Bruno Mars – “The Romantic” review

Bruno Mars is a 40 year old singer/songwriter, producer & dancer from Honolulu, Hawaii breaking out in the late 2000s as 1/3 of The Smeezingtons. He would eventually make his solo debut in the fall of 2010 with Doo-Wops & Hooligans under Elektra Records & Atlantic Records, moving over to solely the latter for the sophomore effort Unorthodox Jukebox. Both of which contain some of his biggest hits like “Just the Way You Are” & “Locked Out of Heaven”, but didn’t floor me as much as 24K Magic for it’s nostalgic revival of the classic 1990s R&B sound including new jack swing. A decade later, the other half of Silk Sonic’s making a comeback with his 4th album.

“Risk It All” begins with this Latin soul-tinged intro singing about him being willing to do anything for the woman of his life whereas “Cha Cha Cha” turns up the Latin influences with an interpolation of “Slow Motion” by Juvenile featuring the late Soulja Slim during the hook. “I Just Might” blends pop soul, dance-pop, disco, boogie & funk singing about the possibility of making this woman his just before he brags about how “God Was Showing Off” when he was making the female who has his eyes.

Moving on from there, “Why You Wanna Fight?” asks his partner for the reason she’s trying to start shit when they could be making love leading into “On My Soul” promising her that he’ll cherish her in ways her exes haven’t. “Something Serious” goes for a funkier vibe singing about always having the back of this chick who should be his boo-thang & after “Nothing Left” describes his feelings towards a female who doesn’t love him the same way he does her, the final song “Dance with Me” made for a suiting closer yearning to hit the dance floor with his partner 1 last time until parting ways.

Compared to the other LPs we’ve gotten from Bruno Mars for the past 16 years, The Romantic is a worthy follow-up to 24K Magic & lands right behind Unorthodox Jukebox at #3 when it comes to ranking his discography although it’s average as a whole. The production is more predominantly pop soul oriented than the last time we heard him in the mid-2010s bringing some Latin soul, smooth soul, funk, Chicago soul & Philly soul undertones for a half hour dedicated to love & dancing.

Score: 3/5

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Rob Zombie – “The Great Satan” review

Rob Zombie is a 61 year old singer/songwriter, producer, filmmaker & actor from Haverhill, Massachusetts originally known for being the frontman of White Zombie. The band’s most iconic single “More Human Than Human” would become amongst the greatest industrial/groove metal tracks of all-time, disbanding in the summer of 1998 following Rob’s iconic solo debut Hellbilly Deluxe: 13 Tales of Cadaverous Cavorting Inside the Spookshow International under Geffen Records. I should also mention that House of 1,000 Corpses & The Devil’s Rejects are both classic horror films despite 3 from Hell disappointing me. The Sinister Urge & Educated Horseswere both ok, but I did enjoy the Roadrunner Records-backed Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls & the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool as a sequel to his debut. Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor would come out through Rob’s own label Zodiac Swan Records & it was cool, although The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & his Nuclear Blast Records debut The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy both produced by his engineer Zeuss were both much more enjoyable. So when I heard they were going for a 3-peat with Rob’s 8th album, of course I was excited for it.

“F.T.W. ‘84 (Fuck the World ‘84)” begins with this heavy intro singing about taking it back 4 decades earlier because of the times we’re living in presently whereas “Tarantula” proclaims to be a God amongst the Theraphosidae family of spiders. The 3rd & final single “(I’m a) Rock “N” Roller” blends industrial & groove metal for a homage to the late David Bowie single “Moonage Daydream” leading into “Heathen Days” throwing some thrash metal undertones in the mix singing about the days when chaos & war were constantly at our backs.

After the “Who Am I?” interlude, “Black Rat Coffin” continues the industrial metal vibes comparing the human race to a bunch of mice fading away inside of a casket just before Rob portrays a pirate by the name of “Sir Lord Acid Wolfman”. We get a fusion of industrial & trash metal on the lead single “Punks & Demons” ending the 1st leg encouraging those 2 kinds of people to keep bleeding on while “The Devilman” puts us inside the shoes of an entity who was meant to desecrate the shadows of the holy land.

