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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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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Jon Connor – “24” review

Flint, Michigan emcee/producer Jon Connor enlisting KLC of the No Limit Records in-house production team Beats by the Pound to produce his 7th studio LP. Someone who’s steadily been holding it down for the last 2 decades including The Calling, Vinnie Chase & S.O.S. trilogies along with the Best in the World series paying homage to some of Jon’s influences, Salvation, While You Were Sleeping & Unconscious State. He was even signed to Aftermath Entertainment for 6 years before departing after Vehicle City wound up being shelved, returning nearly 6 months since providing Food for the Soul to drop 24.

“1 Time” was an aggressive opener talking about it rappers who’ve got caught up in the clout & forgot to live life putting it up for the real ones whereas “Where You From?” featuring Lil Wyte finds the 2 linking up to tell us what it’s like in Flint & Memphis respectively. “Nothin’ Gon’ Change That” featuring Fiend & Mac throws it back to the No Limit days with it’s horn instrumental separating the real from the fake leading into the funky “Get Right” asking how you were poppin’ bottles if your money ain’t right.

We get a sequel to “Story to Tell” off S.O.S. II: The Road to Legendary produced by MIKE SUMMERS a.k.a. 7 recalling a time where he was 13 & KLC giving it a jazzier feel as opposed to the trap sound of the original while “Work” featuring DJ Paul finds the 2 linking up to talk about getting that money over some dirty south shit. “Kings & Queens” featuring Jay Allure reminds me of those collabs Mia X used to do for No Limit just before “Motivated” incorporates these pianos & strings to talk about always staying inspired even when he’s been knocked down.

“Wake Up, Go Hard” featuring Mr. Serv-On gets the final leg of 24 with a dirty south anthem in ode to the everlasting hustle while “The Biggest Flex” featuring Dee-1 gets together for a lead single tryin’ to figure out who you’re frontin’ for. “Black Magic” featuring Enjoy Melody hits us with more No Limit nostalgia reminiscent of Mercedes in this particular instance & “Story Time” closin’ down shop by telling a tale of tragedy ending in gunfire after the opps caught him by surprise.

It’s been no kept secret that Jon has always been heavily influenced by the late 90s run No Limit Records was so to have KLC fully produce an entire body of work from him could more than likely appeal to those who look back fondly during that time period where No Limit was popular enough to have their own faction in WCW when WWE was in the Attitude Era. All that aside: KLC’s production feels like a mix of old & new ideas with Jon’s dream since he was 14 finally coming to fruition as a full circle moment in his career.

Score: 4.5/5

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Kevin Abstract – “blush” review

Here is the 6th solo LP from Corpus Christi rapper, singer/songwriter, producer & director Kevin Abstract. Making his debut over a decade ago in the form of MTV1987, he followed it up 2 years later with the fantastic American Boyfriend: A Suburban Love Story & rose to stardom as the de facto leader of the now defunct BROCKHAMPTON collective the year after. Both of Kevin’s solo efforts since then ARIZONA baby & The Family were solid although I liked the latter more for it’s chipmunk soul heavy sound. Blanket went for an indie rock direction to quietly end his RCA Records tenure joining X8 Music & Virgin Music, finally putting out blush after teasing it for months.

After the “Introduction” intro, the first song “H-Town” featuring Ameer Vann as well as Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy finds the quartet over a boom bap instrumental thanking God they’re all still alive today prior to “Copy” featuring Love Spells & SoGone SoFlexy giving off a bit of a psychedelic rock vibe praying their lovers come running back to them & “Danny’s Track” by Danny Brown referencing 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 & Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder Hulk Hogan.

“Yoko Ono” featuring Love Spells & Makana XO goes drumless with the help of Kiko Merley so the trio can ask what a classic is without a b-side or The Beatles without the late John Lennon’s widow whereas the chaotic “Nola” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, JPEGMAFIA & Love Spells produced by Quadeca references WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle.

Love Spells sticks with Kevin on the Glue outtake “Post Breakup Beauty” that Romil Hemnani co-produced looking back on a relationship that only lasted a mere 9 months & wanting to feel like as if they’re untouchable just before “97 Jag” featuring Love Spells once again finds the pair wishing they would’ve followed their instincts instead of crashing out. “Text Me” could very well be the only song without a guest verse singing over a Sekuo sample of recovering from a breakup for 2 years while “Geezer” marks the new superduo’s introduction with their own eponymous single built around pop rap, indie pop, bedroom pop & boom bap

“I Wasn’t There” by DERBY lets his indietronica/bedroom pop styles flourish for a couple minutes on their own & after the “blush” interlude, “Maroon” by Dominic Fike finds the other half of Geezer asking if his partners can remember a time where he made their face turn brownish-crimson. “Pop Out” by Ameer Vann, Drigo, E Bleu & Love Spells brings an experimental trap flare to the table talking about the bad bitches coming out now that it’s summer, but then “Girlfriend” by Drigo & surprisingly Dr. Dre’s daughter Truly Young links the 2 up talking about having each other.

