Justin Bieber – “Swag II” review

London, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter Justin Bieber returning for his 8th LP. Signing to Island Records during my time in middle school to put out My Worlds & Under the Mistletoe only to fulfill his obligations with them on Believe & Journals. He has since been on Def Jam Recordings for the past decade & Purpose marked a divisive debut for the label, although Changes & Justice was equally as bad as a great deal of his Island output. Swag coincided with Clipse’s comeback Let God Sort ‘Em Out couple months ago & a sequel has surprisingly arrived over 2 weeks away from former 7-time WWE tag team champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage taking on former 2-time AEW World Tag Team Champions, 6-time WWE tag team champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions & IWGPタッグチャンピオン FTR at All Out V.

“Speed Demon” was an upbeat pop intro singing about him feeling as if he’s only getting better with each album & “checking these chickens” whereas “Better Man” goes for an alternative R&B vibe promising his wife Hailey no bitterness when he holds her hand. “Love Song” produced by Mk.gee colorfully sings about time only getting prettier with his soulmate leading into “I Do” venting over these feelings that won’t wash away.

Meanwhile on “I Think You’re Special”, we have JB atmospherically singing about breaking all the rules with Hailey & their love being unlike any other just before “Mother in You” observes that his son Jack looks a lot like his mom over a bedroom pop instrumental. “Witchya” vents about the feeling of being stuck in place staying by his wife if she needs him while “Eye Candy” encourages his partner to enjoy the moment with him.

“Don’t Wanna” featuring Bakar has a bit of a funkier direction to the beat from Mike WiLL Made-It singing about not wanting to give any fucks while “Bad Honey” expressed Biebs’ desire of wanting to dance with Hailey & making a scene out of it simultaneously. “Need It” moodily sings about wanting his wife to let him know if she’s feeling emotional likening her to cinnamon sugar while “Oh Man” opens up regarding him & the love of his life igniting one another.

Hurricane Chris appears for a bulk of “Poppin’ My Shit” blending pop rap & trap talking about their lil’ mamas wanting to be right beside them acting exactly the way they do while “All the Way” taps in with DJ Camper to promise Justin’s wife that he won’t ever let go of her. “Petting Zoo” finds himself drunk not wanting to fight with Hailey by any means asking why they’re arguing when he never said he was wrong or right while the indie folk-influenced “Moving Fast” sings about slowing down the ride & rollin’ the windows down for her.

“Safe Space” professes JB’s desire to take all of Hailey’s pain away from her & protect her from anything while “Lyin’” kicks the funk back in a little to sing about him telling the truth when he said he loved his wife. “Dotted Line” puts a lo-fi aesthetic on the bedroom pop style taking it slow & going back to basics while “Open Up Your Heart” featuring Eddie Benjamin pleads for their partners to tell them the way they really feel.

The song “When It’s Over” pushes towards the end of Swag II getting in over his head every time they go blow for blow, which results in his words ricocheting & cutting straight through him while “Everything Hallelujah” prior to the 8 minute spoken word outro “Story of God” praises God for everything from the Sun being out to the affection he’s consistently showering Hailee with.

Swag was one of the more admirable offerings in Justin Bieber’s discography even if I still didn’t care for it & the follow-up was as equally uninteresting than the predecessor earlier this summer. The musical palette’s similar to last time from contemporary R&B to bedroom pop, pop, pop soul, alternative R&B & alt-pop expanding on the original themes of marriage & fatherhood that still doesn’t grab me the same way as Earl Sweatshirt’s new album Live Laugh Love or Dominic Fike’s recent mixtape Rocket did.

Score: 2/5

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Billy Obey – “Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased” review

Portsmouth, Ohio emcee/producer Billy Obey celebrating his born day with his official solo debut. Known for being a founding member of the almighty Alla Xul Elu, he alongside Joey Black & later Lee Carver have spent the past 7 years building up their independently owned Long Live Evil record label as a brand you can trust within the underground wicked shit scene with the Super Famous Fun Time Guys & S.O.N. joining LLE’s roster. In preparation of Xul’s upcoming 7th album No Masters, the Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased is getting cracked open.

After titular intro, “Never Trust the Living” opens with an occult rap rock/boom bap crossover going 187 on all these other rappers whereas the industrially raw “Creepin’ It Real” talks about being an artist when it comes to murder. “Ugly on the Inside” poses the question of whether or not one sees a good person or someone like him when looking at the mirror while “Snake Oil Salesman” talks about searching for something that isn’t soil.

