Buju Banton – “Too Too Bad” review

Buju Banton is a 53 year old singer/songwriter from Kingston, Jamaica who’s widely considered to be one of the most important figures in dancehall. His 4th album ‘Til Shiloh under Island Records however shifted towards a roots reggae direction & has been ranked amongst the greatest reggae music ever recorded. He would drop 6 more full-lengths until spending a majority of 2010s incarcerated, returning during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic to release Upside Down through Roc Nation Records & the Def Jam Recordings-backed Born for Greatness. Now signed to VP Records after 2 decades, his 13th studio LP had me intrigued.

“We Nuh Play” starts us off with a dancehall intro talking about how he doesn’t fuck around including a nod to Michigan & Smiley’s hit single “Diseases” whereas “F.A.F.O. (Fuck Around Find Out)” continues from there getting more aggressive in tone & delivery. “Eye 2 Eye” hits us with more bashment vibes for a couple minutes speaking to an individual he views to be just before both “X Rated” & “Good Pum Pum” talk about still chasing pussy even at this stage in his life.

As for “Like You”, we have Buju incorporating elements of modern hip hop without trying to blatantly imitate it observing the beauty of a female he’s addressing directly while “Wild Woman” produced by DJ Khaled heads for a trap dancehall direction so he can sing about his love for a chick who acts crazy. “House Call” treads the ragga waters explaining that pretty girls need no reservation for his parties once more while “Satisfy Me” featuring Ari Lennox finds the 2 dialing up the romance.

“Butterflies” winds down Too Too Bad’s final act flipping “Real Rock” by Coxsone Dodd to sing about the potential he sees in the eyes of his lover while “Be Good” switches gears embracing a bit of a roots reggae flare instrumentally, pleading to be treated carefully. “Heavy Hitters” moves forward boasting his legacy as an icon in the dancehall scene prior to “Power” featuring Gramps Morgan sending off the album a political note taking it back to roots reggae for the closer.

People often view Too Bad to be a huge improvement above the mixed reception Unchained Spirit & Friends for Life both got, but the sequel in time for it’s 2 decade anniversary this upcoming fall surpasses the original & makes up for Friends for Life’s mediocrity to become maybe Buju Banton at his best since coming home. The production’s more ragga & trap dancehall-oriented as opposed to Born for Greatness’s prominent dancehall sound & Upside Down leaning towards the roots reggae side of things exploring topics ranging from politics to sex & partying.

Score: 4/5

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Rick Ross – “Set in Stone” review

Miami, Florida rapper, entrepreneur & record executive Rick Ross going solo for the first time in 5 years with his 12th studio LP. Making his debut on wax in 2000 on Erick Sermon’s 3rd album Erick Onasis, he would go on to drop Port of Miami & Trilla under Def Jam Recordings until forming his own label Maybach Music Group. Deeper Than Rap, Teflon Don, God Forgives, I Don’t & Mastermind are all rightfully regarded as his best bodies of work. Rather You Than Me as well as Port of Miami 2 & Rather You Than Me through Epic Records each had their moments, but Rozay’s independent debut Set in Stone seemed appealing considering the fact gamma.’s been distributing Maybach since 2023.

“Caviar Bumps” featuring Don Toliver on the remix produced by Fuse of the 808 Mafia talking about being the Miami version of Martin Scorsese whereas “Mahogany Caskets” featuring T.I. finds both of 50 Cent’s rivals trading verses with each other over a sample-based instrumental from Neff-U. The worst single by far was “Minks in Miami” featuring French Montana talking about elevating when it kills the vibes until “Face Down” featuring Rich the Kid gets sexual behind a captivating Metro Boomin’ & Mike Dean beat.

YFN Lucci’s appearance on “Ring Around the Rolls” was unnecessary despite the reference to the inaugural IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, record-tying 3-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder, Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder & known racist Hulk Hogan who passed away around this time last summer until “Camel Meat” recalls an event detailed in The Renaissance of a Boss over a STREETRUNNER instrumental.