Kevin jumps back on the mic for “Bloom” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells to cook up a melancholic trap cut wanting their lovers to know they’ve been waiting their whole entire lives for them to come in the picture while “Abandon Me” by Quadeca tries to figure out why the individual he has in mind stays by him instead of turning their back on him like everyone else in his life. “Red Light” featuring Ameer Vann ends blush with both BH alumni delivering a perfect fusion of pop rap, alternative R&B & neo-soul limiting their growth for the love of their lives.

“Everybody Plays to Win” featuring Ameer Vann & Love Spells starts the deluxe run asking how they can be forgiven & not fall astray while “Medicine” by Ameer Vann, Drigo & Love Spells links up the 3 over synths & hi-hats feeling like their partners were sent from heaven above. The title track featuring Love Spells talks about fiending for love & others not knowing what they’ve been on while “Fall” gets Kevin handling verses by himself over a cloudy trap beat getting to the bottom of as to why a former friend turned his back on him.

AJ, Ameer Vann, Devanmanleyy, Drigo & Love Spells all clique up during “Don’t Ever Ask No N***a for Some Change” talking about flags they ignore by choice while “Oath” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells rides around town with heaters in their pockets. “MenOnTheMoon” sticks out as another Kevin solo cut jazzily feeling like he’s the only one left of himself while “Moonlight” by Ameer Vann & Love Spells talking about being painted as demons since that’s the way they’re viewed.

“On My Son” reflects on the lessons Kevin’s learned taking another moment all by himself hoping to move the way his family did soon as he wakes up the final bonus track “T.W.N.D. (That’s What N****s Do” featuring Ameer Vann & Truly Young caps off the extra batch of music with them puttin’ these snakes in on their asses if they wanna spaz out getting this money backed by horns & a repetitive Memphis-like vocal flip.

2001 was the first album that I listened to start to finish growing up in the early 2000s so when I heard blush was gonna be Kevin’s answer to that, it immediately had my interest. The final product however has a tad more highs than flaws. I love that the production goes from hip hop to alternative R&B, neo-soul, drumless, experimental hip hop, alt-pop, indietronica, bedroom pop & pop rap in a cohesive manner although the lack of Kevin performances make it feel more like a compilation.

Score: 3.5/5

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Pi’erre Bourne – “Made in Paris” review

South Carolina producer, rapper, songwriter & engineer Pi’erre Bourne finally making up for the 15-month delay of his 4th studio LP. Becoming one of the most in demand beatsmiths in hip hop today off Playboi Carti’s “Magnolia”, he’s also made a name for himself on the mic by dropping 10 mixtapes as well as a couple EPs & 3 full-length albums. Grails was a short yet highly favorable collection of Pi’erre’s most anticipated solo tracks & with the 2-year anniversary of that passing a couple months back, Interscope Records has at long last allows him to recount a trip to France he made in the form of Made in Paris.

Splitting the intro “Façade” into 2 different sections, the first “Inside” wishes his uncle who did the spoken word intro was still here to see him today & the other “Alone” remembers his late grandmother along with flexing that he has more Soss than Ragu. The warm synthesizers on “Le Vôtre” make for one of my personal favorite instrumentals on the whole entire album talking about 2 hoes never feeling right with him while “Bon Appétit” takes a pop rap turn wanting his partner to eat him alive.

“J.B.H. (Just Being Honest)” featuring Young Nudy pairs the 2 over a syrupy plugg beat feelin’ like people are still doubting them as artists leading into “La Loi, C’est La Loi” trying to tell this woman how much he misses her when she doesn’t wanna hear it over an accordion. “Bleu” hooks up these organs tackling the issue of not knowing he would leave a chick heartbroken after trying to save their love while “Temps de Chasse” talks about not wanting to fuck around with his life anymore & the grass not being as greener on the other side.

The 2nd & final single “Pop” opens up regarding the kind of relationships he’s had in the past blending pop rap & trap with cloud rap while “Retraite” combines the colorfully atmospheric Good Movie outtake “Kit Kat” with an original latter half “Playground” turning up the rage. “En été” digs up these fuzzy synthesizers flexing his gains not that he’s playing his cards right while “Rapunzel” recaptures the themes of lust once again.