“Saviour Save Your Breath” hits the halfway mark by suggesting that nothing can be said to change his ways since he’ll always be the same while the infernal boom bap cut “Hell’s Wear the Heart Is” talks about being a certified psycho born & raised staying higher than his city’s abortion rate. “Life Sentence” makes it a mission to let the world know he’s writing his life away when he goes while “Family Portrait” talks about still being out of place even in frame.

The song “Taking Me Places” begins the Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased’s final pages by discussing how creativity has taken him farther than he could’ve ever imagined & daydreaming of slowing down just before “When I Saw You” talks about the only way he’d ever leave this woman he’s obsessed with is in pieces. “Someone Else, Somewhere Else” finishes the LP by tackling the difficulty of accepting the timeline we’re living in no matter the hand you’re given.

It was hard to tell whether when or if Billy Obey would ever release a solo project since Lee Carver previously dropped Massacre Mask & The Backstabber’s Handbook prior to him joining Alla Xul Elu but regardless of whether or not Joey Black decides to put out a solo effort now that Xul left Majik Ninja Entertainment couple months ago, Rhymebook of the Recently Deceased makes for a properly great introduction of what Bill Now the Science Cow can do on his own with the industrial boom bap sound A.X.E. is known for & their lyrically wicked lyricism.

Score: 4.5/5

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Salute da Kidd – “Time Heals All Wounds” review

Detroit, Michigan emcee Salute da Kidd enlisting his Wisemen brethren Bronze Nazareth to produce his sophomore effort in its entirety. Joining the Wu-Tang Killa Beez offshoot with Phillie alongside Bronze & his late brother Kevlaar 7, they would later welcome Illah Dayz & June Megalodon to the group after their debut Wisemen Approaching for their 2nd & final album to date Children of a Lesser God. It’s already been a decade since we’ve visited Diggstown & da Kidd’s coming back after 13 years to reflect on how Time Heals All Wounds.

After the “Thaw” intro, the first song “Why?” makes his comeback official over a boom bap instrumental talking about losing a decade of his life in the penitentiary & the difficulty of being fair because life has never been that way whereas “Eastside Hustle” featuring Kurt Solid finds the 2 teaming up to describe what it was like trying to survive on the eastern parts of the Motor City.

Termanology appears during the chipmunk soul infused “Rock Magician” to talk about stacking the currency to stay current & after the “Way We Were” interlude, “Grandma’s Prayers” gives off a gospel boom bap vibe reflecting on the days he was counting down to his freedom leading into the late Kevlaar 7 posthumously appearing on “Black Roses” chopping up more soul samples referring to themselves as the rarest of jewels.

“For Ours for Hours” featuring Hollywood Dots the Oncelor sees the pair talking about time being precious & getting to work since it’s eternally ticking faster than we know it over a prominent vibraphone throughout the beat while “Aura Elite” featuring Bronze Nazareth himself & Wuzee joins forces over a boom bap instrumental with some pianos to discuss their distinctive atmospheres being amongst the greatest to ever done it.

38 Spesh saves one of my favorite features for “Bob & Weave” linking up so they can conquer the rap game together maintaining a boom bap sound while “Sliders” featuring June Megalodon & Recognize Ali unites all 3 of them to see who can go the hardest for almost 4 minutes with heavy pianos & Salute talking about not manning up during his incarceration.

“James Worthy” featuring HNIC Pesh rounds up Time Heals All Wounds’ final leg with a soulful boom bap crossover referencing the 3-time NBA Champion Big Game James of the Los Angeles Lakers while “Seldomville” introspectively talks about the only thing up he gives up now is prayers. The appropriately titled “Storm Survivor” finishes up the LP sampling an organ & throwing some final thoughts at us regarding his prison sentence.

Since Kevlaar’s been protecting Salute da Kidd’s spirit for over a decade, Bronze Nazareth comes off Funeral for a Dream fully produced by his childhood friend Apollo Brown to help his Wisemen family make Time Heals All Wounds the most special entry of both in his discography. Salute lyrically reflects on his time behind bars with the guests adding their own different perspectives to it & Bronze Nazareth’s boom bap production rivaling the 78% he did of Diggstown.

