Chxrry is a 29 year old singer/songwriter from Toronto, Ontario, Canada who made a wider musical introduction for herself in the fall of 2022 when she dropped her debut extended play The Other Side shortly after The Weeknd made her the First Lady of his Republic Records imprint X♥O Records. She would later follow it up 13 months later with her 2nd EP Siren & has since dropped a handful of singles building up anticipation for her full-length studio debut elevating beyond those early EPs.
“Blockstar” opens up with an intro clashing elements of industrial music & trap singing about her making this guy fall in love with her whereas the title track takes a more atmospheric approach instrumentally cautioning what’s gonna happen when she & her man tie the knot. “Hall of Fame” blends electropop, jook, synthpop, Atlanta bass & contemporary R&B to sing about being too sexy to go home while “Bible” likens this guy’s words to the gospel.
Reaching the halfway point of the album, “Call Security” comes through with an anthem dedicated to all the crazy women who’ve gone from being angels to criminals while “Boring” sings about her willingness of lowering her standards as long as her partner isn’t tedious. Cash Cobain makes the 1st of 2 guest appearances on “Badness” where he & Chxrry are detailing the possibility of finding love in the late night although Cash’s verse was the weakest of the 2.
“Bottles & Lights” featuring Mariah the Scientist winds down the last leg of U, Me & My Ego with an empowering alternative R&B duet looking back at previous relationships they were in where their exes constantly disrespected them while “Groupie” conceptually portrays the irrational obsession that hits when you begin to develop feelings for somebody. “Main Character” though ends with her breakout single fusing pop rap, contemporary R&B, trap, futuristic swag, trap soul & pluggnb.
Most people would say that The Other Side & Siren were both average at best which I can agree with despite the introspectively sultry approach made me understand why Abel signed Chxrry earlier this decade. U, Me & My Ego on the contrary achieved my expectations of outdoing herself embracing her more toxic alter-ego over production combining influences of pop, industrial music, trap, electropop, jook, synthpop, Atlanta bass, pop rap, futuristic swag, trap soul & pluggnb with her contemporary/alternative R&B style.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur Drake going solo for the first time in 3 years with his 9th studio LP. Skyrocketing to fame in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone, the success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & they helped put out the man’s underrated full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing the hip hop/R&B sides of the OVO Sound founder’s music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before, Dark Lane Demo Tapes tried to experiment with new sounds only to miss the landing & Certified Lover Boy just felt like the same old shit we’ve heard from him before.Honestly, Nevermind was basically Drake’s own version of Renaissance by foraying into house music a month ahead to mixed reception until Her Loss with 21 Savage was a 6/10 at best because 21 felt like a featured artist on there. For All the Dogs was the most I’ve enjoyed Drake’s music since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PARTYNEXTDOOR last Valentine’s Day would become his worst collaborative project yet, coming off getting destroyed by Kendrick Lamar in a rap beef to drop Habibti, Maid of Honour & Iceman.
The “Rusty” intro awfully begins with him singing over some acoustics for 62 seconds sending a message to the sweethearts & those he’s dated whereas “WNBA” produced by Gordo mediocrely details a long-distance relationship that’s effected by travel. “Slap the City” might be my favorite track here from the Noel Cadastre beat to Drizzy’s hedonistic lyrics, but then “High 5s” finds himself getting in his petty bag over a 40 instrumental.
“Hurrr Nor Thurrr” featuring Sexyy Red could be my 2nd least favorite track here because of the way they describe an addictively messy relationship ruining a sample of “MORAL” by Avenoir, but “I’m Spent” featuring Loe Shimmy tops it as the worst song here wasting a moody beat to talk about both emotional instability & luxury. “Classic” continues with this grating alternative R&B ballad encouraging a woman to leave the man she’s with until the minimally cold “Gen 5” makes a tacky statement regarding him getting a Glock for last Christmas.
The song “White Bone” was another moment that I was fine with instrumentally even if Drake ruins it by singing about a relationship on the verge of collapsing that he thinks is a real connection while “Fortsworth” featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR feels like an $$$4U leftover from the slow beat to them singing about being with long-distance partners. “Prioritizing” finally ends Habibti attempting to strip his confidence & replace it with the feeling of uncertainty.
