Miguel – “Caos” review

Miguel is a 40 year old singer/songwriter, actor & producer from Los Angeles, California introducing himself in 2010 off his moderate full-length debut All I Want is You. His sophomore effort albeit RCA Records debut Kaleidoscope Dream & Wildheart would both go on to become some of the most beloved alternative R&B of the previous decade, although War & Leisure towards the end of 2017 was moderately received. However, he’s finally making a return to music with his 5th studio album to celebrate his birthday.

The title track & final single begins by showing off his bilingual singing chops over an apocalyptic instrumental whereas “The Killing” works in a psychedelic guitar reminiscent of “PRIDE.” by Kendrick Lamar for a nod to the Outlawz single “Hail Mary”. We get breakbeats, deep house & alternative R&B colliding during the self-produced single “RIP” trying to figure out if he’s in heaven or hell leading into the psychedelic soul-inspired “New Martyrs (Ride 4 U)” asking his new lover if she’s with it or not.

“Triggered” sings about how beautiful it is to him for this woman he has in mind explodes & loves him in her rage leading into the Spanish neo/psychedelic soul single “El Pleito” co-produced by DJ Dahi ponders the idea of going dark because he’s been in his feeling lately. We get some more silky guitar riffs during “Perderme” desiring to mate with his new lover until they face into eternity while “Oscillate” seductively sings about wanting this female to come heal these thoughts of his & make him feel indestructible.

Starting the final leg, “Nearsight (SID)” ethereally advises for this woman to slow it down because he’s certain that he won’t feel the way he is ever again while “Angel’s Song” brings the psychedelic guitars for a tribute to his son Angelito. “Always Time” nears the end of the Caos with some grungier elements thanks to Jeff Bhasker & Jerry Duplessis reflecting on his marriage to his long-time partner Nazanin Mandi since their divorce was finalized in 2023 & “Comma / Karma” featuring Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton sends off the LP with a 2-parter.

Learning that transformation can be a violent process, Caos sonically bends said violence into a triumphant comeback for the alternative R&B trailblazer that lands directly in the middle of War & Leisure’s political & personal subject matter with the darkest musical opus of Miguel’s entire career since a lot has happened to him in both of those aspects of his life. His vision’s a lot clearer than it’s been previously, giving rare insight through music & visual storytelling while inviting listeners to confront & harness our own turmoils.

Score: 4/5

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Babystaydown – “Art of War” review

Athens, Georgia up-&-comer Babystaydown dropping off his sophomore effort 5 months since his full-length studio debut. Somebody who already has 15 EPs under his belt including Intrusion, PL Top Recruits, 1,350, Drugz Sex & Money and it’s sequel, 17, Genesis, his Cegular Records/Sony Music debut Hate da Way Um Livin, Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat & the Lost Files duology. However, his inaugural LP Born Anew this spring maintained the same level as all 3 of his extended plays on Cegular in terms of propelling his status in the underground & Art of War following his Red Flags & Roses appearance had me intrigued.

“Shoota” produced by Rafmade & SOULJASPIRITS opens by talking about pulling up to the spot with a bunch of gunmen surrounding him whereas “After All” pulls inspiration from Lil Uzi Vert & Lil Wayne suggesting to everyone around his premises to move the fuck out the way before he goes on a full rampage. “Switched My Tool” talks about having to swapping out the dot attached to his Glock because the firearm got too hot & spraying shit up without bluffin’ while “Cash Flow” promotes violence & money.

Whyceg jumps behind the boards for “Dead Wrong” cutting bitches off like fades leading “All Bad” talking about being rich as fuck along with quitting green lean to consume the purpler stuff over a cloudy Hariroc beat. “Don’t Fuck with T194” featuring Pradabagshawty finds the 2 labelmates teaming up so they can talk about not partaking in using acetaminophen or oxycodone hydrochloride leading into self-awareness settling in on “Luv Raging” knowing this bitch lying when she says she loves him.

“Goofy AF” featuring byarmyy joins forces over a Traiqo instrumental shrugging off all the lames who really ain’t be saying much of anything while “D.P.W.D. (Don’t Play Wit Dat)” talks about running up checks in his sleep & all of his hoes being freaks. “Babii Babii” embraces a pluggier vibe speaking of his life going brazy ever since he finally made it out of the pavement while “Lie” talks about saying whatever you want regarding him even if he & everyone else knows it’s false.