Score: 4/5

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Duffel Bag Hottie – “Could Be Worse” review

This is the 4th studio LP from Buffalo, New York rapper Duffel Bag Hottie. Known as one of the earliest Black Soprano Family Records signees, he’s dropped his last 3 full-lengths along with 5 mixtapes & a couple EPs through the label. Ghost of Rick James stands out the most in his discography personally although I’d be remised if I didn’t mention all 3 entries of the Max Julian trilogy each include essential tracks of their own. Shut Down the Dance Floor made his return in late February over a prison phone & over 6 months later, he’s still applying pressure suggesting it Could Be Worse.

“Reminisce” hops back on the phone over a sample-woven trap instrumental to talk about not doing this music shit for the fame although he’s confident that he’ll become rich once he finally comes home whereas “Hottie & 3s” goes for a boom bap vibe explaining that money’s important than anything all because it feeds his family.

We get a sequel to “Story Time Duff” talking about being in his own lane compared to Tory Lanez & I can’t really blame him for saying that because I’d much rather listen to prison Hottie than Peterson, which quickly became one of 2025’s worst albums only a week after Duffel Bag Hottie’s previous EP at the start of the year.

“You & Me Against the World” blends chipmunk soul & trap to talk about his real ones holding him down from behind prison walls leading into “315 Newburgh” talking about getting your bag stolen if one ever comes around his parts. “Niggas Duckin Jail Calls” airs out those ignoring Duffel’s calls when he’s able to dial up those he cares for while “We Miss You Prodigy” remembers the late Bandana P of the infamous Mobb Deep.

The song “Rere Love” continues the soulful trap hybrids flexing that he never needed features from anyone while “Miss Me with That” featuring K Pistol finds the pair brushing off any & all bullshit. “71 Redrum” featuring Jae Skeese contains my favorite guest appearance of the 2 talking about Duffel still smiling through the pain while “Free VV” rounds out the album maintaining hopeful of trying to make it out for his babies.

Responding to the criticism of Shut Down the Dance Floor several months earlier, Duffel Bag Hottie’s point about how things Could Be Worse still ring true since he’s fortunately still with us albeit incarcerated. The production’s a lot similar to that previous EP we got 24 hours prior to 17-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion & 5-time WWE United States Champion John Cena turning heel on the current 2-time WWE Champion Cody Rhodes & the prison phone verses Duffel spits are still more entertaining than Tory Lanez’ new album.

Score: 3.5/5

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Matt Phoenix – “Still Dreaming” review

Kansas City, Missouri rapper, singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, DJ & audio engineer Matt Phoenix releasing his full-length solo debut. Formerly a frontman for Anti-Crew & Sage N Sour, he has since become an in-house producer for Strange Music in recent years & later signed to King Iso’s newly Project Be Well Inc. distributed by the Strange subsidiary It Goes Up Entertainment as a recording artist. Interestingly enough, Matt wants to make it clear he’s Still Dreaming only 24 hours from It Goes Up finally making up for the new Saigon album Paint the World Black produced by Buckwild getting continuously delayed.

After the “Awakening” intro, the self-produced title track fuses industrial hip hop with pop rap talking about him trying to keep a smile on his face when it’s harder than it seems whereas “Meltdown” switches things up with an explosive trap metal song & the screamed vocals can’t help but remind me of the late LINKIN PARK frontman Chester Bennington. “Let Me Be” featuring King Iso finds the 2 looking to do it their own way over a piano instrumental while “Primetime” featuring Joey Cool & Ubiquitous talks about being on their grind dabbling with trap.

“Sacrifice” wraps up the first leg of Still Dreaming giving off more pop rap energy talking about rather facing destiny than live off of someone else’s time leading into “Sober” featuring King Iso reunites for a poppy trap metal crossover hoping that they’ll kick the habit of drinking alcohol some day. “Unconditional” raps about criticisms of him writing for the Hell of it when he’s clearing his vision while “Lost” sings over some crescendoing guitar work that he feels stray.

The most surprising feature on Still Dreaming is none other than the Snake & Bat original and Ear House Inc. co-founder Krizz Kaliko during the poppy “I’m Not a Robot” exploring the struggle of feeling inadequate in a relationship filled with all kind of technological metaphors while “Identity” finishes Matt’s debut album with a synthpop button singing about him feeling like he’s a completely different person than he once was & that he’s ready to open his eyes.

From producing for the likes of former Strange Music acts like the previously mentioned Krizz Kaliko or the CES Cru to some or their current signees like Joey Cool or Jehry Robinson, it’s been shaping up to be a huge month for the Kansas City indie major & Still Dreaming emphasizes Matt Phoenix’s artistry to newer heights whether be his vocals fluctuating between rapping, singing & screaming or the eclectic production.