Some people would say either Honestly, Nevermind or Certified Lover Boy are Drake’s worst solo efforts, but I feel like he managed to outdo both of those & have Habibti take the cake. It’s more on the R&B side of things stylistically compared to Maid of Honour & Iceman although the production’s decent explorations of alternative R&B, pop rap, trap soul, downtempo, contemporary R&B & pop rap are ruined by the songwriting.
Continuing our coverage of Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur Drake with his 10th LP. Skyrocketing to fame in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone, the success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & they helped put out the man’s underrated full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing the hip hop/R&B sides of the OVO Sound founder’s music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before, Dark Lane Demo Tapes tried to experiment with new sounds only to miss the landing & Certified Lover Boy just felt like the same old shit we’ve heard from him before.Honestly, Nevermind was basically Drake’s own version of Renaissance by foraying into house music a month ahead to mixed reception until Her Loss with 21 Savage was a 6/10 at best because 21 felt like a featured artist on there. For All the Dogs was the most I’ve enjoyed Drake’s music since If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PARTYNEXTDOOR last Valentine’s Day would become his worst collaborative project yet, coming off getting destroyed by Kendrick Lamar in a rap beef to dropHabibti, Maid of Honour & Iceman.
“Hoe Phase” begins with a club-inspired intro reminiscent of Honestly, Nevermind butchering a sample of “It’s Like That” by Run-D.M.C. whereas “Road Trips” goes for more of an R&B vibe singing about relationships falling apart. Stunna Sandy helps him take it back to 2016 during “Outside Tweaking” with the dancehall beat & “Cheetah Print” featuring Sexyy Red could not only be the worst track here, but also one of the worst songs Drake has ever career sampling “(It Goes Like) Nanana” by Peggy Gou
Central C appears on the tiring pop rap, dancehall, hip house, funk brasileiro, zess & dembow single “Which 1?” asking if one wants success or friends leading into “Amazing Shape” featuring Popcaan turns up the dancehall influences to describe women who’re built like an hourglass. “BBW” reaches the halfway point with a body positivity anthem that feels subpar until “True Bestie” samples “PSA” by Iconic Savvy to break down the chemistry between him & women when he’s out.
After the “Where’s Your Stuff?” interlude, “New Bestie” delivers a boring dancehall 2-parter expressing his gratitude towards Vybz Kartel while “Q&A” feels an egotistically insecure breakdown on wax. “Stuck” produced by Gordo & Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran talking about taking Pamelor because of a breakup but once “Goose & the Juice” makes himself an escape route for someone trapped in a stagnant long-term relationship, “Princess” experiments with pop punk undertones for an underwhelming outro.
Thankfully this bridging entry of Drake’s trilogy Habibti began & Iceman concludes is the 2nd & last installment that I can say I flat out didn’t like even if Maid of Honour’s only a slight cut above the predecessor. The pop rap, dance, hip house, miami bass, electro, jersey club rap, dancehall, contemporary R&B & afrobeats production makes it feel like a cross between Views & Honestly, Nevermind except both of those are more tolerable even if they’re not necessarily great either.
And finally there’s the Toronto, Ontario, Canada rapper, singer/songwriter, actor, producer & entrepreneur Drake’s 11th LP & subsequently his last for Republic Records. Skyrocketing to fame in 2009 off his 3rd mixtape So Far Gone, the success of this groundbreaking project resulted in a contract with both Young Money Entertainment/Cash Money Records & they helped put out the man’s underrated full-length debut Thank Me Later the next summer. His sophomore effort Take Care the year after would be even better & I enjoyed Nothing Was the Same too but after If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late & then What a Time to Be Alive with Future (both of which came out in 2015), that’s when the quality in Drake’s music really began to take a nosedive. VIEWS was a terrible foray into dancehall, More Life was mediocre despite being stylistically eclectic, his YM/CM swan song Scorpion was a disappointingly failed attempt at making a double disc album showcasing the hip hop/R&B sides of the OVO Sound founder’s music respectively, Care Package is decent collection of 17 loosies from 2010-2016 that we’ve all heard before, Dark Lane Demo Tapes tried to experiment with new sounds only to miss the landing & Certified Lover Boy just felt like the same old shit we’ve heard from him before. Honestly, Nevermind was basically Drake’s own version of Renaissance by foraying into house music a month ahead to mixed reception until Her Loss with 21 Savage was a 6/10 at best because 21 felt like a featured artist on there. For All the Dogs was the most I’ve enjoyed Drake’s music since If You’re Reading ThisIt’s Too Late & $ome $exy $ongs 4 U with PARTYNEXTDOOR last Valentine’s Day would become his worst collaborative project yet, coming off getting destroyed by Kendrick Lamar in a rap beef to drop Habibti,Maid of Honour & Iceman.
