Frankie Cosmos – “Different Talking” review

Frankie Cosmos is a 31 year old singer/songwriter & musician from New York City releasing her first couple EPs Zentropy & Fit Me In ahead of the full-length studio debut Next Thing. The latter going on to catch the attention of Sub Pop Records, who signed her in the spring of 2017 & has remained on the Seattle indie label to this day. Vessel, the Haunted Items tetralogy, Close It Quietly & Inner World Peace have all been well-received in the bedroom pop subgenre of indie pop albeit not as much as Zentropy was. Something that I was hoping her 5th studio LP would change going into it & based on both singles that were teased ahead of time.

“Pressed Flower” opens with some acoustics singing about gentrification & rebirth whereas “1 of Each” confesses that she doesn’t know what she wants & not even gravity can hold onto her. “Against the Grain” maintains a steady indie rock direction singing about her preference of being along as of late while the 2nd & final single “Bitch Heart” finds herself missing who she was because she can’t go a day without being on her phone.

We get some synthesizers & jangly guitars colliding on “Porcelain” to address dissociation just before “1! Grey! Hair!” maintains a general indie rock vibe singing about the idea of growing up hardly crossing her mind & suggesting heartbreak occasionally means heartthrob. “Vanity” was a great lead single pulling from indie pop feeling as if she’s another victim of another’s careless futility leading into “Not Long” turning back to an indie rock direction singing about the relatable desire to stay in bed all day.

“Margareta” works in these warm riffs that give off a summertime feeling briefly summarizing our main character of the song rolling down the street in a run down car with her jacket hanging in the backseat while “Your Take On” delves further down the indie rock sound painting a love interest as a villain because it makes her worthy of being cherished. “High 5 Handshake” executes some of the most calmly passionate vocal performances throughout the album portraying, but then “You Become” laments over a friendship dissolving as a result of said former friend becoming a person she doesn’t recognize.

Dismissing the presumption of her passing away, Frankie rather insists she was taking more of a “Joy Ride” chillin’ in a bike lane of a restaurant since that’s where everything goes down while the twee-driven “Tomorrow” sings about not backing out from a show she has to perform in 24 hours. “Wonderland” continues down the final moments of Different Talking singing about getting to know herself more than with time while “Life Back” recalls feeling like she wasn’t gonna reclaim herself the day prior, feeling completely fine after some time to recollect. “Pothole” lastly caps it all off with colorful death of ego optimistically finding meaning in the world as we know it.

Vastly themed around growing up & figuring out how to know yourself, Different Talking redeems Frankie Cosmos from the lukewarm reception of her output since her label deal with the most insularly written AND sonically varied material of her entire career. Primarily combining indie rock & indie pop together, she furthermore takes the opportunity to focus less on twee pop than Inner World Peace did almost 3 years ago leaving the comforting bravery of her early adulthood behind due to the epiphany of that same person always living inside you no matter how much we change.

Score: 3.5/5

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Nezzy – “Worm Food” review

Sandusky, Ohio emcee/producer Nezzy back with his 3rd studio LP nearly 10 months since the last one. Emerging within the underground in 2022 off his first 2 EPs Subject to Change & Pyramids, he went on to follow this up by releasing the debut album Hippie Thug in the subsequent spring & his 3rd EP New World Disorder in the fall. His sophomore effort Hall of Infamy came last summer the week following him opening for Psychopathic Records alumni Anybody Killa & DJ Clay at the co-headlined Welcome Home Party, getting another summer in effect by dropping Worm Food.

After the titular intro, the first song “Tha Boogeyman” kicks the door down with a hardcore boom bap opener promising to show you the ropes if you don’t understand it whereas “Ohio State of Mind” featuring Copywrite finds the 2 linking up to rep their home state with secondary rap rock influences. “Nezferatu” produced by Hobgoblin sticks out from the creepy boom bap instrumental to Nezzy’s bloodthirsty lyrics just before “Toyz in the Attic” recalls a time where he wanted to kill the man who sexually took advantage of his sister & with every reason in the world.