“Maybach Music VII” featuring Jeezy marks the return of Rozay’s beloved series dedicated to anyone who owns a Maybach while “Living Large” featuring BigXthaPlug comes through with an uninspired anthem about their pockets getting bigger. “Purple Fentanyl” ends the 1st leg of Set in Stone hopping over an uncanny trap beat to discuss racing for millions while “#23” likens himself to the greatest basketball player of all-time: Michael Jordan.

Continuing the 2nd half, “Porsche GT3 (RS)” talks about sending a prayer to God every single morning he wakes up even if the beat doesn’t do much for me while the pop rap-flavored “City Lights” wasn’t any better because of them trying WAY too hard of chasing a radio hit. “Chain of Command” featuring Big Tony & Nino Breeze further commences the mediocrity trading underwhelming gangsta rap verses while “Remarkable Hu$$le” featuring Leon Thomas III remembers the late Nipsey Hu$$le over a Cardiak instrumental.

“Big Fish” featuring Gucci Mane links up for a disappointing ode to their wealth & after “Diamonds Never Die” featuring Ball Greezy & Kodak Black does a worse job at talking about hedonism, “She’s My Star” featuring Yung Miami makes up for it getting romantic over a J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League beat. “Do It 1 Time” featuring Young Breed reunites both Triple C’s members for an ode to the 305 & once “The Algorithm” spends the concluding minutes wanting to go to Mars with his lover to escape, “For the Money” courtesy of Pharrell divisively experiments with reggaetón & Afropiano talking about the paper.

To celebrate 2 decades of his debut, Rick Ross returns almost 5 years after leaving a major label making an statement of independence that I found myself to be largely indifferent towards & the amount of delays Set in Stone suffered didn’t exactly help. You get the usual luxurious subject matter the MMG founder has become known for despite the production side of things falling apart midway through & overloading it with guest appearances that either stick the landing or miss it entirely, which is why I can only see myself revisiting the portion I enjoyed & hope the next full-length has more consistency.

Score: 2.5/5

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Larry June – “Who Coppin’?” review

Vallejo, California emcee Larry June back with his 13th LP halfway through summer. Somebody who’s been quite busy for 2 decades his last dozen studio efforts as well as 14 EPs & 7 mixtapes with the highlights of his ever-growing discography including the Lex Luger-produced Trap Larry, the Cardo-produced Cruise USA & it’s sequel Into the Late Night, the Harry Fraud-produced Keep Going & more recently the mobb music-influenced Jay Worthy collab effort 2 P’z in a Pod, The Alchemist-produced The Great Escape, The Night Shift & Doing it for Me. Over a year since Until Night Comes however, he’s posing the question of Who Coppin’?.

“Go Outside” moderately opens up shop talking about having no time to fuck around since he has money to chase whereas “The Machinist” breezily discusses making bread in his sleep since he’s such a gangsta. “Casual Monday” gives off a heavy Mobb vibe instrumentally courtesy of Cardo talking about people wondering why he’s so fly until “Better Decisions” comes to the realization of him needing to make smarter choices going forward.

Beat Butcha gets behind the boards on “Everything Liquid” giving it a opulent flare so he can keep this shit rockin’ & having the capability of making anything happen just before my personal favorite single “Organic Motion” produced by DJ Fresh talks about feeling free over a g-funk beat. “The Smooth Kind” works in some synthesizers to boast that he moves like a smooth muhfucka prior to “California Dream” featuring Jhené Aiko confirms their relationship in the form of a pop rap duet.

“Pretty Green Eyes” continues the soulful atmosphere courtesy of Jay Versace to kick off the 2nd half of Who Coppin’? continuing to tackle more romantic subject matter while “Win or Lose” featuring B-Legit finds the pair talking about each of them being heavyweights in the game. “3 Calculators” atmospherically speaks of having OCD whenever it comes down to the numbers while “Flex” expresses disdain for the haters over a Swizz Beatz instrumental.