“Make Them Cry” begins with a sample “The pressure is on me.” by Muchi to talk about his father Dennis battling cancer & some questioning the sincerity of that when he’s now cancer free whereas “Dust” takes a jab at Kendrick claiming that he doesn’t remember a word of his raps when it’s a lie. “Whisper My Name” disses JAY-Z stating he’d take the $500K instead of having dinner with him prior to “Janice STFU” dissing Hov once more over FNZ & Rogét Chahayed sampling “I Follow Rivers” by Lykke Li that was later remixed.
Future & Molly Santana appear on the 2-parter “Ran to Atlanta” that Dez Wright, !llmind, Southside & Wheezy all cooked up making a self-aware nod to “Not Like Us” just before “Shabang” produced by 40 talks about the aftermath of the Kendrick beef. “Make Them Pay” works in an ovrkast. instrumental I really found myself enjoying until he disses J. Cole, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled & Pharrell but then “Burning Bridges” splits itself in halves to take a jab at A$AP Rocky reusing a “back to back” line for some odd reason.
“National Treasures” concludes the 1st half of Iceman with another 2-parter that Boi-1da & Internet Money Records in-house producer Nico Baran both put together attacking LeBron James, DeMar DeRozan, James Harden & Russell Westbrook for attending the Pop Out show on Juneteenth 2024 while “B’s on the Table” talks about his ongoing Universal Music Group lawsuit. “What Did I Miss?” however began the whole rollout dissing DeMar & LeBron once more over a cloud trap beat from Tay Keith.
Meanwhile on “Plot Twist”, we have Drake over an instrumental Tom Levesque of Vanguard Music Group co-produced representing OVO & rebutting “Not Like Us” while “2 Hard for the Radio” basically pokes fun at “Not Like Us” even harder with it’s Bay Area sound & includes a DJ Mustard diss. “Make Them Remember” throws jabs at Kendrick, Cole, Dr. Dre & Joe Budden over a Boi-1da beat while “Little Birdie” talks about the aftermath of the Kendrick beef again.
“Don’t Worry” at last nears the conclusion of Iceman taking an alternative R&B approach courtesy of Sledgren interestingly pleading for his partner to come have the best time on the bedside while “Firm Friends” contains one of my favorite instrumentals thanks to Conductor Williams, only for Drizzy to hit us with more bars about the Kendrick beef & UMG CEO Lucian Grainge. The closing track “Make Them Know” spends the last 4 minutes admitting that the 4th of July in 2024 when the “Not Like Us” video premiered was the worst he felt in a minute.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to everyone that Habibti & Maid of Honour were passionlessly rushed throughout the Iceman sessions because Drake wanted to get out of his Republic contract, but the final installment of the trilogy was actually my favorite of them all even if it’s average at best. Aside from the alternative R&B joint, the production carries over the trappy pop rap/chipmunk soul ideas For All the Dogs had contrasting the R&B & dancehall/EDM influences of Habibti & Maid of Honour although the victim raps ruin it.
Here is the full-length studio debut from Los Angeles, California rapper BabyBartier. Emerging off his debut EP Baby Blanco a year ago followed by Diablo a little over a month later, his popularity would continue to grow over the course of the summer after Awe$ome & Terror respectively became most most acclaimed extended plays. Now that he’s signed a joint deal Internet Money Records alongside Mercury Records & Republic Records, it only makes sense for the Nightmare on Rodeo to officially commence now that he’s under a major label.
“Lean Crazy” get things going with the 2nd & final single looking to party like it’s Project X daily over a plugg instrumental while “Forgiveness” talks about winning the world inside his hands & the chopper loading up. “Scene” looks back at going from being in the battlefield sending shot to having the scars to prove it until “Red Dead” produced by Rio Leyva cautions that people better duck the second his squad rolls past your hood.
NASH gets behind the boards for “Flexin’”, continuing the plugg vibes so he can talk about his girl bringing a TEC to the club just before “I Know It’s Coming” speaks of not falling in love because he can’t trust no hoe. “Cash Out” pushes further towards the halfway point talking about poppin’ tags & taking the swag up on his bitch just before “Poppin’” works in a chill beat from Vendr to boast that he’s high enough to hang with the Gods.