“J’adore” addresses his current love life referencing WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE United States Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, WWE Hardcore Champion, IWGPヘビー級チャンピオン, the inaugural 6-time TNA World Champion, TNA X Division Champion & 2-time TNA World Tag Team Champion Kurt Angle & “Toot It Up” might be my favorite song here only because of the plugg instrumental & NOT because of the Timbaland line due to his ongoing AI tomfoolery.

Reaching the final leg, “Violette” meshes these acoustics & quirky synths with one another making reference to Futurama in light of it’s upcoming 10th season on The Walt Disney Company-owned hulu later this summer until “Blocs” proved to be a fun pop rap/trap lead single talking about being on the block when he was younger. “L’amour” offers a bit of a pluggnb vibe speaking to a woman he seems completely dependent on & “Sait” promises to give his girl everything but a wedding ring.

Recharging from all the traveling & barely getting any sleep in part of making sure the visuals were presented in the best possible way he wanted, Made in Paris pushes Pi’erre back in the spotlight with the most vital album of his career & one that captures his growth more than Good Movie did. Inspired by a trip to Paris a year or 2 ago, he takes some ideas that he’s had going far back as 2019 or presently & uses them together resulting in the most consistent LP in his canon since The Life of Pi’erre 4 & The Life of Pi’erre 5.

Score: 4.5/5

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Nick Grant – “I Took It Personal” review

Nick Grant is a 36 year old MC from Atlanta, Georgia emerging in 2016 off his debut mixtape ‘88 along with the Epic Records-backed debut album Return of the Cool. His next tape Dreamin’ Out Loud would prelude the acclaimed God Bless the Child produced by Tae Beast of the Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, which later led to Carolina Diaries & Welcome to Loveland. A year & half since Sunday Dinner however, I Took It Personal has finally arrived a week after its initial release date.

“Unforgettable” sets the tone with a piano/boom bap hybrid sprinkling remnants of the past in his music testifying to the legacy he’s already established for himself whereas “Let It Reign / Read Your Contract” gets split into a soulful first half boasting that everything he writes murders & the other lamenting his time being on a major label including giving advice to anyone who wants to get signed basing it from his own experiences with Grand Hustle Records & later Epic.

The soul sample on “Do You Love Me?” fits the whole theme of love telling his girl that she’s the very reason he bosses up & he’s the realest out of all the fish in the sea leading into “Big Tymers” talking about there not being any other better story than the underdog. “Pass It Out / House Calls” serves as another 2-parter cloudily looking to chalk out his competition during the first half & the other talking about there being a problem if the dogs get called.

Chipmunk soul & boom bap get fused during “The Ritual” boasting that he’s the very reason why the matrix is glitching at the moment just before “No Apologies” belittles everyone who relies on ghostwriters over a jazzy yet soulful instrumental. “Love for the Mob” finds himself keeping it p & moving in silence like psalms showing off some killer wordplay while “The Pride” talks about joking a lot with his girl & still getting deep with her.

“Back Home” experiments with sample drill a bit reflecting on going major now & getting it out the mud when he started while “Product, User, Dealer” talks about making your favorite MC relapsing snorting lines again on top of observation the treachery of them street corners. Moving on from there, “Something to Sei” tackles a kind of love Nick feels should be illegal considering he was selling merch to give her heaven on earth.

The song “Nothing’s Free” brings a darker trap atmosphere to the table blending these hi-hats & ominous piano chords together until a symphonic switch up halfway through saying that America’s eating it’s babies when that couldn’t be any more true while “It Ain’t Personal” caps off the LP with 1 last soul sample chop making y’all think somebody filming him the way he’s shooting muhfuckas.

God Bless the Child was what renewed my interest in Nick during a rough time period in the lives of many & now that we’re pretty much halfway through the decade, I Took It Personal surpasses Return of the Cool as his strongest full-length & I feel like lot of people can learn a few things from it if you want to get involved with the music business. He’s laying out every experience he’s had in the industry whether it be good or bad & the production could be his most eclectic showing influences of boom bap, trap, jazz rap, chipmunk soul, cloud rap & sample drill.

