Bilal – “Adjust Brightness” review

Bilal is a 45 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania emerging as a member of the Soulquarians collective & the Interscope Records-backed full-length debut 1st Born 2nd becoming a neo-soul landmark. He returned nearly a decade later for a sophomore effort Airtight’s Revenge followed by his MNRK Music Group debut A Love Surreal & most importantly, In Another Life produced by Adrian Younge in the summer of 2015 shortly after I graduated high school returning to a high level quality of his debut. Almost another decade later, Bilal’s returning for his 5th album.

The title track produced by Antman Wonder angelically starts off the LP singing about sinking or swimming into the light of day without any other choice whereas “Sunshine” atmospherically gives his flowers to the very person in his life who makes his world bloom. “Evr Chngin Nrml” takes the chill boom bap route instrumentally thanks to Karriem Riggins addressing the fact of life gradually changing as time passes while “The Story” hooks up some synths courtesy of Robert Glasper to sing about life unfolds the answers told & everybody knowing.

“Tell Me” gives off a smooth soul approach to the beat crooning that he’ll chase his love like prey leading into “A2Z” not needing a whole lot other than a simple life in a complex world over warm production. “Lay Around” strips the drums completely singing over a bare loop that he’s in the mood to be relaxing, but then the self-produced “Who R We Now?” groovily pleading that he doesn’t want to be locked out again.

The song “Quantum Universe” begins the encore of Adjust Brightness with another standout that Bilal laced all by himself cavernously calling to give him a holiday once the door’s open while the soothing “Conditional” thanking this woman for giving love based on the recipient meeting certain conditions set by the giver. “Micro Macro” closes up shop with 1 last atmospheric joint that Bilal wound up producing individually assuring after the storm starts again, they’ll build & destroy & build it again.

Deeply inspired by a period of musical & visual experimentation, the results of Bilal’s reemergence makes a bold step forward in his evolving sound continuing to defy genre conventions & highlight his unmatched vocal & musical prowess. It’s an intimately human record that speaks to the heart in an era of cold digital sounds conceptually based around themes of love, warmth & intimacy.

Score: 3.5/5

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SOPHIE – Self-Titled review

SOPHIE was a 34 year old producer, songwriter & DJ from Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom known for her brash take on pop music distinguished by experimental sound design, “sugary” synthesized textures & incorporation of influences from underground dance styles as well as pioneering the hyperpop microgenre. Her debut album OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES has become a bubblegum bass & deconstructed club classic with additional inspiration from art pop, wonky, glitch pop, ambient & ambient pop. Fast forward to the beginning of 2021, she accidentally fell 3 storeys from the rooftop of a building in Athen, Greece while attempting to take a picture of the full moon & tragically passed. Ever since her death, a 2nd & final album has said to be in the vaults & now it’s l here at last.

After the ambient “Future Horrors” intro, the first song “RAWWWWWW” by Jozzy starts off by hopping over a minimal electronic dance music beat assuring us that she isn’t dirty even though she rolls whereas the glitchy “Plunging Asymptote” heavily samples Juliana Huxtable’s libretto for Xavier Cha’s performance art/dance piece Buffer. “The Dome’s Protection” favors for an ambient direction instrumentally with Nina Kraviz providing spoken word while “Reason Why” by BC Kingdom & Kim Petras was a great lead single fusing dance-pop, electropop, bubblegum bass & future house talking about taking a look inside your mind.

BC Kingdom sticks around for “Live in My Truth” alongside LIZ radiating a soulful house vibe to the beat flexing that they’re doing shit their own way leading into “Why Lies?” by BC Kingdom & LIZ once again keeps the trio together for a synth-pop banger wanting to know the reason they’re being lied to. “Do You Wanna Be Alive?” by Big Sister throws it back to the 80s electro era showing off a promiscuous side, but then “Elegance” builds itself around a vocal sample of Popstar saying the titular word & is sure enough to get the dance floors turnt.

“Berlin Nightmare” featuring Evita Manji doing additional vocals from happens to be a dope tech house single with undertones of acid house, Detroit techno & fidget house lasting 3 & a half minutes just before “Gallop” serves as this instrumental bridge that feels like something Death Grips frontman MC Ride would absolutely body. “1 More Time” brings a progressively ambient & dream trance vibe to the table including a hint of weightless while “Exhilarate” by Bibi Bourelly heads towards alternative R&B, bubblegum bass, alt-pop & electropop keeping their feet on the gas.