“Basic” kicks off the 2nd half incorporating some wavy synthesizers pullin’ up to the function under the influence of ecstasy while the lead single “Each of My Pockets” talks about putting on the swag for his people & carrying a bunch of blue Benjamin Franklins on him. “Tomato” keeps it rollin’ by rubbing his success in the faces of those who didn’t think he’d make it this far over a Cade instrumental while “Cali Dreamin’” talks about making a crowd of thots lose their shit over him performing.
Rounding out 3rd, we have him clarifying that Bartier’s had swag since he was in “High School” prior to “Latest” talking about the way he’s been living since last summer. “Dirty Sprite” comes through with a brief dedication to sippin’ lean & after “Hancock” likens himself to the main character of the 2008 superhero film of the same name written by the creator of Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul, the outro “B4 I Die” ends the LP talking about running up more bags.
I kinda had a feeling that BabyBartier was gonna sign to Internet Money Records given their heavy involvement on the instrumental side of Terror last fall, but Nightmare on Rodeo instead became an average major label debut containing more highs than lows that I firmly believe he can outdo whenever the time for his sophomore effort comes. Even if the production doesn’t interest me like his last EP did & most of the songs are under 2 minutes, that same hunger still translates itself exceptionally.
Chicago, Illinois rapper & songwriter G Herbo making his Uptown Records debut with his 9th LP. Breaking out over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Welcome to Fazoland, the resulted in him earning a spot in the legendary 2016 XXL Freshman Class along with 8 full-length albums, the previous ones being the 2-disc Survivor’s Remorse & more recently Big Swerv. Almost 4 & a half years since making his Republic Records debut 25, the artist formerly known as Lil Herb had been moved over to the relaunched Uptown subsidiary so he can take it back to his origins.
“Every Night” begins with a soulful drill instrumental talking about reasonably crying nonstop when his brother passed away whereas “Reason” produced by Don Cannon made for a promising lead single flexing that he’s why people have left the block to become rich, only to return. “Longevity” finds himself feeling like no one can fuck with him although the beat doesn’t move me the same way Southside & Smatt Sertified’s on “Blitz” does, using it to show off his champion status.
We get some strings & 808s meshing with one another during “Radar” asking if anybody listening has ever lived through a nightmare leading into “Where Would I Be?” referencing No Limit Records, who whooped Cash Money Records’ asses at the Verzuz occurring at ComplexCon a couple weeks ago. “Win Again” talks about forever stickin’ to the code for a W just before “1 Chance” reaches the halfway point encouraging the world to not blow their shot.
“Emergency” featuring Wyclef Jean finds the unlikely pairing joining forces over a Turbo instrumental to talk about having bullets piercing through their hearts while “Fallen Soldiers” remembers Juice WRLD, King Von & Pop Smoke respectively. “Give It All” talks about trading the money & fame for a chance to see his brother again while “Whatever U Want” has to be one of the weaker moments of Lil Herb moderately dabbling with pop rap.
The song “Thank Me” featuring Anderson .Paak gets together over some horns sampling WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg’s historic Hollywood Walk of Fame speech right when you press play feeling grateful that neither of them went broke while “Colossal” credits staying on top of business & logistics to him going hard. “Went Legit” concludes the album telling his rags-to-riches story looking back at the days when he had nothing to his successes, but the “Lil Herb Freestyle” starts the deluxe run with that “Ether” flow.
“Ran Thru” talks about making a career out of his pain while “This n That 2” boasts that he was riding around in phantoms before he even got his driver’s license & proving the world isn’t bigger than him for the last 15 years. “Hold My Hand” makes classy usage of sampling to prefer being honest of having no love towards fake shit instead of keeping it to himself while “No Bap” talks about being the only one paying out the bill whenever it’s due.
Moving on from there, “I Did” decently boasts of him winning big time & prevailing in any situation while “Thug” samples “Thuggish Ruggish Bone” by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony gets back on his gangsta shit lyrically carrying a Russian AK & a bottle of malt liquor. “Go” talks about him constantly being on the move touring state to state while “Swerv n Em” featuring Big Opp & Doo Wop finds the trio over a Hitmaka beat for an underwhelming gangsta rap joint where Herbo has the best verse.