The title track gets the last leg going talking about going through a box of hope searching for his heart while “Organically Slidin’” samples “Something for the Mood” by DJ Quik to speak of remaining fresh from head to toe. “Larry’s Diner 2” picks up where the Spaceships on the Blade track left off thematically even if I enjoyed it less than the predecessor & “God Got Us (Ain’t Too Many)” sends off the album talking about how not a whole lot made it as far as him.

Every now & then, Larry June will drop something that I’ll find myself enjoying less than other entries in his discography & it pains to me say Who Coppin’? fresh off his Spiral Staircases collaborative EP with Curren$y nearly 5 months ago is possibly the most average he’s sounded in a couple years. There isn’t anything wrong with his smooth flow or the range of guests, but the production choices can be spotty at times.

Score: 3/5

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Rome Streetz – “Sock It 2 My Pocket” review

Here we have the latest studio LP & the 11th overall from London, England, United Kingdom born & Brooklyn, New York raised lyricist Rome Streetz. Emerging a decade ago off his debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit, this was followed up by a plethora of projects with the most notable being the Noise Kandy tetralogy & Headcrack. This decade however has been his biggest, as he dropped some of the best work of his career from the DJ Muggs-produced Death & the Magician or the Futurewave-produced Razor’s Edge to the Ransom-assisted collab effort Coup de Grâce & the Griselda Records deal that followed. His debut with the Buffalo powerhouse Kiss the Ring alongside the Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wasn’t Built in a Day both made the top 10 spots of my last couple Best Of lists & Hatton Garden Holdup produced by Daringer became a flawless spot in my top 5 of 2024 list. Trainspotter fully produced by Conductor Williams made for an equally outstanding Mass Appeal Records debut & hoped Sock It 2 My Pocket would maintain that level of musical quality.

“Yellow Brick Road” begins with a soul sample from Graymatter welcoming everyone to the sounds of the real whereas “Son of a Gun” produced by Pete Rock talks about having so much pizzazz because he’s a natural at this shit. “‘95 Mega on Shrooms” featuring Styles P unites on top of this bloodthirsty boom bap instrumental from Denny LaFlare to spit that gangsta shit until singlehandedly putting “Belt 2 Ass” over a Conductor Williams beat.

Havoc gets behind the boards during “.22” recalling the type of gun he had when he initially became more involved with the streets just before “Prada in the Polaroid” featuring Lloyd Banks maintains a boom bap vibe talking about envious muhfuckas watching them succeed behind a bench. “Cocaine Coltrane” hits us with a single providing hip hop for the fiends & dismissing the cheap imitators while “Marathon or Race” featuring Westside Gunn demands to know how people view the game.

“Dreamcatcher” continues the 2nd half of Sock It 2 My Pocket embracing a more soulful vibe talking about being on the road to riches while “Time & Place” featuring IDK leans towards a tropical sound talking about having now & giving fingers to who’s next. My favorite single had to be “High Speed” from 9th Wonder’s boom bap instrumental to Rome’s lyrics breaking down his New York state of mind while “Shoot Your Trophies” gets celebratory over a suiting beat The Alchemist cooked up.

The song “I Don’t Know” nears closer to the album’s conclusion talking about hoes he has no recollection of ever meeting being in love with while “Taylor Made Wave” featuring Ox Omni joins forces over a V Don instrumental to explain nothing being new under the sun with them. I should also mention that I was happy to hear Sovren was involved with the closer “Elevate”, where he’s flowing cutthroat bars over a soul sample to end the full-length.

