jam Young on “Worked Out,”* Entellekt and Alanna Sinclair on “Slide Hustle,”* and Bruno M. Fredes on guitar and co-production for “Moving With You.” The album was mastered by Bob Macc, Jackson’s trusted mastering engineer for nearly a decade.
Several tracks from Vocal Points, including “Coming Alive,” “Swish,” and “Moving With You,” were written with film, television, and commercial sync placements in mind. Jackson has recently secured placements with the NFL, Xfinity, Reebok, Champs, All American (Netflix), and more.
For the album’s visual identity, Jackson and GES collaborated with artist Patso Dimitrov to design all the single covers and the album artwork, crafting a cohesive world that visually aligns with the music.