Score: 4/5

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Crimeapple – “Bulletproof Chicken” review

Hackensack, New Jersey lyricist Crimeapple tapping in with V Don for his 18th studio LP. Becoming a fan of his in the fall of 2017 with his 4th EP Sweet Dreams along with the Big Ghost Ltd. produced full-length debut Aguardiente that following spring, his profile in the underground grew exponentially from there. Discography standouts include the DJ Skizz-produced Wet Dirt, the DJ Muggs-produced Medallo, Cartagena, Breakfast in Hradec, Sin Cortar, the Preservation-produced El León, the official Aguardiente sequel Bazuko, the Mello Music Group-backed This, Is Not That produced by Apollo Brown & more recently Rose Gold. Over 3 months later & Bulletproof Chicken has arrived only a few days into September.

“Scrape the Pot” sets the tone with a drumless piano sample flexing his knack for customer service resulting in fiends coming back for more whereas “Railroad Avenue” goes for a jazzier direction talking about his neck being like an arcade. “Victor Charlie” takes a luxurious boom bap approach getting in his mafioso bag lyrically & “4.99 Special” divides itself into 2 halves with a beat-switch in the middle asking what you have to floss after getting on his dignity.

T.F. & Crime link up on the drumless “Groundhog’s Day” talking about getting money repeatedly leading into “Brazil” featuring Primo Profit returning to the boom bap to show off their strict policy of keeping their potencies high. “Wings” featuring Bruiser Wolf eerily unites the 2 to talk about needing the chicken & needing to make the pay while “Ocean Drive” finds himself hitting the district to show what the wrist do.

The title track begins the final leg of Bulletproof Chicken by stacking bread to the ceiling over an exuberant boom bap instrumental while “Clientele” goes off-the-dome for 105 seconds sampling soul music & spitting mafioso lyrics on top of it. “Fluegame” rawly talks about not being bestowed from his position in the underground & “Scooby Sweaters” caps it all off with a boom bap beat mixed with vocal harmonization in the background getting real serious with it as if he already hasn’t been.

Over 3 months since Rose Gold completed the trilogy that Wet Dirt started & Breakfast in Hradec bridged, what has already been a prolific year for V Don continues since he can now add Crimeapple to the growing list of names he’s produced for after Boldy James & Estee Nack respectively. What the New York producer cooks up here is a healthy mix between boom bap, drumless, jazz rap & chipmunk soul to back Crime’s mafiosi pen-game.

Score: 4.5/5

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Jamil Honesty – “M.E.M.O.I.R.S. (Music Evokes Memories Offering Inspiration, Radiating thru Sound)” review

Here is the 5th studio LP from Staten Island, New York born albeit Baltimore, Maryland based emcee/producer Jamil Honesty. Getting his footing in off the strength of his debut mixtape Verses, he would go on to build a name for himself but putting out 3 EPs & a full-length debut serving as a sequel to one of the EPs that Hobgoblin produced. He would later release the Harbor Kidz’ self-titled debut, the Krazyfingaz-produced The God Honest Truth, the Machacha-produced Give Us Our Daily Bread, the final installment of the Martyr Musik trilogy & more recently Shots from the Soviet produced by Giallo Point. Almost 10 months later, JR Swiftz is getting brought in to fully produce M.E.M.O.I.R.S. (Music Evokes Memories Offering Inspiration, Radiating thru Sound).

After the “Foreword” intro, the first song “Chakra’s Cuts” refuses to worry about the future since what’s for everyone else is in the cards whereas “Follow Me” works in a boom bap instrumental to talk about being the living truth others speak of. “Real Rap” suggests that it’s carry-on if others aren’t carrying the culture & being out for legacy & wanting to be remembered as a lyrical paragon just before “‘94 Nas (The Chip Tooth Era)” featuring Jay Royale finds the 2 outclassing their competition like they’re substitutes.

“4evaNyce” starts the 2nd half with a jazzy boom bap beat talking about being nice with for all eternity leading into “Gold Teeth & Beepers” dustily advises to speak truthfully & giving fanatics what they’ve been craving. The title track works in a piano sample to tell ghetto stories with a plot twist while “Tennis Filas” featuring Awon, Blu, Kev Brown & Griot Noy turns the jazz influences back up for a 4 minute cypher. “Summer 90’s” finishes up by reflecting on what summer felt like to him 3 decades earlier.