The song “Blumagic 15” begins Art of War’s final act with Babystaydown hopping over a plugg beat recalling being so high the night earlier to the point that he couldn’t see a thing & after “Same Faces” warns that if any of his friends wind up dead if they cross the line of betrayals, “Oh My Baby” finishes with an 112 second outro that mxrt4lity laced apologizing to a woman he’s no longer involved with romantically because him breaking her heart although he claims intention of doing so.

Hate da Way Um Livin marked a huge turning point in Babystaydown’s career as it seemed like the beginning of an artistic evolution further explored on Pain Before Pleasure, Chief 13, Aimai, I.L.M.F. (I Love My Friends), ##Kool ##Kat, both entries of the Lost Files series & Born Anew. Art of War brings that growth full circle joining B What You B & Home Invasions in becoming the most essential listening experiences in the Cegular Records catalog only a few months away from the 2 year anniversary of the plugg label’s founding.

Score: 4/5

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Tame Impala – “Deadbeat” review

Kevin Parker or better known by his stage name Tame Impala is a 39 year old singer/songwriter, musician, producer & DJ from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia making his full length debut Innerspeaker back when I was finishing up 7th grade & came back during my sophomore year of high school for the widely acclaimed follow-up Lonerism. Currents a couple months after my high school graduation has already become amongst the greatest albums of the 2010s & The Slow Rush would be more moderately received, returning halfway through the ongoing decade to make his major label debut under Columbia Records with his 5th studio LP.

“My Old Ways” begins with him singing over a house instrumental about falling back into his old habits whereas the “No Reply” shouts out the Fox Corporation’s flagship network’s animated hit series Family Guy every Friday night going for a tech house vibe. “Dracula” was my favorite single personally fusing nu-disco, dance-pop, alternative R&B, synth-funk, boogie, synthpop, French electro & Halloween music singing about the way daylight makes him feel just before “Loser” mixes neo-psychedelia, psychedelic pop, indie pop, synth-funk, indie rock & funk rock together gives a nod to the Beck track of the same name.

My least favorite track on Deadbeat & maybe one of the worst Tame Impala songs I’ve ever heard goes to “Oblivion” for it’s repetitiveness & weak vocal performances, which is a shame because I don’t mind the tropical house beat whatsoever. The instrumental on “Not My World” feels reminiscent to the soundtrack of the PS2 game Jak & Daxter always taking the long way to give each day it’s own meaning & after the Pet Sounds-inspired “Piece of Heaven” sings about lying all your life not making any differences, “Obsolete” goes full blown dance-pop to ask if his love is outdated.

“Ethereal Connection” starts the final leg of the album with my favorite tech house song here promising his family that he’ll always be with them until the end of time & despite the peppy synthesizers on “See You on Monday (You’re Lost)”, the lazily repetitive songwriting bogs it down tremendously. “Afterthought” tackles insecurity over a bass-line kin to the late Michael Jackson’s timeless “Thriller” while “End of Summer” finishes by pulling from melodic techno, progressive house, deep house & melodic house

Given the amount of time it’s been since Deadbeat & The Slow Rush, my anticipation for the musical genius that is Kevin Parker a.k.a. Tame Impala’s return turned to slight disappointment because his full foray in electronic dance music & dance pop leaves me more divided than I’ve ever been with his material. I additionally don’t have any issues with the fatherhood theme or the secondary influences of alt-pop, tech house, indietronica, neo-psychedelia & synthpop. It’s simply not anything special compared to what he’s done previously.

Score: 3/5

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BIA – “Bianca” review

BIA is a 34 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from Medford, Massachusetts whom Pharrell signed to i am OTHER Entertainment & RCA Records when I was in high school. Her debut mixtape & her debut EP #CholaSeason & Nice Girls Finish Last: Cuidado marked her only releases for the labels, signing to Epic Records for For Certain & Really Her. Cardi B dissed her on her sophomore effort Am I the Problem? couple weeks ago & BIA’s responding with her full-length studio debut.

“October” sings for 106 seconds over some humming background vocals about refusing to make herself believe she doesn’t feel a thing at all whereas “Dade” featuring Key Glock finds the 2 teaming up to declare themselves as shapeshifters. A$AP Ferg & Denzel Curry both appear for a sequel of “We On Go” that’s energetic as the original version produced by Honorable C.N.O.T.E. while “Sad Party” talks about how people want to see each other party with someone else.

Moving on from there, “1 Thing” pays homage to Lauryn Hill with a breezily tropical hip hop single making it known that she doesn’t trust any man with 0 experience leading into “Pray for You” featuring Khalil Harrison makes for a decent attempt at ampiano. “Hard Way” featuring Becky G teams up for a bilingual Latin trap crossover looking to party tonight while “Bad Guy” seemingly responds to Cardi B’s jabs directed at her over a Turbo instrumental.