“Death of a Poet” featuring Psyonik works in a crooning soul sample from Jamil Honesty so they can make a blueprint & devise off it but after the “By Any Meanz” skit, “‘68 Grand Prix” takes it back to the basement with a siren raising boom bap beat & boastful lyricism. The instrumental on “Alakazam” sounds like it was flipped from a horror film soundtrack & drums added on to pull tricks out his sleeve while “Shark Fin Soup” unleashes stored anger with his pen over some pianos.

We have Nezzy promising that he’ll live forever through his discography & giving it “Raw ‘n’ Uncut” over a mobster-like sample until “Necron 99” after the “Huey Freeman” skit recites his soul to the microphone making better use of his days instead of being incarcerated counting down his release. “Trigger Warning” nears the final moments with another favorite of mine where he & Johnny Slash laugh off how sensitive everyone is & “Spittin’ Image” flexes his pen 1 last time.

Almost a year since the Halls of Infamy were explored, Nezzy’s distinct blend of hardcore vulgar references & deeply introspective conscious rap full of uncompromising rhyme schemes & thought-provoking choice of words gets pushed to newer heights with what he’s been calling the finest work of his career. Rightfully so too since his sword’s sharper than ever & the boom bap production feels rawer.

Score: 4/5

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Lorde – “Virgin” review

Lorde is a 28 year old singer/songwriter from Auckland, New Zealand breaking out as an international superstar in the fall of 2013 after signing to Republic Records & putting out her full-length studio debut Pure Heroine many months after the debut of former AEW World Trios Champion, ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champion, 2-time IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, IWGPインターコンチネンタルチャンピオン, IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン & NEVER無差別級チャンピオン Jay White until eventually focusing on her double life in South Park, Colorado as a geologist named Randy Marsh. In all seriousness: Her sophomore effort Melodrama would go on to become the greatest alt-pop album of all-time & Solar Power produced by Jack Antonoff stands as her most polarizing work to this very day, hoping that her 4th LP would recapture the acclaim of her first 2.

“Hammer” fuses alt-pop & electropop with indietronica, Baltimore Club, ghettotech & art pop for an ode to city life & horniness leading into “What Was That?” dabbling with alt-pop, electropop, dance-pop, future garage & synthpop to sing about the aftermath of a breakup. “Shapeshifter” collides alt-pop with a hint of alternative R&B together so she can portray her partner having the ability to transform himself due to mixed signals & misunderstood communication while “Man of the Year” brings some indietronica & singer/songwriter vibes to the the styles of the last track singing about the person she wants to be.

Her relationship with her mother gets touched on during “Favourite Daughter” carrying over the alt-pop & indietronica styles just before “Current Affairs” acoustically samples “Morning Love” by Dexta Daps recalling an experience she had watching Pamela Anderson & Tommy Lee’s sex tape under the influence of both ecstasy & psilocybin. “Clearblue” keeps everything stripped back instrumentally to make caution of becoming pregnant following unprotected sex just before “Grown Woman” finds herself back in an alt-pop direction singing about trying to find a mature female in her life for almost 3 decades & counting.

“Broken Glass” hits the final leg of Virgin with a cathartic take on synthpop bringing up the self-hatred Lorde has towards her own image while “If She Could See Me Now” blends alternative R&B & indietronica reflecting on everything that made her the person she is today expressing her hardiness of a past version of herself being happier with her future self. “David” finishes up the album with a minimal direction up until the halfway point where it starts crescendoing asking if she’ll ever love again & feeling as if she doesn’t belong to anybody.

Flicking a light on inside of her in midst of Solar Power’s divisive feedback & her breakup with Justin Warren at the same time, Virgin diverts away from the prominent folk pop sound of her 2021 predecessor in favor of focusing more on what made her break out in the alt-pop subgenre reflecting on her femininity. The secondary influences of indietronica, singer/songwriter, art pop, electropop & alternative R&B in Jim-E Stack’s production pans out more impressively than what the Bleachers spearhead tried to do with indie folk, psychedelic pop, soft rock & indie pop 4 years ago.

Score: 3.5/5

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Public Enemy – “Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025” review

Long Island, New York political hip hop icons Public Enemy now consisting of frontman Chuck D alongside Flavor Flav & DJ Lord putting out their 17th LP on Bandcamp without any prior announcement. Their first 5 albums are hip hop essentials as what Chuck & company were saying on all of them are still very much relevant today. They ended up leaving Def Jam Recordings in ‘98 after releasing the He Got Game soundtrack, putting out a total of 10 full-lengths independently until returning to Def Jam posing the question What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Radio Armageddon marked Chuck’s official Def Jam debut as a solo artist last month & is transitioning that energy onto Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025.