Similarly to how Shots from the Soviet has already cemented itself as Jamil Honesty’s finest EP, M.E.M.O.I.R.S. (Music Evokes Memories Offering Inspiration, Radiating thru Sound) has officially taken over the spot of the predecessor 10 months ago & I’d strongly recommend both if you’re still sleeping on him. JR Swiftz’ cinematic production matched with Jamil’s precise lyrics make the album feel more like a time capsule of an era that we all miss crafted with precision & soul for fans of uncompromising hip hop rooted in sincerity.

Score: 4.5/5

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Joey Bada$$ – “Lonely at the Top” review

New York City emcee, singer & actor Joey Bada$$ making up for the delays of his 4th LP. Emerging as a founding member of the Pro Era & Beast Coast collectives, his debut mixtape 1999 under GoodTalk Records has gone on to become a classic & Summer Knights was a solid prelude to his full-length debut. B4.DA.$$ eventually came on his 20th birthday & lived up it to it’s expectations by expanding on the vibes of 1999, although the sophomore effort ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ unquestionably became the most political he’s ever been & 2000 would’ve been a perfect 10 if “Welcome Back” was left off of it. Set to come out earlier this month, Columbia Records has finally letting him tell the world what it’s like for him being Lonely at the Top.

“Dark Aura” produced by Chuck Strangers was a great gangsta/jazz rap single & a better intro choice talking about how nothing can be done regarding his return whereas “Swank White” featuring Westside Gunn works in some heavy sampling to reference former TNA World Tag Team Champion, 3-time IWGP USヘビー級チャンピオン & IWGPタッグチャンピオン Juice Robinson of former AEW World Trios Champions & ROH World 6-Man Tag Team Champions Bullet Club Gold a.k.a. the Bang Bang Gang.

The instrumental Kirk Knight cooks up on “Supaflee” feels reminiscent of the iconic N.O.R.E. single “Superthug” produced by the production duo of all-time The Neptunes & it’s a dope homage if that’s the intention prior to “Highroller” featuring A$AP Ferg teaming up over a boom bap instrumental from Boi-1da so they can talk about blowing the bag. “Ready to Love” combines pop rap & boom bap seamlessly with the help of Hitmaka leading into “BK’s Finest” featuring CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h & Rome Streetz repping their borough over a Statik Selektah beat.

“Underwater” finds himself occasionally feeling trapped & being unable to break free, which may or may not be related to Columbia Records delaying Lonely at the Top earlier this month. Regardless, “3 Feet Away” moves forward with a more trap direction instrumentally talking about putting trust in God just before “Speedin’ Through the Rain” gives off a jazzy boom bap vibe thanks to Jay Versace keeping his foot on the gas pedal traveling the road to riches.

The penultimate song & final single “Still” featuring Ab-Soul removes the jazzier elements of the previous joint talking about knowing that their artistic successes were destined while the title track homages the title track off Gang Starr’s masterpiece Moment of Truth. “ABK” deserves an acknowledgement too because of its fusions between hardcore hip hop, hyphy & boom bap even though it didn’t make the final cut. And of course Jelly Roll revealing the Lonely at the Top cover weeks prior to him tagging with former 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton at SummerSlam XXXVIII.

By far one of the craziest moments of 2025 was when Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly, Kai Ca$h, Jae’Won, Ray Vaughn, Reason, AZ Chike, Daylyt & Hitta J3 were all trading diss tracks with one another in May & the founding Pro Era member gears up for an upcoming album fully produced by Statik Selektah to come out of the vault with a tight collection of songs culminating in hardcore hip hop, boom bap, jazz rap, pop rap, trap & gangsta rap that are still worth your time even if it’s not up to par with 2000.

Score: 4/5

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Pro Dillinger – “Dirtwave 3” review

Haverstraw, New York emcee Pro Dillinger completing the Dirtwave trilogy with his 9th LP. A member of the Umbrella collective as well as 1/2 of The Steiner Brothers, he has released a total of 5 mixtapes along with his last 8 albums & even 7 EPs. Favorites include the Finn-produced debut Pray for My Prey, the Machacha-produced Dirt Don’t Hurt, his 3rd EP MOSFoul, the Sting vs. Flair collab EP with Mickey Diamond & the Steiner Brothers’ eponymous debut. Dirty Work celebrated it’s 1-year anniversary earlier this summer & the dirtiest of the Umbrella brought Sean Kelly back to handle production for Reasonable Dirt much like Forever Foul & more recently the Futurewave produced Dirtwave alongside it’s sequel becoming his most acclaimed work to date. To finish the month of August, a 3rd installment arrives with eager anticipation.