“Out of Sight” pushes the 2nd half forward singing about wanting to be left alone as well as time eternally running out for everyone & all of us going down but after “Revolution Motherfucker” shows a more rebellious side to Rob getting wasted off the booze as much as he wants, “Welcome to the Electric Age” issues a stark warning regarding all the changes to our government & society at large within the past 13 months going on 14.

To wrap up The Great Satan’s final act, “The Black Scorpion” combines elements of thrash & industrial for a brief 93 seconds experiencing another nervous breakdown & praying for death until the final song explains his perspective of society being “Unclean Animals” in the grand scheme of things continuing the parallels between people & rats that we heard earlier. “Grave Discontent” however spends the last minute hooking up a synthesizer & some live drums.

Although I seem to be in the minority of people who enjoy The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser & The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy a lot more than most people do, The Great Satan surpasses both of them in becoming the greatest full-length Rob Zombie has done with Zeuss to date. The overall sound is much like White Zombie’s revered coda Astro-Creep: 2000: Songs of Love, Destruction & Other Synthetic Delusions of the Electric Head in that it’s predominantly based around the industrial & groove subgenres of metal music, taking it back to Rob’s roots over 4 decades later.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gorillaz – “पर्वत” review

Gorillaz is a virtual band from London, England, United Kingdom masterminded by Blur frontman Damon Albarn. Their eponymous 2001 debut produced by Dan the Automator as well as their 2005 sophomore effort Demon Days produced by Danger Mouse & lastly the self-produced Plastic Beach have all become classics in their own rights, even though The Fall & Humanz would leave audiences divided. The Now Now was more moderately received & Song Machine was hailed as their best in a decade, coming off their Cracker Island to declare their independence from Parlophone Records & Warner Records with their 9th album.

Black Thought appears on “The Moon Cave” after a primarily compositional intro desiring for a better bond if forever actually comes whereas “The Happy Dictator” blends synthpop, neo-psychedelia, new wave, art pop, psychedelic pop, zolo to sing about false promises of happiness. “The Hardest Thing” fuses art pop, psychedelic pop, electropop, neo-psychedelia, progressive pop & bedroom pop to explore themes of loss & heartbreak leading into “Orange County” featuring Kara Jackson singing about losing somebody through separation crossing over art pop, indie pop, neo-psychedelia, pop reggae, psychedelic pop & bedroom pop.

“The God of Lying” by Joe Talbot made for a decent neo-psychedelia, art pop, psychedelic pop, pop reggae, dub & trip hop single singing about grief & political division just before “The Empty Dream Machine” featuring Black Thought reunites the pair so they can discuss being chastened men. “The Manifesto” by Proof & Trueno however comes through with a 2-parter pulling from experimental hip hop, neo-psychedelia, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, psychedelic pop, hardcore hip hop, art pop & Latin rap to talk about morality.

We have Gorillaz confronting “The Plastic Guru” only to call him out because or his impure intentions while “Delirium” sings about calling for change after a more powerful force coming from the outside bringing fear & destruction emerges. “Damascus” by Yasiin Bey was actually a finalized outtake conceived during the Plastic Beach sessions combining dabke, experimental hip hop, electropop, electro hop & neo-psychedelia celebrating refugees as new arrivals while “The Shadowy Light” sings about obliviousness to the truth.

“Casablanca” winds down the last several minutes of The Mountain staring into an abyss & having the feeling that a tunnel to suburbia will be opening sooner rather than later while “The Sweet Prince” emotionally remembers Damon’s father Keith who passed away a couple years earlier. “The Sad God” featuring Black Thought finishes with both of them sharing the microphone 1 last time talking about each of them giving their lives in paradise only for there to be nothing left.

Being a fan of Gorillaz ever since I was in elementary school, पर्वत surpasses Song Machine for their best offering in the 2020s & couldn’t have been a better way to begin this new era of independence for them. The production leans towards a prominent neo-psychedelic art pop & electropop direction with lesser influences of synthpop, Hindustani classical music, hip hop, psychedelic pop, new wave, zolo, pop reggae, dub, trip hop, folkhop, Indian pop, pop rap, Latin rap, dabke & electro hop honoring those in the band’s lives who can’t be with us down to the slew of posthumous guest appearances.