“Siick” produced by C-Doc comes out the gate with a consciously charged rap rock intro observing the world being stricken in hate due to the current political climate until Flav joins Chuck on “Confusion (Here Come the Drums)” trading a verse with one another to talk about being the last of a dying breed of emcees. “What Eye Said” instrumentally feels reminiscent to The Bomb Squad asking if anyone can write a verse without cursing when Method Man & No Malice are the best modern examples of that, but then Flav pops back in on “C’mon Get Down” to hit y’all that old school shit.

Meanwhile on “Evil Ways”, we have the rhyme animal himself self-producing a rap rock cut of his own preaching that even the baddest savages eventually get humbled by the averages just before “Sexegenarian” works in more heavily sampling to talk about being 65 & speaking to every 35-year old out there strugglin’ with hopes of makin’ it. “Messy Hens” marks the first of 2 solo cuts Flavor Flav lays down refusing to worry about suckas since his legacy’s far from phony, but then “Fools Fools Fools” gets Tré Cool of Green Day on live drums for Chuck to call out the frauds lying behind their likes on social media.

“Public Enemy Comin Throoooo” finds Flav rightfully rubbing the group’s legacy in everyone’s faces & Mistachuck being the mad thinker to the “swinger” mentality of his hype man & “Ageism” commendably expands on the very topic that was addressed on Radio Armageddon last month with a funky sample backing him. “The Hits Just Keep on Comin’” brings the pair together 1 last time to plead for our country to wake up in the midst of the undying revolution & “March Madness” closes with 1 more Flavor Flav solo track attacking gun violence & crooked politicians.

Turns out What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down? was originally intended to be a reissue of Nothing’s Quick in the Desert hence why some of the songs on that polarizing effort were mixed with newly recording material on their Def Jam comeback nearly 5 years ago this fall & Black Sky Over the Projects: Apartment 2025 feels like a broader extension of what PE’s frontman did 5 weeks ago in the absolute best way imaginable. It’s refreshing to hear both of their core MCs over production reminiscent of their early years & the message of their existence needs to felt now more than ever.

Score: 4/5

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Bktherula – “Lucy” review

Finally got the 3rd studio album from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Bktherula. Beginning a decade ago as a pop/R&B singer, she eventually broke out in the plugg scene after dropping the single “Tweakin’ Together” produced by my lil homie Premiere Maxx off her debut mixtape Love Santana. This resulted in her signing to Warner Records, following it up with her sophomore tape Nirvana along with the full-length debut Love Black & LVL5. It’s been over a year since LVL5 2 & her label has finally decided now is the time for Lucy to be released.

“DropWhenIDrop” starts with an industrial instrumental flexing that she’s been working her ass off & being in it to win it whereas “LoveSexDreams” produced by Skaiwater talks about wanting to see someone when she said she wasn’t gonna fall in love. “BBGurlGoSlow” featuring Ty$ finds the 2 over a cloudy trap beat 9lives co-produced coming their way after dropping what they want & the lead single “adult swim” bears it’s name after the Discovery Global-owned Cartoon Network late night block, taking it a step further with the Robot Chicken influenced video.

After the “I Feel Like” skit, “Bleht” cooks up a futuristic trap instrumental for Bk to completely spaz out with her flow showing how hard she be going until “Delilah” gets in her petty bag a little looking to take down one of her exes. “Abstract” brings his heavy synthesizers into the fold singing for God to forgive her for her sins cutting them off for a peaceful outro, but then “Euphoria” featuring Joey Bada$$ & KayCyy gets together for well executed pop rap duet & Murda Beatz drawing influences from rock.

“DumbShit” marked the final single that was teased flexing that she’s living life fast letting us all know this is what sounds like whenever her detractors are going through Hell & some of the best adlibs of the LP pop up during “R.I.P. (Rest In Peace)” basically killing off her ego delving back in the rage style. “OCB” fuses hypertrap & pop rap talking about your hoe wanting to be with her instead of you while “PickUpThePhone” goes drumless to pleas for her partner to answer her call.

