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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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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Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend” review

Quakertown, Pennsylvania singer/songwriter & actress Sabrina Carpenter releasing her 7th studio LP. The niece of Nancy Cartwright also known as the voice of Bart on the Fox Corporation’s flagship property’s longest running animated series The Simpsons, she herself began by starring in the Boy Meets World spinoff Girl Meets World alongside Milo Murphy’s Law on The Walt Disney Company owned Disney Channel. She later signed to Hollywood Records for her first 4 full-lengths Eyes Wide Open, EVOLution, Singular & Singular II until moving over to Island Records for Emails I Can’t Send. Her previous album Short n’ Sweet solidified herself as a modern pop superstar & Man’s Best Friend has now arrived following tributes from by the current NXT Women’s North American Champion Sol Ruca, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio alongside former 2-time WWE women’s world champion Liv Morgan, former AEW Women’s World Champion Blake Monroe, former 3-time WWE women’s world champion & former TNA Knockouts World Champion Naomi, former 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion Kit Wilson and of course the current WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton.

Pop rock, synthpop, urban cowboy & soft rock all blend together for the self-produced lead single “Manchild” with co-production from Jack Antonoff singing about immature men whereas “Tears” finds herself becoming addicted to her new lover’s maturity over a dance-pop/nu-disco instrumental reminiscent of her smash hit “Espresso”. “My Man on Willpower” sings about a male who has too much self control & not understanding it returning to a pop rock sound leading into “Sugar Talking” making it clear that she isn’t have the sweet chit chat.

“We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” embraces a heavy country pop vibe to sing about living in a continuous circle of becoming on the verge of ending her current relationship only for all to be forgiven in the morning leading into “Nobody’s Son” singing to the parents of a corrupt man asking them if they could raise him to love her. “Never Getting Laid” divides itself into 2 different halves hoping this fuckboy becomes agoraphobic while “When Did You Get Hot?” becomes astonished by seeing a former acquaintance undergoing a significant makeover.

The country pop influences make a return on “Go Go Juice” sings about getting drunk only to make a bunch of phone calls assuring that nobody’s safe while “Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry” sings about making this individual worry more than other woman ever has. “House Tour” compares her home on Pretty Girl Avenue to Disneyland in the sense that it’s where all dreams come true & once “Goodbye” properly wraps things up by explaining that the meaning of the word to her is losing her for life, “Such a Funny Way” feels like an epilogue deluded by someone telling her he loves her when he clearly didn’t.

Before I get to my concluding thoughts on Man’s Best Friend, I want to say that the controversy that surrounded its tame artwork was soft to me when the PARTYNEXTDOOR 4 cover art already exists. Regarding the music itself: Sabrina Carpenter’s thematically more promiscuous than Short n’ Sweet was experimenting with country pop, dance-pop, pop rock, soft rock & urban cowboy heavier winding up with mixed results containing more highs than lows.

Score: 3/5

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Kwamé – “The Different Kids” review

Queens, New York emcee, producer & singer/songwriter Kwamé making a comeback after over 3 decades with his 5th studio LP. Signing to Atlantic Records in the late 80s, his debut The Boy Genius & the conceptual sophomore effort A Day in the Life: a Pokadelick Adventure would both become well received in their own rights, although I can’t the same for either Nastee or Incognito. Now commemorating the 10-year anniversary of his own label Make Noise Recordings, the East Coast veteran is returning & has brought The Different Kids with him after signing a new distribution deal with Virgin Music.

“The Kwamé Show” is a sample-heavy intro talking about how there ain’t nobody like him almost 4 decades into the game but after the “Mom’s Grocery List” interlude, “Hello / Anybody?” moves forward with a 2-parter getting caught up in his zone. “Stroke Dif’rent” after the “3:00 AM” interlude goes for a funkier vibe talking about The Different Kids ruling the world leading into the “You Don’t Work Hard” interlude.

Meanwhile on “Adulthood”, we have The Boy Genius taking the boom bap route instrumentally welcoming listeners to the state of full maturity while the danceable “Lemme Git (All Owt)” asks where the inner strength is because of all this weakness. “No Way, Go Away” gives off a bit of a soulful edge refusing to waste his energy on bullshit leading into the single “Ms. Mary Mack” showcasing his wordplay abilities.

Lady Tigra gets her own song with the 68 second “Ole Skool Rappah” talking about her traditional values when it comes to MCing while “Nobody” sampling “La Di Da Di” by Slick Rick so he can stay in his lane. After the “New Beginning” interlude, “Kwamé 2 Kwamé” dabbles with electronics for a message from his future self while “There Eye Go” ends by talking about not needing a reintroduction.

Displaying several facets of Kwamé’s multi-hyphenated artistic personality, The Different Kids coincides with the new Rakim EP The Re-Up produced by Big Ghost Ltd. as another example of hip hop’s pioneers returning after a decade or over of inactivity to make quality additions to their discographies that further cement their longevities improving from both Nastee & Incognito. He blends witty braggadocio, captivating storytelling & occasional social with precisely dexterous flows & production that details his resilient creativity.

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 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, AzChike, 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 Ilford, 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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