Score: 4.5/5

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DJ Chase B – “Be Very Afraid” review

DJ Chase B is a 35 year old DJ, producer & songwriter from Houston, Texas known for being a longtime in-house producer/DJ for Cactus Jack Records. He also dropped a few stand-alone singles under Columbia Records at some point during the late 2010s/early 2020s like “Mayday” by Sheck Wes & Young Thug or “Cafeteria” by Don Toliver & Gunna, departing in 2022 & continuing to tease a curated solo debut with that “Ring Ring” track he dropped by Don Toliver & Huncho Jack few summers ago. He finally announced Be Very Afraid formally last weekend & Cactus Jack’s ready to put it out without a major label distributor.

After the titular intro, “Satellite” by SoFaygo samples “KELEBU” by Rema for a Mania outtake asking for his partner not to turn her back on him whereas “Rain” by Sheck Wes talks about pulling up with his squad being the only thing he needs. “Facts” by Big Sean & Travis Scott flips “1 Love” by Cleo Sol looking to capture a W if it’s a big one leading into “365” produced by Cardo experimenting with the Detroit sound even if Babyface Ray & GT’s verses clear Zona Man’s.

“Back in My Bag” by Dougie F might be one of the weaker cuts here mediocrely talking about being in his zone once again & after the compositional “Seoul Glow” intermission, “Off at 7” by Sheck Wes talks about being only a couple hours away from having his lover by his side. “Street Sweeper” by Swae Lee was more enjoyable than “Flammable” suggesting he’d call this a comeback despite never actually leaving while “Ring Ring” was a tolerable pop rap single with secondary influences of trap & contemporary R&B.

HVN gets a song of his own with “Options”, rounding out 3rd with another snoozer talking about turning his lifestyle into a hobby while “1st Round Pick” by SoFaygo & Wallie the Sensei tells the women they’re romantically involved with to quit acting like they can’t stand either one of them when they’re actually looking forward to the day they become their bitches. “Indie**” by bribandz wraps up Be Very Afraid talking about chasing a legacy rather than clout & money endlessly coming her way.

It’s already been hinted that DJ Chase B intends to make a whole entire series out of Be Very Afraid & although every artist presently signed to Cactus Jack Records making an appearance on his was a given, I still found myself on the fence with it a lot more than I had initially anticipated to. Both of the instrumental cuts caught me by surprise since I didn’t think he would drop them without having a performer over them & the guest list is alright, but it can feel dated at times.

Score: 2.5/5

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Trapmat Savior – “Scottie Trippin’” review

Montréal, Québec, Canada emcee Trapmat Savior is back for his sophomore effort. Emerging a few years ago off his solo debut EP To Riches & Peace along with DozaTrap’s eponymous debut EP, he would later follow it up in September by releasing a few more EPs Kirby along with I Could Tell only a week apart & Still Grinding. Nicholas Craven & Mike Shabb both produced his widely received debut 1st Coming near the end of 2024, running it back with solely Craven for Scottie Trippin’ roughly a whole year & a half later.

“Last Night’s Soda” hops over a drumless loop to get things going talking about his soldier status & being built for this shit whereas “Grin” takes the boom bap route instrumentally working in some synthesizers to flex that his pockets are thicker than his girl. The lead single “Pillz” hooks up a guitar sample mixed with kicks & snares talking about grinding 24/7 leading into “Close Enough” embracing a chipmunk soul vibe so he can discuss this title run he’s been on.

We get more synths on “Bittersweet Taste” speaking of taking no Ls because he’s learned from all of his mistakes & after the “Cherry Garcia” interlude, the 2nd & final single “B!tch” featuring Mike Shabb finds the 2 teaming up over a slick beat to talk about women. Forest N/A joins Trapmat on top of some strings referencing the original “Space Jam” & boasting of the way they be stretching the bar just before “Brunch” incorporates a vibraphone admitting he doesn’t take it personal when they take a lot after him.

“Dust” rounds out 3rd with a victorious instrumental talking about going double or nothing while “Scouts” featuring Forest N/A & willjxmes brings the trio together to explain that shit gets hotter than the south in addition to it seeming like they signed for a small amount when that couldn’t be any further from the truth. “Otis” sends off the album pouring his heart out about the blood, sweat & tears he’s been put into pushing his music over some exuberant piano chords.