To kick off the 4th quarter, “No Contact” heavily relies on synths speaking of nightmares when images of her heart on cold pavement come to mind while “Big Feeling” gives off a warm trap feeling talking about having the instinct of others going to hate on her. The final song “LookAlive” ahead of the “I Know” outro properly ties up Lucy by telling her partner she doesn’t feel like she’s loving them right & being on her side whenever they come back.

Birthing a new era in her career, Lucy proves to be the most personal & genre-defying entry in Bk’s discography thus far elevating the potential that was realized when she first got signed several years ago. Once you get past both of the skits & a couple redundant moments during the backend of it, the general sound is more pop rap-driven than the LVL5 series was albeit the rage undertones remain breaking down the topics of ascension & creative awakening.

Score: 4/5

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FlyG – “MENNBLVCK” review

FlyG is a 40 year old MC of Nigerian descent based out of the Washington metropolitan area properly introducing himself to the underground last spring off his debut EP Soulful Journey. He just had SPCL_CHRCTRS fully produce his previous EP Serenade Symphony at the end of February, looking to enlist rising French producer Drega33 for his 3rd EP coming off RJ Payne’s most recent EP Triangle D’Or & who could forget the Lethal Weapon trilogy of EPs that Tha God Fahim has been dumpin’ to serve as a breather for his ongoing Dump Gawd: Hyperbolic Time Chamber Rap saga?

“FRNCHCNNXN” hooks up a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental referring to this moment as the final bout with no referee in sight whereas “J@DED” chops up another vocal sample talking about No Limit Records founder Master P being his favorite hustler growing up. “POWERSTONE” takes a jazzier route instrumentally to talk about kickin’ his rhymes until the final hour of his life runs out until “DIVINE ENERGY CH@RGE” talks about those running their franchises worse than Dan Snyder.

Reaching the halfway point, “RXGHTEOUS LXRD” gets back on the chipmunk soul tip keeping the party pumpin’ sans Joe Budden while “REMAIN HE@LTHY” soulfully talks about the winning streak he’s been on. “ACTIV@TED” jazzily reflects on going from looking at the stars to owning many cars after paying the cost to be the boss leading into “DOUBLE DR@GON” figuring out the price of living in tranquility. “I’m Leaving” appropriately finishes with G bouncing out after witnessing a failed attempt it getting it right.

Of the 3 EPs in the FlyG canon & a 4th one produced by SPCL_CHRCTRS called HRLM Heat coming out soon following some delays, I’m fairly confident in MENNBLVCK satisfying fans of the Lethal Weapon trilogy & Triangle D’Or who’re simultaneously looking for a new artist to broaden their musical horizons. The largely drumless sound that Drega33 became known for on the original Lethal Weapon a few months ago & that previously mentioned EP from the Reign Man carries itself over to the flyest’s direction to unleash his hunger.

Score: 4/5

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Samara Cyn – “Backroads” review

Samara Cyn is a 26 year old rapper & singer from Murfreesboro, Tennessee beginning her career in 2019 after writing her first song. However, it wasn’t until last fall where her debut EP The Drive Home began to turn heads and catch people’s attention because of the way she fused alternative hip hop with neo-soul. She’s been landing features on Ray Vaughn’s most recent mixtape The Good, The Bad, The $1 Menu preceding his beef with Joey Bada$$ the following month as well as the new ovrkast. album While the Iron’s Hot a few weeks ago, coming off the latter with her 2nd EP.

“Summer’s Turning” was a woozy intro finding herself sweating often because she feels like the jig is up whereas “Pop n Olive” featuring Sherwyn takes a cloudy boom bap approach instrumentally trading verses back-&-forth about killing people. “hardheaded” offers a funkier vibe to the beat confronting society in 2025 & after the cloudy yet relatable “Bad Brain” talks about facing the anxieties & distractions of life, “Brand New Teeth” featuring Smino wraps up the EP with both of them talking about delusional pressure.

Receiving co-signs from Doechii & even Lauryn Hill bringing her out on stage after she started her set late like always, Samara faces the parts of herself she’s been denying & confronting them well enough to make a Drive Home follow-up that makes her realize her potential even more than she did 8 months ago taking a path to success that’s been rarely traveled. She’s hungrier than she was back in October & if she keeps purifying the style that made her popular to begin with, her full-length studio debut will only leave a mark on the industry bigger than this moment.