“Always & Forever” by Hannah Diamond nears the final moments of SOPHIE’s eponymous coda promising to shine together throughout the duration of eternity while “My Forever” by Cecil Believe embraces alt-pop, synthpop, electropop, balearic beat, ambient house & alternative R&B sings about wanting to go back to what he perceives as his own forever. “Love Me Off Earth” by Doss ties everything up wanting to know what is it worth for SOPHIE to be loved when she’s not here, foreshadowing her own death.

Would I say this eponymous posthumous outing is as cutting-edge & decade defining as OIL OF EVERY PEARL’S UN-INSIDES? Not necessarily. Nevertheless, it’s still a respectively solid way to conclude the hyperpop pioneer’s career having Benny Long finalizing what SOPHIE had mostly completed up until her tragic death. Damn-near every track has guest performing over her visionary spin on electronic dance music whether it be bubblegum bass, dance-pop, ambient, tech house, acid techno, electropop, techno, UK bass & post-industrial connecting with her in the form she loved most.

Score: 3.5/5

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Scatz – “F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side)” review

Flint, Michigan rapper Scatz with his 7th EP & his 2nd project since signing to M.I.N.E. Entertainment. Introducing himself Halloween 2022 with his debut EP Kyriee Krazy followed by the debut mixtape Yung N***a World, his next 5 EPs SharkLoto, Gift of Gab, Yung Dirty Bastard, The Biggest & Yung Dirty Bastard all the following year caught the attention of Rio da Yung O.G. & signed the 6 Ward Lord to M.I.N.E. behind bars. Almost 3 months later, Scatz is looking to apply further pressure by giving a finger & saying F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side).

“Soul Searchin’” was a nearly 2 minute Detroit trap intro talking about riding around with 2 switches taking lives whereas “Free the Innocent” calls for those who’re incarcerated for crimes they never committed to come home over 808s & an airy backdrop. The title track heavily incorporates some bells to speak on the gangsta lifestyle he endures himself into until “Fully” reflects on being young & dumb tryna get a kill.

Moving on from there, “Go Dumb” comes out the gate by telling a bitch to prove her love for him when she told him only for the relationship to completely dissolve & his twin never missing with the glock prior to “W.B.Y.I. (What Bag You In?)” tryna figure out the deal with this guy runnin’ up tellin’ on others. “$50K” featuring Lil Nook marks the first of 2 collabs on the EP ruining a dark Detroit trap instrumental asking what your momma would do if she was sent that much.

“Topside on a Sunday” kicks off the final leg of F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side) by telling people to question his legitimacy in the hood to know if he really drills anyone like that poppin’ 10s while “1 Click” pulls off some Mobb undertones talking about keeping no bitches around him. “Spike” featuring Ducko & PaidLife Zar closes the EP with 1 last Detroit trap collaboration that I like a little less than the other despite the piano-heavy beat.

6 War Lord was a complete step up from Scatz’ early EPs & mixtape sounding hungrier than he did compared to when he started out & that same hunger transitions onto F.T.O.S. (Fuck the Other Side). His production choices keep getting better & I preferred the guest list on the predecessor a few months ago, but the Flint native continues to feel right at home realizing Money Is Not Everything or Music Is Never Ending speaking of his upbringings.

Score: 3.5/5

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Dead Players – “Faster Than the Speed of Death” review

The Dead Players are a hip hop trio from London, England, United Kingdom consisting of producer Ghosttown alongside emcees Dabbla & Jam Baxter. Making their eponymous full-length debut in the summer of 2013 under High Focus Records, they would later follow it up in the fall of 2015 with a sophomore effort called Freshly Skeletal until they embarked on an indefinite hiatus. They’ve surprisingly decided to reunite 1 last time for their 3rd & most likely final studio LP a few weeks away from former アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, EVOLVE Champion, 2-time 新日本プロレス世界認定TVチャンピオン, 3-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン, PWG World Champion, 2-time GHCジュニアヘビー級タッグチャンピオン, 4-time RPW British Heayweight Champion & 3-time RPW British Tag Team Champion Zack Sabre Jr. facing the current 2-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン内藤哲也.