“Neva Going Back” makes it clear to everyone listening that he won’t be on some basic shit ever again now that he’s famous while “Outta Bounds” featuring Big Opp & Polo G finds the trio dropping verses without the need of a hook although Polo had the better guest appearance. “Mad People” talks about Herbo not owing anyone shit & no one having the ability to say he switched up while “Brown Skin” featuring Skilla Baby talks about black excellence over an Honorable C.N.O.T.E. instrumental.
Pop rap & trap get blended for “D.N.D. (Do Not Disturb)” featuring Ty$ expressing the love for the baddies they flew in from outta town while “Prayers” flips “Player’s Prayer” by Lloyd confessing that he’s been continuing to fuck around. “End of the Tunnel” featuring YK D mediocrely talks about both of them being hustlas & everything being on God’s timing until Southside & Smatt Sertified make up for it soundtracking the autobiographical “Story of a Thug” feeling like every day’s a repeat.
“Steel” talks about him choosing to rap the pain he’s felt carrying his firearm at the stop signs still while “Because of You” flexes going from the bus to a luxurious truck. “I Tried” talks about the problems in his life that he legitimately put effort into resolving & after “October” likens life to a rollercoaster, the final bonus track “How Can I Lose?” ends Lil Herb talking about not playing by the rules or honoring shit.
Needless to say: G Herbo’s last couple of projects have ranged from being average at best to uninspired at worst, so his Uptown Records debut here seemed like he would go back to what made him so popular over a decade ago & it’s exactly what he does sure enough. The production is the most Chicago drill-oriented since possibly 25, which makes up for Survivor’s Remorse & Big Swervo’s mixed-to-negative reception due to the way they both distance from that very sound & the passion of Welcome to Fazoland has been revived in a new incarnation.
Florence + the Machine are an art/chamber pop & indie rock band from London, England, United Kingdom, consisting of drummer Loren Humphrey, violinist/rhythm guitarist Dionne Douglas, percussionist/keyboardist Aku Orraca-Tetteh, bassist Cyrus Bayandor, harpist/percussionist Tom Monger, lead guitarist Robert Ackroyd & frontwoman Florence Welch. Making their debut in the summer of 2009 under Island Records with Lungs, their sophomore effort Ceremonials during my freshman year of high school & their final Island offering How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful shortly after my graduation would both receive similar praise as did their Republic Records debut High as Hope. It’s already been over 3 years since Dance Fever & they’re celebrating the 14 year anniversary of Ceremonials with their 6th album.
The title track gives us a taste of what’s to come from the artsy, gothic & glam rock instrumentation asking how can she retire when people are shouting for her name whereas the 2nd single “1 of the Greats” blends art rock, alternative rock, gothic rock, singer/songwriter & post-punk sings about a 2023 near-death experience she had. “Witch Dance” works in some haunting choir vocals in the background using sex as a metaphor for her almost losing her life while the final single “Sympathy Magic” sings about the costs of fame pulling from art pop, indie rock & art rock.
“Perfume & Milk” leans heavier towards a singer/songwriter direction stylistically referring to the natural process of growing & returning to Earth just before the folkier “Buckle” finishes the first half of Everybody Scream with Florence singing about carrying the weight of memory & the beauty of moving on. “Kraken” begins the 2nd act with an indie/rock crossover searching for meaning while “The Old Religion” sings about the feeling of animal instinct starting up from within herself wounded so tightly to the point that she can hardly breath.
Starting the final leg, “Drink Deep” finds herself seeking the hidden folk through bramble & briar under ash & oak nightly realizing she drank of herself while “Music by Men” sings about her knowing how to fall in love because she does it constantly with everyone she meet for 10 seconds. “You Can Have It All” embraces an art pop vibe again admitting that she was wrong about her perception of sadness her whole entire life until these past couple years while “& Love” finishes by optimistically singing that peace is coming.
Returning to the spellbinding world-building that has defined Florence Welch’s entire creative universe, Everybody Scream channels her fascination with mysticism & folk horror in the wake of a life-changing surgery she had to undergo during the Dance Fever tour when she suffered a miscarriage. It’s more singer/songwriter & art rock oriented than what’s she’s done previously, getting more than that previous LP with secondary influences of art pop, alternative rock, gothic rock, post-punk & glam rock seeping through.