Score: 4/5

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Bukshot – “Antagonist” review

Louisville, Kentucky emcee & Mobstyle Music founder Bukshot subtly dropping his 10th studio LP. From his lengthy solo discography to the groups & duos that’s formed with some of the biggest names that the underground has to offer, there’s no question that dude’s been putting it down for the culture for a grip at this point. Double Dragon had reunited a couple months ago for their sophomore effort Big Trouble with Double Dragon heavily inspired by the movie Big Trouble in Little China & is finally releasing Antagonist exactly 6 months to the day as Boondox’ most recent EP Black Winter.

After the “Villadictorian” intro, the first song “Bad Guy” produced by none other than MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 opens with a trap beat talking about being a villain whereas “I Was There” featuring Ill Bill goes for boom bap vibe to discuss never being afraid of the outcome & buckin’ at opps at every opportunity. “No More Fight” keeps it in the basement instrumentally finding his mind drifting further as time goes on leading into “Martyrs” bringing a doomsday atmosphere talking about handling business.

“All I See is Red” featuring Str8jaket likens themselves to the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer & Real American Beer founder Hulk Hogan alongside fellow WWE Hall of Famer Eric Bischoff in light of their new promotion Real American Freestyle (RAF) Wrestling holding it’s first show in a couple months just before “Darkest Night” dastardly talks about wanting to see the sun rise.

Jamie Madrox joins Buk on the cavernous trap single “Tear It Off” to talk about being in a standoff & burning the whole place down because their enemies don’t wanna stand tall while “My Woods, My Rules” after the “Hanzel & Gredel” skit morbidly portrays himself as a serial killer riding in a cabin in the forests. “Turbulence” featuring the Lune Squad & Str8jaket unites the quartet over some hellish background vocals talking about being living nightmares while “Chess” checkmates every last one of these heretics.

“Heel Song” after the titular skit references former 3-time CWA Tag Team Champion, WCW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time WWE United States Champion, 10-time WWE tag team champion, 2-time WCW World Television Champion, 2-time IWGPタッグチャンピオン & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Scott Steiner while “Clocks” featuring Jarren Benton & Stevie Stone asks why everyone’s so foul. “Walk in My Shoes” promises to raise Hell whether he wins or loses while “Proceed with Caution” talks about doing God’s work.

Rittz appears for “Deserted” feeling like they don’t deserve to be left behind yet it’s worth it because they both live beautiful lives while “Bottom Feeders” talks about upgrading his hustle. “Dramacyde” completely dismantles all these so called influencers that we come across all over social media while “Rule My World” featuring Apathy talks about concocting ways of conquering the globe.

“Lovely” faces the concept of self-remorse head-on while “Get It Done” featuring Joey Cool explains that it doesn’t matter how you do your job as long as everything’s completed somehow someway. “Merciless” admits that he’s been in a weird mental place as of late showing absolutely no mercy & after the “Magnum Opus” skit, “Are You Still Down?” talks about people being there for you 1 day & gone the next.

Meanwhile on “Slaughterous” featuring Timbo, we have the father-son duo getting together to unload a full clip at everyone who be spewing bullshit regarding them while “It Ain’t the Same” talks about holding on to memories of a person who isn’t here with him anymore. “Pressure” suggests to shake yesterday off like a bad habit since we’re living for today while “Enough” talks about our families needing us now more than ever.

“Man Down” featuring Chris Webby & Slaine advises to stand your ground instead of running since people will stab you in the back if you’re not watching it while “Wide Awake” talks about being unable to sleep as a result of the thoughts racing through his head. “Loyalty” colorfully explains what allegiance means to him while “Free” featuring Matt Phoenix talks about never letting anyone else steal your shine.

After the “Say Bye to the Bad Guy” interlude, the penultimate track “Summer Vibes” featuring Str8jaket & Wrekonize nears the end of Antagonist with a ballad that thematically revolves around them getting fucked up during the warmest time of the year while “Nuisance” by The Horde featuring 9 Millz by grittily talking about refusing to fuck with any & all dimwits.