“The Sooner We Die, the Sooner We Can All Go Home” begins with a sample-driven trap intro talking about what they’ve been up to since we’ve heard from them last whereas “Alaska Spearfishing” embraces a back-&-forth style of delivery wittily trading 8 bars with one another. “Just Above Water” talks about their ability to not let their struggles weigh them down while “Refried Nights” promises to stay weird throughout this final year of activity.

As for “Dustbowl”, we have Ghosttown going for a more somber vibe instrumentally so Dabbla & Jam Baxter can advise to never split your winnings with a thief leading into the 2-parter “Major Curse / Icepick” starting boisterously until hooking up a woodwind during the beat switch talking about coming back so they can crush some cities & switch it up again. “Bloodsuckers” however puts their chemistry in the spotlight once again to finish off the 1st half asking how those kind of people feel.

“Welcome Back Oh Cruel, Cruel Behemoth” kicks off the last leg of their coda sampling some violins & mixing it with some hi-hats talking about death not really being all that convincing to them while the 2nd single “Death by 1,000 Cocktail Sticks” speaks of the 1st life always being free of charge, hence why they’re living theirs quickly. The 3rd & penultimate single “Gasoline Sazerac” on the other hand advises to do your thing regardless of the world getting sapped of all meaning.

The lead single “Cherry Turbo” dropped 14 months earlier as a way of celebrating 10 whole years Players’ foundation going back-&-forth with each other without the need of a hook while “Neon Soup” talks about their thumbs ringing when they’re high whilst their lives flash in their faces. “Blue Crab Linguine in the Frosty Underworld” bittersweetly wraps up the album asking if everything sorted itself out the way they hoped.

Celebrating their evolution & staying true to the previous iterations of themselves, what could very well likely be the last time the Dead Players get back together sounds a lot more trap-oriented than self-titled & Freshly Skeletal were in earlier 2010s maintaining the signature abstractly hardcore lyricism that’s always made them stood out. Living up where the predecessor left off thematically, Faster Than the Speed of Death gives a peek at where the trio is now in their lives as they look back at their old selves along the way. Can’t forget to compliment Telemachus’ engineering either.

Score: 4/5

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Cardo – “MADeMAN” review

Cardo is a 40 year old producer & rapper from St. Paul, Minnesota notable for lacing a couple standout tracks on Wiz Khalifa’s best mixtape Kush & Orange Juice. He would later go on to become one of the most in-demand beatsmiths in recent memory, producing hits ranging from “THat Part” by ScHoolboy Q featuring Ye formerly known as Kanye West to “goosebumps” by Travis Scott featuring Kendrick Lamar or more recently “euphoria” by the latter serving as the first of 4 Drake disses. To celebrate his 40th birthday though, he’s stepping out as a rapper more for a debut album.

The title track sets the tone of what’s to come with this smooth west coast style beat talking about being a made man whereas “Thinking of Wayz” featuring Payroll Giovanni takes the g-funk route instrumentally trying to come up with ways to making straight up cash. “Bankroll” kinda gives off a Mobb vibe to talk about getting money being the only thing he knows, but then “Can’t Stop” returns to the g-funk refusing to slow down.

“Never 2 Much” featuring Seafood Sam has this synth-funk vibe generally talking about being out here making that fetti just before the exuberantly groovy “Thumbin’” calls out people trying to speak to him when it has absolutely nothing to do with making the bread. “Woke Up Ballin’” has a summary trap flare talking about the money always calling him leading into the atmospheric west coast jam “Nameless” featuring Larry June refusing to be around anyone broke in their lives.

Kamaiyah joins Cardo on “Paper” continuing to flex their grind over a spaciously funky instrumental prior to the atmospheric “Mac Dre Flow” paying homage to one of the greatest Bay Area emcees of all time, the late Thizz Entertainment founder Mac Dre. “When You See Me” gets back on the Mobb tip a bit opening up more of having to get it on his own while the synth-driven “C-Bo Flow” featuring Payroll Giovanni gives their flowers to C-Bo of The Regime.