“Follow the $$$” was a drumless chipmunk soul intro talking about the battery in his back getting charged up whereas “King” by The Steiner Brothers featuring Big Trip finds the trio coming together for a luxuriously hardcore boom bap track. “Never Going Broke” chops up a vocal sample to talk about the relatable goal of not losing it all financially while “Church St.” reflects on the days of doing whatever he wanted and on the titular street.

Meanwhile on “Scarface”, we have Pro Dillinger talking about how counting money is a habit for him & not needing any friends because he has a whole lot of enemies as it already is over a boom bap instrumental leading into “Road 2 Riches” breaking down the military minded mentality he & the rest of The Umbrella has. “Fentanyl” featuring Estee Nack links the pair up so they can talk about making it to the big leagues just before “Ain’t No Killer” calls out some bluff.

“Old Lungs” featuring Daniel Son nears the end of Dirtwave 3 with a jazzy boom bap beat talking about being the same despite their respective takeovers of the underground while “Dirtmusic” removes the jazzier elements for a dedication to his fam who got it out the mud. “Bread First” closes up shop with 1 last chipmunk soul cut explaining his prioritization of money coming first.

The original Dirtwave & Dirtwave 2 have been rivaling each other for the past 10 months or so in becoming Pro Dillinger’s finest opuses of his career, but Dirtwave 3 maintains the hardcore hip hop/boom bap fusions that made both it’s predecessors so acclaimed except the production leans heavier towards the jazz rap & drumless chipmunk soul styles in comparison.

Score: 4.5/5

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Blood Orange – “Essex Honey” review

Blood Orange is a 39 year old singer/songwriter, producer, composer & director from London, England, United Kingdom releasing his full-length debut Falling Off the Lavender Bridge & sophomore effort Life’s Sweet! Nice to Meet You under the Lightspeed Champion moniker. Coastal Grooves, Cupid Deluxe, Freetown Sound & Negro Swan have all became some of the greatest alternative R&B within the last decade & has signed to RCA Records to make his 7th album his major label debut.

“Look at You” begins with an alternative R&B intro seeking meaning in one’s grace only to find nothing & still searching for some sort of truth whereas “Thinking Clean” sings over some skittering drums & pianos pondering if everything was taken from beneath. Sophisti-pop, bedroom pop, dream pop & jangle pop get fused on “Somewhere in Between” pleading to have the vision of an adolescent again while “The Field” blends liquid drum & bass, art pop, alt-pop & sambass comes across the feeling of the sun keeping us warm daily.

Alt-pop, art pop, bedroom pop, singer/songwriter, indietronica & alternative R&B combine on “Mind Loaded” feeling like everything means nothing to him & unable to think straight leading into “Vivid Light” finding himself in rage & not wanting to be alone because the more you hide, the smaller you become. “Countryside” collides dream pop, alt-pop & sophisti-pop singing about wanting to be taken away from the broken lights & seeking comfort in Epping Forest while “The Last of England” melancholically remembers his late mother who passed away last winter.

“Life” expresses his desire for watch somebody he cares about making it on their own & gaining waves of daisies while “Westerberg” homages “Alex Chilton” by The Replacements alongside it’s former frontman Paul Westerberg, who embarked on a successful solo career following the band’s demise almost 35 years ago. We get hints of bedroom pop on “The Train (King’s Cross)” singing about feeling as if the worst has yet to come for the first time in his life while the somewhat jazzy “Scared of It” vents over the difficulties of always looking & in out of the end suggesting one’s likelihood of being better off on their own.

Nearing the final moments of Essex Honey, we have “I Listened (Every Night)” embracing a more smoother tone becoming unable to find anything soft in between accompanied by an alternative bedroom pop instrumental & “I Can Go” featuring Mustafa finishes to the LP with both of them singing about how what you know is something that they can hold during nights that flow into lows.

Conceived during a period of grief & reflection on his upbringing in Essex intertwined with the ways music has inspired & healed him throughout his life, Blood Orange takes the world on a personal exploration of grief & his roots by stylistically emphasizing an alt-pop & bedroom pop sound with secondary sophisti-pop, dream pop, art pop, singer/songwriter, indietronica, alternative R&B, liquid drum & bass, sambass and jangle pop influences.

Score: 4.5/5

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