For a triple disc offering Antagonist has gotta be the the most I’ve enjoyed a Bukshot solo project in a while. Maybe even surpassing Weirdo as my new favorite of his. 7’s production on this one balances boom bap & trap as opposed to his recent output with Buk focusing more on the latter subgenre with the Mobstyle founder showing a villainous side to himself.

Score: 4.5/5

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Dro Kenji – “The End of Nothing” review

Dro Kenji is a 22 year old rapper, singer/songwriter & producer from Summerville, South Carolina signing to both Internet Money Records & 10K Projects not even 365 days after he began making music. He has since put out 7 full-length studio LPs along with an EP & a mixtape, the latter of which being his most recent body of work coinciding with Valentine’s Day departing from the emo pop rap style he’s known for in favor of rage. 4 months later, he’s preluding his 8th album with his 2nd EP & the 2nd body of work from him in 2025.

“Pinnochio” kicks off The End of Nothing with a moody pop rap/trap intro wanting his bae at 2am & telling her how much she inspires him whereas “Tylenol” moodily talks about his drug addiction helping him. “Way Back in August” works in some acoustics from Census, Nico Baran & Niketaz asking why he & his ex keep crossing paths when his life’s goin’ the hardest while the woozy “Rude Girl” finds himself obsessed with that exact type of woman. Lastly, the acoustic trap closer “Unstoppable” caps off the EP by telling an ex who constantly lies to get away from him.

The stylistic departure of Love Kills left a handful of Dro Kenji’s fans divided on it but thankfully if you’re one of those people who missed hearing him over the emo rap sound he came up off of mixed with pop rap & trap, you’re most likely gonna come away from The End of Nothing looking at it is the most enjoyable thing he’s done since Wish You Were Here & it may even raise your expectations for his next album. Even if that tape was a passable experimentation from my perspective, it’s always great to hear artists get back to the basics of what got them this far in the game & he does it with ease.

Score: 3.5/5

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Benson Boone – “American Heart” review

Benson Boone is a 22 year old singer/songwriter from Monroe, Washington garnering the attention of Warner Records following “Ghost Town” going viral. Introducing herself to a wider audience off both her EPs Walk Me Home… & Pulse, his inaugural full-length Fireworks & Rollerbladesmarked a poorly received debut in terms of the pop rock style & his follow-up here has been generating a lot of attention from critics & fans so much that I had to give it a listen to hear what made it so appealing.

“Sorry I’m Here for Someone Else” was a mediocre pop rock single to start my off with further showing influences of big music & new wave addressing a former lover whereas “Mr. Electric Blue” sings about his father disrespecting the progressive pop rock band Electric Light Orchestra, who influenced a personal favorite artist of mine in KiD CuDi. “Man in Me” overloads this synth-heavy breakup letter with so much melodrama where it gets annoying after a short & “Mystical Magical” easily sticks out amongst the absolute worst songs I’ve heard all year making the late Olivia Newton-John roll in her grave.

Reaching the halfway point of this torturous listening experience, “Reminds Me of You” makes me miss Bruno Mars in light of 24K Magic turning 10 next fall & of course the Silk Sonic album An Evening with Silk Sonic. “Momma Song” was a disappointingly tiring adult contemporary single dedicated to his mother doing piano & symphonic rock little to no favors leading into “I Wanna Be the One You Call” redundantly exemplifying why it should’ve been on the cutting room floor & Malay’s involvement disappoints because of his production on the best alternative R&B album of all-time in Frank Ocean’s sophomore effort blond right above The Weeknd’s mixtape trilogy.

“Wanted Man” feels like him taking a giant shit on glam rock which the late David Bowie defined with his 1972 magnum opus The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars followed by “Take Me Home” homaging the EP that broke him out as a star except it underwhelmingly asks to be kissed like the old days. “Young American Heart” finally finishes this shitty album with him & recalling a time where he & his best friend felt limitless & indestructible.

Said to be inspired by heartland rock pioneer Bruce Springsteen & the Americana subgenre of country music, Benson Boone’s sophomore effort feels utterly commercialized to the point where you’d hear it in a dressing room of a store like Kohl’s instead of a generational attempt of solidifying himself as a successor to pop rock alongside adult contemporary & new wave doing the bare minimum of justice to every individual who’s brought out the good of all those styles making them what they are now.

Score: 1/5

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