“Ain’t No Way” pushes towards the final moments of Cardo’s official full-length debut LP by hooking the g-funk sound back up pointing out that trying to come up with plots to stop this shit on his end is simply an impossibility & the outro featuring Payroll Giovanni ends MADeMAN with 1 final Mobb joint advising that you have to manage the money in order to master it, even having more income as a result of both of them changing their habits up.

Disregarding the fact that we’ve hardly heard Cardo on the mic as much as we have up until this point, MADeMAN as a producer album altogether happens to be a much more salvageable debut than the new Southside album Break the Silence or even the Pyrex Whippa album Sincerely, Rex. His production hones in on the west coast sound whether it be g-funk or Mobb music, his performances are stronger than both 808 Mafia members on their respective debuts & the minimal guests are well-selected.

Score: 4/5

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The Hoodies – “Nobody Bigger Than We” review

Ellenville, New York duo The Hoodies consisting of siblings E-Class & Young Poppa are back for their 3rd EP. These guys have been taking over the local underground scene for the past 6 years off the strength of their debut mixtape Blood Thicker followed by their first couples EPs both Where Should We Land & What Pressure Makes. However, their full-length debut studio album Hidden Gems entirely produced by Kid Capri last fall wound up becoming their most acclaimed body of work yet from both critics & fans for it’s take on the past & present New York hip hop sounds. And with its anniversary coming in a few weeks, they’re reminding everyone that Nobody Bigger Than We.

“Closer” is this sample drill opener with a chipmunk soul flare talking about being underrated, but still scoring just like the Cleveland Cavaliers whereas “Love Birds” continues with the soulful flips instrumentally flexing that they really Soulja Boy since they’ll pop out with the Draco in reference to the Big Draco nickname from the first rapper to do everything. “Despise Me” featuring their manager Ms. Tiff has a solemner approach atmospherically bouncing off one another on the mic collecting that money & “Not the Same” ends the EP sampling “All the Man That I Need” by Whitney Houston trying to teach the lessons of their predecessors.

I’m usually very selective when it comes to artists in the Brooklyn drill scene, but there’s no question that E-Class & Young Poppa are both skilled enough lyrically to do that style justice & that’s exactly what they do over the course of Nobody Bigger Than We. Granted that we already heard them dabble with this sound (case in point: “Top of N.Y.”), they embrace it a lot more here to the point where they’re also fusing it with elements of sample drill & chipmunk soul in a captivating fashion reaffirming their status as the biggest in Ellenville.

Score: 3.5/5

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Future – “Mixtape Pluto” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Future finally giving us his 14th mixtape. Coming up as a member of the Dungeon Family thanks to his cousin Rico Wade of Organized Noize, he officially made his debut in 2012 with Pluto & would later follow it up with a hot streak of modern day trap essentials like like Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). However since 2017, Future has mostly been painting himself in a corner & prioritizing quantity over quality. I mean sure HNDRXX took a more sensual approach & SUPER SLIMEY showed a pretty great chemistry with fellow trap trailblazer Young Thug, but Beast Mode 2 was a step down from the predecessor & he got with Juice WRLD to put out a collab tape that literally should’ve never happened: WRLD on Drugs. Finally at the very beginning of that next year, The WIZRD was just passable even though it showed NO artistic evolution whatsoever & Save Me was a decent attempt at being more vulnerable, High Off Life admirably found him staying true to himself in the midst of trying new things & I Never Liked You put the toxicity claims about him to rest. Metro Boomin’ reunited with Future for We Don’t Trust You & We Still Don’t Trust You, refining Pluto’s previous double album FUTURE HNDRXX & becoming his best since D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). 5 months later, Pluto’s continuing his best run in a decade with what DY said was originally a 56 Nights sequel.

“Teflon Don” is this trap opener produced by both Southside & London on da Track talking about beating the 1st case like John Gotti & being the boss calling shots whereas “Lil Demon” flexes his bitch a princess cut over a synths & hi-hats. “Ski” gives off a psychedelic trap vibe thanks to Smatt Sertified with co-production from his mentor Southside to talk about being ready to slide while “Ready to Cook” makes it clear that he’s prepared to make some dope over this solemn Wheezy instrumental.