“+44” starts the 2nd half of Bianca taking the sample drill route talking about seeing face that’s unlike any other person she’s ever met while the Afrobeats-inflicted “Ready Set” runs the paper up until everyone else keeps pace with her. “Birthday Behavior” featuring Young Miko samples “Hips Don’t Lie” by Shakira talking about what they be doing on their birthdays while “Guava” hops over some horns to get unruly.

The song “N.W.F.A. (N****s Will Fuck Anything)” sets off the 4th quarter playfully talking about men being overly horny while “Awake” blends pop rap & boom bap to ask who told them that life would be easy when that’s a clear lie. “Crazy” featuring Ty$ puts a bigger emphasis on the pop rap style talking about going crazy for one another & “Trifling” was a surprisingly lush outro warning that the next bitch her man finds won’t be his next problem.

Starting the deluxe run, we’re treated to the original “We On Go” justifying the inclusion of a follow-up during the 1st half while the TiaCorine/Young Thug- inspired no melody pop rap single “Pissed Off” featuring Lil Yachty talks about being disrespected. The final bonus track “Lights Out” featuring J.I.D swaps out the no melody undertones in favor of electropop continuing to shine with the lights are dimmed.

Contrasting the question of anyone can name 5 songs in BIA’s whole discography: I’ve been paying attention to her since my adolescence when the Billionaire Boys Club/Icecream founder & future Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director brought her on board to a major label hoping that she’d release a whole body of work that exemplified the potential of singles like “Whip It” or more recently “We On It”. And even though I do appreciate the guests & the fact that she tried to give us the clearest version of herself, some of the production lacks in my opinion.

Score: 2.5/5

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Pradabagshawty – “Red Flags & Roses” review

Columbia, South Carolina born albeit Atlanta, Georgia up-&-comer Pradabagshawty back with his 2nd mixtape. Introducing himself in the spring of 2023 off Bloxk Addiktion, his popularity within the plugg subgenre of trap continued to grow last year by putting out 3 more EPs in 1 Love as well as the Cegular Records/Sony Music debut 10 Freak Ho’s and of course Forever & After. His most recent extended play B What You B & the Home Invasions tape have both become his most popular musical statements so far, returning 5 months since the latter to drop Red Flags & Roses.

“Right 1” kicks off the tape by flexing over a cloudy trap instrumental from Whyceg that his Off-White fit got him feeling like the Pope whereas the pluggy “100 Months” talks about pulling dead people out the bank on the daily. “Good Times” brings some synths & hi-hats together to drop the dub the second he pulls up at the mall while “No Hulu” featuring ImSoMarcus talks about delusional women.

As for the Four3va co-produced “Bloodhound”, we have Pradabagshawty getting back on a plugg vibe to admit that he feels like he done lost his mind leading into the chilled out “Marni” produced by mxrt4lity & SOULJASPIRITS talking about lifestyle for a couple minutes. “Perky Nap” featuring Babystaydown finds the 2 speaking of the percocets knocking them out over a Dstarkel beat just before “Houdini” starts the 2nd half talking about doing too much drugs.

“Whoa” observes the handful of artists who’ve been biting his swag & riding his wave while he stays chopping shit up but once “Striker Box” featuring Ealuhri telling the hoes they can’t love them forever because of their hearts being frozen, Trgc has a standout beat of his own with the single “Raincoat” talks about blowing shit up since his Glock stays fully loaded keeping an ARP inside his coat whenever it’s pouring outside.

Nearing the end of Red Flags & Roses, “Figure It Aht” despite the plugg instrumental feels a lot more like a Baby Auto song since he’s handling the sole verse by himself talking about a bitch wanting to say with him for a while while “Ready 4 Love” defensibly talks about being on a newer level this whole entire year. “Hold Hand” finishes up the tape with a 2-parter & “From the Start” featuring Babystaydown starts the deluxe run talking about seeing the shots coming their way prior to hitting back.

“Judo” heads further down a pluggier direction explaining that things in his life have been more steadier than smoother while “Think He Slime” talks about an individual who‘s convinced himself that he’s part of the gang when he really ain’t. “Dat Fllaattt” featuring ImSoMarcus cloudily sees the pair getting materialistic while “Yaaan” talks about still being the same young muhfuckas. The self-produced “Franklin” takes inspiration from plugg again poppin’ out the block if he’s betrayed & the final bonus track “Help” ends with a confessional approach to songwriting.