Trainspotting has stronger consistency in my opinion since there were only a small handful of tracks that I could’ve done without on Sock It 2 My Pocket but nevertheless, I’m not gonna sit here pretending the 2nd full-length Rome Streetz has put out through Mass Appeal Records doesn’t contain some of the most important tracks of his career when the prominently strong production or the lethal penmanship that he & all the guests individually lay out attribute to it’s replay value.

Score: 4/5

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Future – “The Real Me” review

Here we have the 12th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper & singer/songwriter Future. 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 Honest, Monster, Beast Mode & my personal favorite of his: D.S. 2 (Dirty Sprite 2). With that said: A great deal of his material for the past decade has primarily been hit or miss. 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 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). Coming off Mixtape Pluto however, we’re getting a glimpse of The Real Me.

“Fukk a Interview” hooks up a synthesizer-based trap beat produced by ATL Jacob, FNZ & Wheezy talking his shit for his whole entire family for the intro whereas “1 2” gets his gangsta rap shit for a couple minutes over a Smatt Sertified instrumental. “No Misery” puts some odd effects on his vocals talking about trying to tie a bitch like an ace until “California Girls” takes a stripped-back trap approach talking about having bitches around the world.

Meanwhile on “Tank Top Pluto”, we have Future flexing his lifestyle over a boisterous beat from DY prior to the latter’s fellow 808 Mafia brethren TM88 getting behind the boards for “Weight Up” so he can talk about getting his cake up combing an opulent backdrop with some hi-hats. “Konnichiwa” instrumentally makes me feel like I’ve been teleported a couple centuries forward boasting his exotic hoes while “Trench Coat” continues the gangsta themes talking about his grandmother’s house being a drug store.

“Snowing in Skyami” to dig up an outtake from the Mixtape Pluto sessions that Taurus cooked up including a hilarious line regarding him having more women than Nick Cannon while “Build a Bitch” goes for a drumless direction although the repetitive lyricism can get tiring after a bit. The only single “Radio” explores the tension between humility & success over a Dez Wright beat eschewing any mainstream appeal in the process while “2018” brings back the raspy voice he infamously used for the “King’s Dead” single the same year over a DJ Spinz instrumental.

Continuing the 2nd half of The Real Me, “Money Over Everything” has somewhat of a distorted trap quality to it talking about the revenue being his to priority while “Off the Hinge” suggests to let him have his way since he has 5 vibes in his bedroom over a Southside beat. “If I Could” talks about how it wouldn’t be a sin for him to eventually rule the whole world & the difficulty of telling his loved ones how he feels while the bouncy “Big Moment” confronts his girl regarding her to take the stress outta her.

“Cast a Spell” once again delves deeper into the themes of romance raspily assuring this woman that he does shit better than her exes & after “Kick” combines electronics with trap to talk about him beginning to feel the effects of some drugs he took, “Hollywood” acknowledges him being crazy enough to know he’s groovy comparing himself to a pop star AND a rock star simultaneously containing what might be the most upbeat drums on the entire full-length.

The song “Feeling I Give” prepares to send off The Real Me willing to bet $1M on his doubts of any other artist being more toxic than him while “Alice” easily sticks amongst my top 3 cuts, referencing the Disney classic Alice in Wonderland over a playful instrumental that the Louis Vuitton’s creative director for men’s fashion Pharrell made. “Eye to Eye” spends the final minutes talking about being on another level with his money.

Mixtape Pluto still gets a divisive reputation over 9 months since it came out & although I couldn’t tell you why Future lied about having hidden features twice when he’s handling all the performances himself, I wouldn’t really consider The Real Me to be on par with the double LP he & Metro put out a couple years ago. It’s more in the same category as The WIZRD in that there are some tracks I can see myself revisiting, but it doesn’t necessarily evolve the sound he became synonymous with during my adolescence.