Meanwhile on “Plutoski” we have Future trappin’ out the trap itself over this suspenseful ass trap beat just before DJ Champ & Taurus help him get personal with the highlight “Too Fast” discussing moving quicker in life than he should be. “Ocean” instrumentally radiates a haunting atmosphere in time for Halloween next month courtesy of Honorable C.N.O.T.E. & Dez Wright admitting he has enough tears to fill the ocean for all these losses took in this shit, but then the grisly “Press the Button” gets back on the road with the thangs & in the cut with the gang.

“MJ” woozily ends the first half of the tape getting activated from the monkey juice on the verge of going crazy the way she take the sex with the help of Romil Hemnani prior to DY helping Southside embrace his distinctly known gangster, bombastic, gritty, rambunctious & menacing trap sound for “Brazzier” throwing up gang signs & going brazy. “South of France” featuring Travis Scott on the remix hard-hittingly details his expensive lifestyle & drug use while the ethereal “Surfing a Tsunami” that Che Pope co-produced advises not to be careless with this rich behavior.

The sampling of “The Hills” by The Weeknd mixed with hi-hats throughout “Made My Hoe Faint” are pretty distinct recounting his numerous monetary achievements & shows of wealth while the druggy “Told My” talks feeling higher than Jesus. “Oath” hooks up background vocals & hi-hats breaking the law while “Lost My Dog” finds FNZ & ATL Jacob stripping the drums for a Rico Wade tribute. “Aye Say Gang” ends Mixtape Pluto with a bassy trap joint motivating the young homies.

Continuing his best run since the mid-2010s, Future comes off the 2 best albums in his discography in almost a decade We Don’t Trust You & We Still Don’t Trust You for a tribute to his late uncle & mentor alongside the era from which he emerged sounding like André 3000 under the Meathead stage name. The production mostly handled by Southside is much darker than his So Icey Boyz counterpart Metro allowing Plutoski to take it back to his roots.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Alchemist – “The Genuine Articulate” review

Beverly Hills producer, DJ & rapper The Alchemist following up the Flying High EPs with his 12th EP. Beginning as 1/2 of the duo The Whooliganz in 1993 with Scott Caan, they would only disband a year later after recording a debut album that eventually got shelved & Scott went onto acting like his father. Mudfoot on other end quickly established himself as one of the greatest producers in hip hop history with a resume including ranging names from Mobb Deep & Eminem to Travis Scott & even Drake. Gangrene got back together this spring for Heads I Win, Tails You Lose & The Genuine Articulate is refusing to slow down.

“Ferraris in the Rain” featuring ScHoolboy Q is this jazzy, drumless opener with both of them asking for the rain to remove them from all the pain they’re going through in their lives whereas the first 3 Uncle Al solo joints “Something Light” delivers it hardcore over a futuristically rugged self-produced instrumental. “Minnesota Fats” featuring Action Bronson finds the pair over a rock sample pledging allegiance to the fellowship while “Scientology” featuring Havoc displays how hard-headed they are.

The penultimate Alchemist solo track “Everybody’s Favorite Uncle” strips the drums once more further elaborating on the Uncle Al nickname Earl Sweatshirt gave him a decade ago on Doris that is until “Diego Mardona” featuring Conway the Machine heinously talks about the scenery only getting intenser & darker. “Details” featuring Larry June hops on top of this bare soul sample boasting anyone can do this, but then “Seasons Change” was a remarkable Father’s Day single from this summer & the best closer imaginable.

On the contrary to a lot of Alchemist’s previous solo material that I’ve covered in the past, this is probably the most that I’ve heard him vocally since he’s performing on every single track including with the guests & I welcome that since he’s been ripping mics before he even became a top 10 producer of mine. He maintains his signature sound & holds his own weight lyrically with a cast of high-profile MCs.

Score: 4/5

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Terror Reid – “Manifesto” review

San Jose deejay, producer, rapper & actor Terror Reid celebrating the 1-year anniversary of Hot Vodka 2 with his 2nd mixtape. Originally started turning heads a decade back after dubstep pioneer Skrillex signed him to his OWSLA Music for short period of time, he went on to drop 2 full-lengths & 13 EPs in the EDM genre under the name Getter before embarking into hip hop during the pandemic with Hot Vodka, which my homie Rone Bone of The Beneath the Dirt Podcast put me onto when it came out & was impressed by the boom bap/g-funk production as well as the raps from Terror himself. The sophomore EP DYNAMO as was the previously mentioned ruined Hot Vodka sequel, so I was anticipating his Manifesto.