5SOULJAS earlier this summer felt like a batch of mostly average leftovers from the Home Invasions sessions hence why I wasn’t that much in a hurry to break it down a few months ago with all due respect to SOULJASPIRITS especially since I prefer his sole contribution to Red Flags & Roses, but the newest entry in Pradabagshawty’s discography makes another example as to why he’s become one of the most interesting names in the plugg/gangsta rap styles to be paying attention to with stronger production & a similarly decent list of guests.

Score: 4/5

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Bryson Tiller – “S O L A C E & The Vices” review

Louisville, Kentucky singer/songwriter & rapper Bryson Tiller dropping off a double 5th full-length album. Beginning over a decade ago off his debut mixtape Killer Instinct, he would eventually sign to RCA Records & release the ground breaking debut T R A P S O U Lcelebrating it’s 9-year anniversary this fall. The sophomore effort True to Self was underwhelming & A N N I V E R S A R Y proved to be a step in the right direction but coming off 4 more tapes & EP since (more recently the Slum Tiller trilogy, Bryson’s coming off a divisively received eponymous LP to put out S O L A C E & The Vices.

“Strife” opens the 2-disc experience singing over a trap soul instrumental with some synthesizers about a toxic relationship whereas “No Contest” blends R&B & drill to apologize for cheating in the past. “Workaholic” produced by Charlie Heat is a favorite of mine singing about being afraid of going broke in 2018 & the same can be said regarding “I Need Her” from Charlie handling the drums, synths & bass to the yearning lyrics.

Boi-1da brings a woozier R&B vibe to “Autumn Drive” singing about having to take a leave from the city while “Crocodile Tears” has a bit of a cloudy pop rap approach to it looking back at the fun times of when he was down financially during the late 2010s. Charlie Heat kills it with the instrumentation once more on “Genuine” singing about having a hitlist prior to “Uncertainty” calling someone out for false pretense.

“Damn” once again combines cloud rap & pop rap figuring out how this dude stole his chick while “Sick” feels less of an interlude, singing for 100 seconds about being fed up with all the judgement around him. “Star Signs” embraces a contemporary R&B sound feeling like his lover’s heart belongs in his home & after “Harley’s Outro”, we have “On My Way” setting the tone of Disc 2 with an average attempt at sample drill talking about his global travels.

Charlie Heat’s sampling of “I’ll Give All My Love to You” by Keith Sweat throughout “1st Place” was done tastefully finding Bryson running up $25M while “Cut Ties” featuring Bossman DLow talks about turning off their phones for the evening to hang with friends, except I could’ve done without DLow’s verse. “Mini Kelly” featuring Rick Ross flips one of my favorite Kanye songs “Flashing Lights” to ask why try finding solace through their vices when they’ve split up while “200 Bands” featuring Plies & T-Pain throws it back to the late 2000s.

“Money Shower” a lot like “Sick” comes off as an actual song of it’s one from the ghostly trap beat to directly tackling the topic of his wealth while “More Than Money” sings about giving all the fame & paper for the woman he’s seeing currently over another Charlie Heat instrumental. “Make Life Easy” featuring BabyDrill team up for a moderate take on Chicago drill while “No Sharing” featuring Luh Tyler shows the hoes who they really cherish.

The song “Last Call” asks what it’ll take to have the female in mind drunk call him over synthesizers & fingersnaps from Hitmaka referencing the iconic Ginuwine single “Pony” while “Burnout” featuring Bun B gives a nod to H-Town down to the chopped & screwed undertones of it. “Finished” ends the album with a trap closer rapping about the criticism he got for his association with OVO Sound when Drake almost signed him to the label at 1 time.

S O L A C E & The Vices in 1 hand comes across as a somberly vulnerable R&B/trap soul therapy session considering Bryson Tiller says some things he wouldn’t normally say out loud inspired by the fall season that has only recently begun & in another, he’s leaning heavier towards his hip hop influences although the guest list is a bit of a mixed bag. I’d also consider Charlie Heat’s bulk of the production to be stronger than self-titled’s.

Score: 3.5/5

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iam3hard – “World War III” review

Here we have the 4th studio LP from Atlanta, Georgia rapper iam3hard. Coming up in 2023 off his first couple of extended plays Down 2 Win & The Bandlab Beast, his 3rd EP Dissimilar Prevalence produced by Whyceg succeeding his full-length debut The Bandlab Bandit has become his most celebrated work & the sophomore effort WDF 3HARD followed a couple months later. Before I Sign & Willing to Die For both resulted in 3hard signing to Cegular Records, making his debut for the Sony Music imprint with 3x Harder & has been prepping for World War 3.