Still Grinding 2 was ok compared to 1st Coming & the same can be said regarding that Knockout Mafia collaborative EP with Monsi, but I was fairly confident about Scottie Trippin’ was going to be a huge improvement over both of those extended plays & that unsurprisingly happens to be the case. We get a few guest appearances unlike 1st Coming with Shabbo’s being my personal favorite of the 3 accompanying Trapmat Savior over Nicholas Craven’s sample-lenient production style for another excellent LP.

Score: 4.5/5

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Baby Keem – “Ca$ino” review

This is the sophomore effort from Carson, California rapper, singer/songwriter & producer Baby Keem. The younger cousin of Kendrick Lamar, he went on to drop 4 EPs & a couple of mixtapes with Die for My Bitch being the one that helped boost his popularity to the point where he rightfully earned a spot on the 2020 XXL Freshman Class. His full-length debut The Melodic Blue under pgLang & Columbia Records continued to excel his artistic potential, returning after 5 years for a trip to the Ca$ino.

“No Security” produced with Danja & FNZ begins with a drumless sample talking about preferring to have his gang beside him than a bodyguard whereas the title track comes through with a 2-parter that Cardo cooked up speaking of being somewhat deranged at this point in his career. “Birds & the Bees” flips “Honey Honey” by Feist showing a more romantic side to Keem leading into “Good Flirts” by The Hillbillies poking fun at Young Thug’s leaked phone calls with Mariah the Scientist.

Things go for a chipmunk soul vibe on “House Money” sampling “You Know the Feeling” by Steven Wightman to talk about fearing no one when he steps in the party just before “I’m Not a Lyricist” channels his inner André 3000 over a piano instrumental. “$ex Appeal” featuring Too $hort of course finds the 2 taking it to the Bay stylistically for a more raunchier approach topically until “I Do Love You” by Billy Stewart gets chopped up for the “Highway 95” sequel.

“Circus Circus” splits itself in 3 halves addressing his family dynamics whilst blending some braggadocio while “Dramatic Girl” feels more like a Che Ecru & Sam Dew song since Keem only handles the hook, although he & Sounwave do a fine job of sampling “Kids” by MGMT for the upbeat R&B detour. “No Blame” samples “I Never Learnt to Share” by James Blake to finish our Ca$ino tour talking about his difficult upbringings & not blaming his mother for it.

I appreciate that Baby Keem got more personal with Ca$ino, but I wouldn’t put it above The Melodic Blue & firmly believe that he has the capability of making a project that’ll top both albums even if some people like to ignorantly dismiss him as a nepo baby. It’s more pop rap sounding than the predecessor although the alternative R&B & trap elements are maintained, adding some more ratchet & chipmunk soul undertones than previously & getting more conscious than hardcore.

Score: 3.5/5

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Skaiwater – “wonderful” review

This is the 3rd studio LP from Nottingham, East Midlands, England, United Kingdom rapper & producer Skaiwater. Beginning in 2019 off their debut EP After God Fear Eve, the 4ersona member would go on to put out 7 more EPs along with a mixtape& a couple albums, the most notable being their 2024 sophomore effort #Gigi under GoodTalk Records & Capitol Records fully realizing on the potential that was shown on their earlier material. Coming off the Pinkprint trilogy however, they’re ready to make a wonderful return.

Ti Steele appears for the R&B-tinged duet “as above so below” starting off with both of them singing about the possibility of losing their heads whereas “Star” combines rage & digicore flexing that they made their bitch go punk. The self-produced “iPhone 5” carries over the hypertrap influences talking about leaving their old life in London while “1 battle after another” tries to convince their partner to turn against the streets & their friends.

“Nitty” works in more rage beats to talk about being a real black British punk rollin’ off ecstasy just before “Skins” brings back some of the digicore elements thanks to Ginseng talking about them not needing anyone. “Zoot” is essentially a remix of “6AM” featuring diamond* & one that I lean towards more than the original version while “bodies bodies bodies” melodically asks this woman if she could settle for their soul & admitting to being a bit insecure.

Reaching the halfway point of wonderful, the rage-inducing “Tool” talks about Young Skai loving their bitch more than their firearm & showing her what real hustlers do leading into “Playa” trying to open up their romantic interest’s mind as well as getting geeked after popping’ a couple mollys. “Let the House Burn” fuses hypertrap & industrial hip hop talking about plotting against a hoe who wasn’t even theirs while “blink twice” produced by North West feels more like an interlude sampling “ぽっぴっぽー” by ラマーズP featuring 初音ミク.