After the “Salvation” intro, the first song “Makin’ Me Sick!” instrumentally throws it back to the days of early 90s west coast hip hop expressing his disgust with some of these cats whereas “Chin Check” takes a significantly eerier route to the beat talking about saying less & asking what’s next since he did everything else. “Shark City” embraces the g-funk vibes representing his hometown where the Sharks play while “Mad Woozy” goes drumless giving a middle finger to the fame & wanting to commit murder referencing Facebook founder/Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

“Seraphim” morbidly flexes that suckas can never get close to the phantom just before the lead single “Nod Ya Head! takes it back to the basement on a ride to raise Hell promising to kill any mic given to him. “Doin’ My Thang” maintains his independent hustle over this groovy ass instrumental leading into “I.D.F.A. (I Don’t Fuck Around)” dustily talks about not playing games whatsoever.

The penultimate song “Waco” featuring Rocci pushes towards the conclusion of the Manifesto of Terror Reid on some eerie trap shit referencing when the Branch Davidians were sieged by U.S. federal government & Texas state law enforcement officials while “Want U Around” ahead of the “Departure” outro wrapping things up expressing that he feels like he’s running in the dark with a blindfold on.

Rocci who produced Ramirez’ best album to date The Playa$ Manual in the spring of 2020 right when the COVID-19 pandemic started had his hand in producing 7 of the 10 songs on here excluding the intro & outro skit, which is important to note because this might be my new favorite Terror Reid tape. The Virginia producer helps Getter grow his sound & refining his style as an MC.

Score: 4/5

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Katy Perry – “143” review

Katy Perry is a 39 year old singer/songwriter & television personality from Santa Barbara, California who started in 2001 by releasing a Christian rock album under her birth name Katy Hudson. She later signed to Capitol Records for the sophomore effort One of the Boys & 3rd album Teenage Dream launched Katy into international superstardom. PRISM, Witness & Smile were all released to mixed reception & some of the singles building up the Unsub Records founder’s 7th LP here had me interested.

“Woman’s World” starts with what is easily one of the worst songs that I’ve heard all year uglily mutating dance-pop, synthpop, synthwave & hi-NRG despite the themes of female empowerment whereas the poppy trap duet “Gimme Gimme” featuring 21 Savage finds the 2 getting lustful. “Gorgeous” featuring Kim Petras gives off an electro dance-pop flare shouting out the girlies for looking stunning just before “I’m His, He’s Mine” featuring Doechii works in elements of pop rap, Atlanta bass, contemporary R&B & trap getting possessive towards their lovers.

Meanwhile on “Crush”, we have Katy singing over a house beat about falling in love leading into “Lifetimes” going dance-pop, garage house, diva house, Euro House & future house paying tribute to her daughter Daisy. “All the Love” maintains the house vibes instrumentally accepting that love wasn’t for her until Daisy came into her life prior to “Nirvana” expressing Katy’s desire to be taken to a spiritual place of perfect peace & happiness through her current partner through sexual intimacy.

“Artificial” featuring J.I.D nears the conclusion of 143 in the form of this dance-pop/pop rap hybrid wanting to know who’ll save them from losing their minds while the song “Truth” demands transparency within a relationship even if it hurts her over an atmospheric trap beat & I can definitely tell that she’s referring to Russell Brand. The closer “Wonder” ends the album the eponymous wonder in everything no matter the age & no matter the circumstances that the wonder finds itself in.

Starting the deluxe run, “I Woke Up” is this happy go-lucky dance pop tune singing about having another day not doing the relatable theme of life not being promised any justice while “Has a Heart” tries way too hard to preach it’s message to the world of sharing the prospect of love to one another. “No Tears for New Year’s” embraces a synth-pop vibe refusing to let anyone cry soon as New Year’s Day begins & the final bonus track “OK” finishes by remaining optimistic ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

It’s crazy to think that the same woman who had damn near every single song on her major label sophomore effort like “California Gurls” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg or even “E.T.” featuring Ye formerly known as Kanye West has now given us what many including myself are now regarding as the worst body of work in her entire discography. I have no doubts that she wrote it from a sincere place since it’s named after what she calls her angel number, the biggest flaw here is the production playing catch-up to the dance party trends.

Score: 1/5

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