Score: 2.5/5

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Jack White – “Frozen Charlotte” review

Jack White is a 51 year old musician, singer/songwriter, producer, businessman & actor from Detroit, Michigan known for being the frontman of the seminal garage rock revival duo The White Stripes. He would later drop his solo debut Blunderbuss under his own label 3rd Man Records in tandem with XL Recordings & Columbia Records in 2012, which was followed up with Lazaretto & Boarding House Reach prior to him declaring his independence in 2022 with Fear of the Dawn & Entering Heaven Alive respectively. His previous full-length No Name has quickly become his most beloved statement since The White Stripes’ disbandment & his 7th studio LP looks to dethrone it.

“G.O.D. & the Broken Ribs” accompanied by the b-side “Derecho Demonico” each get the ball rolling with a fusion of blues rock, alternative rock, punk blues, hard rock, garage rock revival & rap rock retelling the story of Adam & Eve in addition to breaking down is only rule of not starting what he can’t finish. “There’s Nobody Here” gives me some punk blues/garage punk vibes singing about sending smoke signals in the air with no one around while “Raising the Grain” commandingly heads for the catacombs where the river flows.

Meanwhile on “You’ll Never Fix Me”, we have Jack embracing a noisier sound encouraging to turn the lights off since he’s seen & heard enough just before “Nobody Knows” finds himself confused by all these questions until he suggests that it could be the human ego speaking to him. The final single “Dollar Bill” combines blues rock & garage rock revival with acid rock to sing about money & power while “I Can’t Believe What I’m Hearing” gives the impression that it was most likely conceived following his impending divorce from his 3rd wife Olivia Jean.

“Thick as Thieves” turns the blues punk influences back up singing about a loyal relationship where they fulfill each other’s needs while the bluesy “All Alone Again” explains that there isn’t an obstacle stronger than greed. “She’s in a Frenzy” continues from there exploring themes of envy & after “Making Contact” criticizes big tech for misinformation dominating social media these days, “Neighbors Blues” spends the last 5 minutes radiating some heavy Led Zeppelin vibes to vent that the people living next to him never have anything kind to say.

Carrying over the raucously frenetic energy of No Name a couple years ago, Frozen Charlotte doesn’t dethrone it’s predecessor to become my favorite of his since leaving Columbia although I do appreciate the intimacy. The hard & blues rock styles are being prioritized more than his previous outing although we still get hints of punk blues, garage punk, psychedelic rock, alternative rock, garage rock revival, rap rock & acid rock packing a punch that longtime fans will quickly recognize that additionally leaves an open door to anyone who’s been recently introduced to Jack through this.

Score: 4/5

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Show Me the Body – “Alone Together” review

Show Me the Body is a post-hardcore trio from New York consisting of drummer Jack McDermott, bassist Harlan Steed & frontman Julian Cashwan Pratt. For the past 17 years, they’ve dropped a total of 3 full-lengths as well as 3 extended plays & a couple mixtapes. A vast majority of which came out under Loma Vista Recordings other than Yellow Kidney in 2013, enlisting Connecticut producer Kenny Beats to produce their 4th studio LP in it’s entirety the same day FATHERS made their eponymous debut.

After the horn-heavy “Overture” intro, “Eat for Peace” blends post-hardcore with noise rock & hardcore punk talking about radical love compelling him to fight whereas “No God” combines post-hardcore & rap rock to discuss explaining that you gotta break down to realize what’s at stake. “Good Time” rebelliously expresses their desire of the band always lookin’ for some fun leading into “Dance in the USA” fusing post-hardcore, rap rock, industrial rock, noise rock & dance-punk encourages to embrace the struggle.

“Do What’s Right (Happy)” winds down the last half of Alone Together discussing the things that people do to keep them satisfied just before “See You Again” after an interlude militantly sings about no grave or cemetery being capable of missing the 2 friends they’ve recently lost. “Mileage” keeps hitting us with more hardcore vibes boasting that they’re fueled up while “New Line” sings about a woman running back to her man after a couple days.