“Virgo / My Room” comes through with a 2-parter asking the women they’re seeing if they can trust them & once “Dog” featuring Tezzus continues the subject of relationships over a chaotic BenjiCold instrumental differing from his signature pluggnb style, “A Threesome” leans heavier towards the digicore side of things following a person home to pose the question of possibly having sex with them.

The song “midsommar” featuring Ti Steele reunites the pair that gave us wonderful’s opening moments 1 last time portraying themselves as a couple who meditates over each other while “Marilyn” spends a couple minutes on top of an OPM BABI beat talking about doing drugs for their hoe whilst maintaining control over themselves. “My Zombie” sends off the LP on a more colorfully catastrophic note telling anyone who’s willing to bleed for them that they’ll have to live with that for the rest of their life & telling their babe who wants to get paid that she will.

We were supposed to get Femme Fatale this past Christmas until it got scrapped, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if some of the material recorded during those sessions made their way onto wonderful & this new era marking Skaiwater’s independence from a major label begins with a full-length that captures Young Skai’s growth since Happy Hour & of course #Gigi. They only produce a few tracks themself rather than doing the whole thing like #mia or the Pinkprint trilogy, reaching out to some of the biggest names currently both behind the boards & on the mic in the process to make tiger lily’s great musical achievement.

Score: 4/5

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Streets Soprano – “Success or Death” review

This is the 6th studio LP from Buffalo, New York rapper Streets Soprano. Signing to Benny the Butcher’s very own Black Soprano Family Records, he would go on to drop 5 full-lengths as well as a couple EPs & a mixtape for the label including Damn: Nothing Last Forever. or the U Hear Me? duology. He also teamed up with Heckler this past 4th of July for the collaborative EP Birth of a Dynasty which was alright to me personally with no disrespect intended towards Heckler at all, but a couple of his B$F brethren appearing on Success or Death had me more intrigued.

“More Integrity, Less Pride” featuring Rick Hyde starts by sampling “She Said She Loves Me” by Kleeer with both of them offering some good advice to artists in general today whereas “Loyalty Worth More Than Money” continues the thoughtful concepts over some strings. “Game in a Frenzy” takes a more hardcore approach altogether talking about trusting nobody leading into “Potent as Dopamine” featuring Heckler finds the 2 talking about the way they keep their music hittin’ powerfully.

Fuego Base appears on “Trap House Way” kicking off the 2nd half giving us the type of shit that would make the block hot while “Gangster & a Thug” featuring Heckler reunites the pair over a boom bap instrumental talking about shit being the way it is because it’s mud mixed with blood. “Art of Patience” blends some bells & a vocal sample venting that nobody knows what he’s been through since he doesn’t show it while “See My Pain” ends Success or Death in the form of this boom bap outro talking about this game not coming with much guidance.

Coming off his Off the Radar freestyle a few weeks earlier, the Trust Nobody Music Group founder & Black Soprano Family member’s first solo effort in a couple years has to be the most I’ve enjoyed something he’s put out since Damn: Nothing Last Forever. maybe. There’s a feature on pretty much half of Success or Death compared to U Hear Me? 2, spending a couple moments recapturing Birth of a Dynasty’s chemistry or rockin’ it with some of B$F’s biggest acts for Street Soprano’s most lyrical ambitious opus.

Score: 3.5/5

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DaeMoney – “Slae Season IV” review

Detroit trap star DaeMoney returning for his 4th studio LP. Coming up as the nephew of one of the 2 biggest artists in the city right now Babyface Ray as well as a now former member of the WRLD Tour Mafia collective, he broke out on his own by dropping his debut mixtape Young Sexual Misconduct & his debut EP Slae Season accompanied by his 2nd EP Rockstar Lifestyle & then his previous tape Slae Season 2. Slae went on to sign to EMPIRE Distribution a few summers ago & celebrated in the form of his most recent EP Slayer’s Coming fully produced by Trees shortly after as well as a 3rd installment of the Slae Season trilogy & a sequel to Rockstar Lifestyle. He was surprisingly dismissed from WRLD Tour in 2024 due to scamming through Slam A Slut Records, coming off the last LP The Godson & the Slayer’s Revenge mixtape continuing the Slae Season saga.