Daniel Caesar is a 30 year old singer/songwriter from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada releasing his first few EPs Birds of Paradise as well as Praise Break & Pilgrim’s Paradise followed by his independently released debut Freudian through his own imprint Golden Child Recordings & a moderate sophomore effort Case Study 01 although “Frontal Lobe Muzik” remains a hidden gem. His previous album Never Enough marked his major label debut under Republic Records to widespread acclaim & his 4th studio LP looks to do the same.
Sampha joins Daniel for the gospel intro “Rain Down” asking for God to pour his blessings all over them whereas the singer/songwriter & neo-soul lead single “Have a Baby (With Me)” additionally pulls from smooth soul singing about impregnation. The next single “Call on Me” blends psychedelic neo-soul & indie rock advising to call him if one needs help getting by while “Baby Blue” featuring his father Norwill Simmons sings about his relationship with God.
“Root of All Evil” continues the heavy religious themes referencing 1 Timothy 6:10 just before “Who Knows?” reaches the halfway point singing about feeling like a total coward hiding in a disguise. The final single “Moon / Violence” featuring Bon Iver eclectically pulls from indie folk, psychedelic soul, singer/songwriter, bedroom pop, smooth soul & psychedelic folk asking who’s gonna be their Jesus while the bedroom pop inspired “Touching God” confesses to the feeling of worthlessness without the fame.
Nearing Son of Spergy‘s conclusion, Sign of the Times” sings that he’s stronger now than he ever was & remembering Frank Ocean’s brother Ryan Breaux who lost his life in a car accident while “Emily’s Song” dedicates itself to his ex-girlfriend that he was seeing in the late 2010s thanking her for helping him see clearer. “No More Loving (On Women I Don’t Love)” feels more like a 646yf4t track since his brother’s taking up a good chunk of it vocally contradicting the “Who Knows?” outro & “Sins of the Father” featuring Bon Iver closes Daniel’s 2nd major label project with a 2-parter singing about his relationship with his biological father & God.
Inspired by a reconciliation between himself & his own parents, Daniel Caesar embraces a prominent singer/songwriter & bedroom pop direction compared to Never Enough‘s heavy lenience towards contemporary R&B & neo-soul resulting in his most stripped-back body of work. You’re still getting hints of those previously mentioned styles to a lesser extent on Son of Purgy & it’s predecessor’s psychedelic/smooth soul undertones, but the alternative R&B elements get phased out in favor of indie folk & gospel tackling themes of masculinity along with faith & self-importance.
What can be said regarding West Reading, Pennsylvania singer/songwriter, actress, producer & director Taylor Swift that has been said already? From the successes of Red & 1989 as well as the superior Republic Records sophomore effort Folklore & it’s sequel Evermore to her engagement to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, there’s no denying Taylor’s status as a global icon. The Tortured Poets Department was widely panned a year & a half ago, to which I can’t blame Jack Antonoff for at all since my issues lied more with the writing on “So High School” & “I Hate It Here”. The same woman who used to babysit the children of former CWA Heavyweight Champion, 6-time NWA World’s Heavyweight Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, 6-time WWE world champion, 3-time WWE United States Champion, 6-time WWE Intercontinental Champion, WWE Tag Team Champion, TNA Wrestling co-founder & AEW’s current Director of Business Development Jeff Jarrett said her 12th album was more lively than the bleak predecessor & I was wondering if that was the case.
“The Fate of Ophelia” in my opinion isn’t that bad of a dance-pop rock intro with cute little references to the Shakespeare play Hamlet while “Elizabeth Taylor” unfortunately marks the decline in quality not doing the late actress’ memory that much justice from the generic instrumental to the songwriting. On the contrary, “Opiate” was a decent dance-pop jam comparing the sky to opalescent glass & “Father Figure” botches the George Michael single of the same name.
We get some pianos all over “Eldest Daughter” singing about all the oldest daughters in families being the first lambs to be slaughtered just before “Ruin the Friendship” publicly addresses Jeff Lang. The worst song on The Life of a Showgirl by a landslide “Actually Romantic” oozes with bitterness over Charli XCX when brat singlehandedly clears Taylor’s discography & the derivative “Wi$h Li$t” somehow someway isn’t any better despite the topic of her dream life with Travis.
“Wood” starts the final leg of the LP with a sequel to “Out of the Woods” off 1989 that I can appreciate, although I can’t really say the same for my 2nd least favorite track here “Cancelled!”not living up to the “banger” Travis hyped it up to be whatsoever fumbling the cancel culture concept. “Honey” brings the keys back in the fold giving Travis a pass to call her by that nickname & the title track featuring Sabrina Carpenter thanks everyone for an unforgettable night.