The song “Trust” could potentially be the catchiest one here detailing the struggles of finding reliability in people while the “Finale” was really the 3rd & final spoken word intermission preceding the “Overture” intro & the interlude respectively. The title track spends Alone Together’s last minutes dabbling with industrial rock, posing the question of friend or foe since it’s either one or the other & sending blessings to the people who’re standing individually.

Dog Whistle often gets mentioned as Show Me the Body’s most celebrated album even if some would debate it was surpassed by Trouble the Water, but the NYHC outfit might’ve outdone both of those. Kenny Beats’ dichotic production soundtracks Julian Cashwan Pratt’s themes of putting belief in action more hardcore punk & noise rock-oriented although there are lesser influences of industrial rock, post-hardcore & rap rock being displayed.

Score: 4/5

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Kelela – “New Avatar” review

Kelela is a 43 year old singer/songwriter & producer from Washington, D.C. who signed to Warp Records following her debut extended play Cut 4 Me in the fall of 2013 She would go on to follow it up with the Hallucinogen mixtape 24 months afterwards as well as the critically revered full-length debut Take Me Apart almost a decade ago & returning for the sophomore effort Raven. For the past few months already, she’s been teasing her 3rd studio LP by dropping a handful of singles & the main course is here in time for summer.

“Idea 1” blends neo-psychedelia, ethereal wave, shoegaze, dream pop & post-rock singing about existing in this current political climate whereas “Point Blank” combines alternative R&B, UK bass, east coast club, atmospheric drum & bass, Baltimore club and post-dubstep confessing that she’s too spent to weep. “Goin Down” has a bit of an alternative rock flare to it singing about the feeling of there being no way out just before “Outta Time” fuses alternative R&B, neo-soul, neo-psychedelia, UK bass & psychedelic soul observing that time’s running out.

As for “Against Me”, we have Kelela focusing more on the alternative R&B side of things acknowledging the demise of a relationship unfolding in front of her while “Crystalize” concludes the 1st half of New Avatar asking this person why they can’t get things right when she loved them the most. “Retaliation Lullaby” delicately sings about avoiding the loss of sight while “Linknb” mixes neo-psychedelia, indie rock, trip hop, dream pop, baggy, Jersey club, bounce & alternative R&B embracing a new identity.

“Don’t Piss Me Off” brings the drum & bass elements back in the picture issuing a warning to anyone looking rain on her parade while “New Life Forms” featuring Fousheé finds the pair joining forces for a hypnotic alternative R&B duet. “The Bridge” featuring PinkPantheress links up for the ultimate alternative r&b, future garage, 2-step, post-dubstep & dark garage single while “If We Met Again” sings about giving up on this person lying to her.

For almost a decade already, Kelela has consistently proven herself to be an artist pushing the alternative R&B subgenre forward with a short discography. Take Me Apart was my favorite of hers until this point & now New Avatar has taken over that spot for it’s explorations of neo-psychedelia, alternative rock, future garage, dream pop, indie rock, ethereal wave, shoegaze, post-rock, UK bass, east coast club, atmospheric drum & bass, Baltimore club, post-dubstep, neo-soul, psychedelic soul, trip hop, baggy, Jersey club, bounce, 2-step & dark garage finding solace in confrontation.

Score: 4.5/5

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The Rolling Stones – “Foreign Tongues” review

The Rolling Stones are a blues rock trio from London, England, United Kingdom comprised of rhythm guitarist Ronnie Wood, lead guitarist Keith Richards & frontman Mick Jagger. A band who dropped some of the greatest rock music recorded throughout the late 60s-early 70s like Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. & Some Girls. Their previous full-length Hackney Diamonds under Geffen Records made for a tolerable comeback after 2 decades & the Stones joining Capitol Records for their 24th studio LP had me intrigued since the material dates back to 2019.