“Training Day” begins with a cloudy take on the Detroit sound talking about people coming around with him looking like Ethan Hawke’s character in the classic Denzel Washington crime thriller of the same name whereas “Hero < Villain” works in some bells, synths & 808s flexing that the shit he does is rare compared to anyone else. “Wassup” moves forward talking about having too much sauce & advising not to ask how much it costed him leading into Allstar JR joining Slae to post up “On 7 Mile”.

Babytron helps make things up on “Heat” saving the best Detroit trap collaboration for last continuing the streak of crossovers they’ve had previously like “Earned It” or of course “Mafia & Militia” just before “Sick & Tired” expresses his frustrations towards people throwing lies on his name. “Blessing” starts the 2nd half incorporating some sampling chops talking about how he doesn’t snitch because he was raised differently leading into “Right Now” going for a somewhat tropical approach telling us where his heart’s at currently.

“Ecstasy” blends some piano chords with hi-hats talking about the love of his life while “M.I.L.E.” suggests all of his young homies to get out the streets after learning it’s not worth staying there. “I Meant It” has a more exuberant trap vibe talking about being in the mob for real & once “Yours Truly” spends a couple minutes to spit a verse off the top talking about being WRLD Tour forever despite not appearing on their output these past couple years, the closing track “Pain” sends it all off confessing he went insane after losing his money & people.

Slayer’s Revenge was probably the most conscious that DaeMoney has ever gotten lyrically & although I liked it more than The Godson, I felt like there was no way that Slae Season IV would be worse than either of those considering how beloved the other 3 installments are & thankfully I can say it’s Slae’s since Rockstar Lifestyle 2. The production healthily balances the Detroit sound & cloud rap mixing the signature gangsta raps that he’s become known for with some of the same maturity we got from him a few weeks ago.

Score: 4/5

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Brent Faiyaz – “Icon” review

Brent Faiyaz is a 29 year old singer/songwriter, rapper & producer from Columbia, Maryland starting off in the DMV hip hop until shifting towards R&B & more specifically alternative R&B. He’s put out a couple full-lengths along with 6 EPs until forming his own label ISO Supremacy, releasing his debut mixtape Larger Than Life under his imprint & signing Tommy Richman. It’s been almost a couple years since the latter’s debut Coyote & Icon looks to recapture the magic of his debut for his 3rd album.

After the compositional “white noise.” intro, the first song “wrong faces.” begins with an acoustic instrumental telling this woman he’ll become the reason she’s not alone whereas “have to.” produced by Tommy Richman takes a much smoother approach singing about being in a race with time to get where he belongs. “butterflies.” splits itself in 2 halves thanks to benny blanco & Cashmere Cat asking his partner if she feels the way he does leading into “other side.” explores a dance pop vibe singing about a woman he saw in his dreams.

“strangers.” starts the other half of the album taking the alternative R&B route describing a relationship that has completely fallen apart just before “world is yours.” throws it back to the 90s with a synth-woven beat from Chad Hugo & singing about wanting his woman to have him her way. “4 seasons.” exuberantly describes a female who’s either hotter than a day in July or cold as the winter but once “pure fantasy.” atmospherically sings about his lover being all he needs, “vanilla sky.” wraps up Icon posing the question of whether one’s happiness lasts forever or if it’s short term.

The self-produced “full moon. (fall in tokyo)” starts the deluxe run sampling “mewtwo” by Ken Carson expressing his desire of staying in Japan with his soulmate for the rest of their lives while “1 for you. (spring in new york)” flips “If” by Destiny’s Child singing about being the one for this chick if she’d like him to be. “tony soprano.” moodily puts himself inside the shoes of the lead character from one of my top 3 shows The Sopranos & Beat Butcha samples “Chapel Hill Heist” by Father during the final bonus track “peter pan.” singing about flying to Neverland with his Wendy.

Initially set to come out on his birthday last fall until pushing it back, the extra 5 months Brent Faiyaz would spent ensuring Icon would outdo both it’s predecessors really paid off despite initially letting down many who were looking forward to it including myself & I’m thankful we got the most expansive entry in his discography out of it. The intimately cinematic production merges the foundations of classic soul music with elements of modern R&B depicting themes of growth, loss, renewal & his evolution from both an artistic & a personal standpoint.

Score: 4/5

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