The Tortured Poets Department was easily the messiest full-length in Taylor Swift’s entire discography & I’m very much happy for her & Travis Kelce’s engagement, but The Life of a Showgirl for a conceptual opus themed around being an entertainer doesn’t compel me like The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders from Mars or The Wall. I prefer what Jack was going for last time as opposed to the pop, pop rock, contemporary R&B, alt-pop, dance-pop & urban cowboy production Max Martin & Shellback go for coming off bland.
HARDY is a 34 year old singer/songwriter from Philadelphia, Mississippi notable for his first couple EPs This Ole’ Boy & Where to Find Me along with the Hixtape trilogy until his debut album A Rock marked a decline in quality. The Mockingbird & the Crow and the Mercury/Republic Records debut Quit!! have gone on to become the worst bro-country & alternative rock of this decade, making appearances for the WME Group-owned TKO Group Holdings division WWE since the beginning of 2023 when he had a segment with former WWE United States Champion & NXT North American Champion Solo Sikoa. They even made the terrible Morgan Wallen cut “red” off The Mockingbird & the Crow the official theme for WWE’s final Tribute to the Troops show, knowing his 4th LP would go back to his stylistic roots.
The title track begins by singing about making the whole country as redneck as him if the ball were in his courts whereas “Favorite Country Song” decently pays homage to some of his artistic influences. “Bro Country” featuring ERNEST observes the new group out in Nashville bringing a whole different sound when the titular subgenre hasn’t been all great while “Luckiest Man Alive” sings about thanking God for his good fortune.
“Car That Drove You Away” topically gets on some corny breakup vibes wishing to forget of the fool he’s feeling like just before “Girl with a Gun” sings about not wanting to cheat on any woman who loves her firearms. “Buck on the Wall” recalls looking at a deer his grandfather killed back in 1979 & wanting to do one since he can’t anymore while “I’d Go Crazy Too” sings about a woman who’s been through Hell yet it’s pure heaven in between her & him.
Nearing the end of COUNTRY! COUNTRY!’s first half, “Take the Country & Run” recalls playing Hank Williams on the guitar with the view of the L.A. lights from a penthouse suite while “Goodbye” singing about wanting to drink beer with someone he’s in love with on a Paris, France rooftop. “Bedrooms in the Sky” featuring Stephen Wilson Jr. finds the 2 starting the other leg with a duet assuring country music will always come back around while “Bottomland” sings about being a country boy wanting to be buried with his grandfather’s rifle in his hand.
“Who Don’t” suggests that anyone who isn’t as country has him should sit in the truck because this ain’t for them when in reality, there are much better country artists to listen to than today’s mainstream names with the exception of Jelly Roll. “Country in Me” on the other hand sings about knowing where he’s going at this certain point in his life wanting George Jones to be played at his funeral while “Gun to My Head” promises that he won’t ever give up this way of life.
Meanwhile on “Keep It Country”, we have HARDY reflecting of him essentially making a livin’ writin’ of making music for his musical audience & that’s fine if his style of the genre isn’t my thing prior to “Y’all Need Jesus” wines about User53109 calling him fat or no album in his genre today being better than The Mockingbird & the Crow when I can name Tony Martinez’ debut Everywhere West from last summer as one of many examples.
“Dog Years” sings that he’s had the best life he could’ve asked for while “We’re All Gonna Die” fittingly starts the final moments of the LP by reminding us all that our deaths are inevitable & that we gotta live the best way we can because of it. “Everybody Does” finishes up COUNTRY! COUNTRY!by singing about everyone having their differences from political parties to their own lifestyles.
Thankfully he’s not related to the current 4-time TNA World Tag Team Champions & inaugural 4th Rope World Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz, but COUNTRY! COUNTRY! for a full-length in this genre is nowhere near as exciting as Wednesday’s 6th album Bleeds that recently came out last Friday & more so maintaining an equal level of deficiency as the 2-disc I’m the Problem from HARDY’s labelmate Morgan Wallen earlier this spring & who can forget F-1,000,000,000,000 by Post Malone last summer? If you want some new country that’s good, listen to the new Jehry Robinson album Hella Highwater.
Legends Will Never Die 