Score: 4/5

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Memphis Bleek – “APT 3D” review

Memphis Bleek is a 46 year old rapper & songwriter from Brooklyn, New York starting as the original hype man for JAY-Z. Hov eventually signed him to Roc-A-Fella Records once their distribution deal with Def Jam Recordings was settled, dropping both his full-length debut Coming of Age & the sophomore effort The Understanding to mixed reception. M.A.D.E. (Money, Attitude, Direction & Education) would become my personal favorite album of his in the winter of 2003 & with the 20-year anniversary of 534 passing last month, the Warehouse Music Group founder is looking to make a comeback with his 5th studio LP.

“Durag Bleek” produced by Just Blaze was a perfect lead single to kick off the rollout talking about the Roc life being bigger than that mob shit whereas “Still R.O.C.” works in a gospel sample to talk about representing the same squad he’s been with for almost 3 decades, which he’s not wrong since Roc Nation Records is distributing Warehouse now. “You Should Know” laughs off those copping out more than they drop out over a soulful Cool & Dre instrumental leading into the mild pop rap cut “On My Way”.

We get a spoken word intro that takes up the first half of “Holla at Cheech” ahead of a 52 second verse off the top flexing that y’all should be following him outside of social media over a Sndtrak beat while “I’m the Type” brings a chipmunk soul vibe to the table talking about being the kind of person to ride with you until the very end. “King’s Design” suggests that he should be charging people the way he be speaking like a boss just before “3 Kings” featuring Benny the Butcher & Smoke DZA finds the trio talking about being royalty around their respective parts.

“Believe It” begins the 3rd & final leg of APT 3D with boom bap instrumental showing off the large lifestyle he’s been involved with ever since his music career took off really while “Choosing You” brings back the pop rap vibes except he & Mario Winans are doing it much better than they did on “On My Way” from the atmospheric sound to the lyrics of always remaining loyal to his partner. “Word to Hov” finishes Bleek’s first body of work in 2 decades with him taking the last 2 & a half minutes to shout out his mentor as well as explain that he had to take time away from music to pick himself back up from personal shit.

Taking it back to the apartment complex in the Marcy Projects that made him, APT 3D rivals M.A.D.E. (Money, Attitude, Direction & Education) by passionately returning to the booth casually shrugging off whatever Memphis Bleek had going on in his life outside of music. The production nostalgically throws it back to when Roc-A-Fella was at their prime as a label in the early 2000s & most of the features doing hooks other than both MCs who were on the 2nd single was a great move on his part since that time away gave him a lot to get off his chest.

Score: 3.5/5

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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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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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Joshua Redman – “Words Fall Short” review

Joshua Redman is a 56 year old saxophonist from Berkeley, California notable for being the son of the late Dewey Redman. Signing to Warner Records in 1994 with his eponymous debut, he would go on to follow it up Wish as well as Moodswing & Freedom in the Groove. He would stay with Warner for Timeless Tales (For Changing Times) followed by Beyond & Passage of Time, leaving after Elastic in the fall of 2002. Recently signing to the greatest jazz label of all-time, Joshua’s 16th solo LP will now be his official debut under Blue Note Records.

“A Message to Unsend” begins with a 5 minute post-bop composition enlisting labelmate Paul Cornish on piano ahead of his debut You’re Exaggerating! later this summer alongside Philip Norris playing bass & Nazir Ebo handling the drums prior to tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana joining the quartet for “So It Goes” to improvise 7 minutes of pure swagger. Philip’s bassist skills kicks off the first 60 seconds of the title track until the drums, sax & pianos all come in respectively while “Borrowed Eyes” reaches the halfway point with a bluesier mood.

Getting the ball rollin’ on Words Fall Short’s final act, “Icarus” could be my favorite post-bop song throughout the whole 45 & a half minute runtime bringing trumpeter Skylar Tang along for an exhilarating improvised post-bop jam just before “Over the Jelly-Green Sea” shows Joshua’s appreciation towards the late W.G. Sebald. The final instrumental piece “She Knows” explores his full range with a soprano saxophone giving a shot at avant-garde jazz during it’s 2nd half “Era Ends” by Gabrielle Cavassa sends off the album with a vocal jazz outro reminiscent to the most recent entry of her discography Where Are We?.

Conceived in a working environment that inspired him to dig into compositions that hadn’t found a home yet, Joshua Redman’s approach to bandleading hasn’t changed from the very moment he introduced himself to the world 3 decades earlier still performing with virtuosos who’ve mastered all the different jazz vocabularies & know how to express their individual brilliance through group improvisation & collective interaction. Primarily departing from the vocal jazz direction that took up a good bulk of Where Are We? & turning up the post-bop influences, Josh’s previously unheard collection of originals the beauty of human imperfection sees the light of day as his greatest material since leaving Warner.

Score: 4/5

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