“Rough & Twisted” begins with a blues rock single incorporating further elements of electric blues & boogie rock singing about flashing jewelry being a false pretense to them whereas “In the Stars” takes the pop rock route stylistically with some bluesy undertones admitting to feeling a heavy hand meddling with their plans. “Jealous Lover” goes completely smooth soul singing about a relationship going sour while “Mr. Charm” starkly reminding the world of life being as short as it is.

Meanwhile on “Divine Intervention”, we have the Stones singing about our existence being a gamble within it side just before “Ringing Hollow” brings a bit of a country twang into the fold observing all the political turmoil in the United States for a year & a half. “Never Wanna Lose You” reaches the halfway point of the full-length taking back to the pop rock style not wanting to lose the love of their lives whiles “Hit Me in the Head” has a more traditional rock flare acknowledging they won’t be here eternally.

“You Know I’m No Good” takes back to their blues rock origins reminding this woman who’s interested in them cautioning that they were trouble from the very beginning & after “Some of Us” brings a summery atmosphere to the table singing about all of us needing some love in troubling times like these, “Covered in You” continues to make it clear that they’re fed up with the rise of fascist autocracy. More specifically Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder, Twitter owner & Nazi Elon Musk.

The song “Side Effects” hits us with a powerful rock ballad singing about there being a price to pay for literally everything pondering whether if it’s the drugs fucking with their mood or not while the 6 minute “Back in Your Life” treads the Americana waters a bit singing about doing whatever it takes to for this individual to let them in their good graces once more. The closer “Beautiful Delilah” sends off the album with a passable cover of the late Chuck Berry’s track of the same name.

If I have to be serious with myself, Hackney Diamonds still remains a decent comeback for The Rolling Stones after nearly 2 decades exclude the Blue & Lonesome covers but I came away from Foreign Tongues confident that it could be the most gratifying entry in their extensive catalog since Tattoo You. The bluesy pop rock production refines what they tried to do 3 years earlier mixing elements of electric blues, boogie rock, smooth soul & hard rock for a politically charged hour.

Score: 4/5

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FATHERS – Self-Titled review

FATHERS is a jazz quartet from Los Angeles, California comprised of keyboardist Kiefer Shackelford, bassist Ben Carr, drummer Nate Smith & producer Kenny Beats. Almost everyone has an established background in the instrumental hip hop field except from Nate, whose output generally ranges from jazz fusion to jazz-funk & neo-soul. The greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records have decided to bring the band on board for their eponymous full-length debut & only a couple weeks away from Kenny fully producing Rico Nasty’s upcoming 3rd album RX finally seeing the light of day later this month.

“Eye Level” sets things off with a 3 minute intro working in some synthesizers, pianos, drums & bass giving off heavy instrumental hip hop vibes whereas “Patchwork” brings alto saxophonist Nicole McCabe on board for an infectiously bright jazz track that I can imagine hearing at opulent hotel from a complimentary standpoint. The only single “Pearl” experiments with Brazilian pop-jazz & I admire the way they gave it a modern luster just before “Stub” kinda has hypnotically quirkier approach compositionally.

We have FATHERS incorporating some organs for “The Leak” to kick off the 2nd half of their self-titled debut while “Tomorrow, Again” concludes the 3rd quarter bringing a more tropical flare to the table instrumentally enlisting violinist Yasmeen Al-Mazeedi to handle the strings. “Front Yard” comes through with some colorfully rich keys & drums that have a boom bap quality to them while the closer “Figure 8” brings Yasmeen back 1 last time provide a heavenly outro fusing jazz & instrumental hip hop.

I can’t deny Kenny Beats taking the risk of expanding his clientele outside of hip hop by producing Geese’s 4th album Getting Killed last fall & Weezer’s next full-length The Gold Album later this August, so it was interesting to hear him forming FATHERS with 3 other jazz-rooted instrumentalists who’ve already established themselves & I hope this is only the beginning for the band since they improvised a tastefully jazzy instrumental hip hop debut with some occasional funk influences.

Score: 4/5

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