“Bearcoat” produced by Goxan starts off with an dark plugg opener talking about hanging out the window with a suppressed firearm whereas “Black Glock” hooks up a bell-heavy plugg instrumental from Whyceg painting imagery of the gangsta lifestyle running up carrying that specific type of gun on him. “Meds Works” takes a cloudier trap approach thanks to SOULJASPIRITS talking about Cegular doing fuckboys badly while “TSR” boasts of him spearheading the way for artists to get signed.

Nearing the end of the 1st half, “Ford Focus” incorporates some strings & 808s boasting the kind of whip he’s getting head inside of just before Trgc goes for a terror plugg vibe talking about never spinning the music of a rat whose mixtape isn’t selling very well. “Micro Jackson” finishes the 2nd quarter flexing that he & the rest of the squad gotta stay classy when pulling up to the clubs while “The Service” shifts towards a dark plugg sound talking about him still servin’ his housing projects.

“Wet Em decently gives off a more traditional plugg atmosphere continuing to hit listeners with more gangsta rap lyricism, but “What” felt like a better attempt at it despite its 96 second brevity. “Bob the Builder” gets referenced almost a couple months after J.I.D said he’d put a bullet in the general contractor while “Southlake” featuring 2sdxrt3all recaptures the synergies of their collab EP Burn the Booth Down.

The song “On Gangy” winds down World War 3’s final minutes hopping over a plugg instrumental talking about really having it out the pavement while “Shrek & Donkey” wraps things up talking about being more pissed off than the titular character of the Comcast Corporation subsidiary NBCUniversal division DreamWorks Animation’s flagship franchise & his best friend ahead of the upcoming 5th installment set to hit theaters in the summer of 2027.

3x Harder marked a huge improvement in quality compared to iam3hard’s earlier material & not only has he already outdone himself, there’s a pretty good chance World War 3 will be coming in conversations regarding 3hard’s greatest material much like it’s predecessor joining both Babystaydown & Pradabagshawty in further establishing Cegular Records to be a prominent plugg label. The plugg, dark plugg, terror plugg, cloud rap & trap production feels unparalleled compared to the last album & the same can be said regarding the Atlanta artist’s gangsta-lenient themes.

Score: 4/5

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Doja Cat – “Vie” review

Los Angeles, California recording artist Doja Cat ending the month with her 4th LP. Blowing up in 2018 off her viral novelty single “MOOO!” under Kemosabe Records & RCA Records, this was followed up the next year with her debut mixtape Hot Pink which was decent as a whole despite the fact that “Say So” solidified that she wasn’t going away anytime soon. Planet Her showed some improvement compared to her previous works by delivering a pop rap/R&B concept album based around a self-originated world, coming off Scarlet to release Vie.

“Cards” kicks it all off with a mixture of synthpop & synth-funk music singing to make best use of your assets whereas “Jealous Type” produced by Jack Antonoff blends dance-pop, synth-funk, freestyle music, the Minneapolis sound & pop rap talking about struggling with insecurity during an impatient relationship. “AAAHH MEN!” samples the Knight Rider theme song to make way for some boastfully charming raps while “Couples Therapy” sings that all she wants his for her lover to be involved.

Moving on from there, we have the aptly titled “Gorgeous” that Sounwave co-produced giving off a summery vibe with a secondary pop rap influence explaining that it’s crime to be very attractive just before “Stranger” goes back to a dance-pop direction with minor jazz undertones sings about her & her partner being weird with each other. “All Mine” pulls from the Minneapolis sound again to get possessive over her new romantic interest while “Take Me Dancing” featuring SZA playfully says it all.

“Lipstain” continues Vie’s other half not wanting to dance around the idea of the love she & this person have for each other being easy to talk about while the R&B throwback “Silly! Fun!” tackles the concept of romantic delusion. “Acts of Service” hypnotically poses the question of what would it mean if she found her person when that’s her love language while “Make It Up” talks about turning a wrong into a right.

The song “1 More Time” borrows from the Minneapolis sound to start the final act of Doja Cat’s most enjoyable body of work yet not needing anyone to save her by any means while “Happy”asks if her lover is genuinely contented. The pop rap closer “Come Back” ends the LP by confirming to an ex that she’s not the person for him & taking her advice that he will eventually find someone when the time’s right & the star’s align.

Returning to a poppier sound as opposed to Scarlet putting Doja Cat’s hip hop side on full display, Vie takes a more playful approach than anything she’s done previous & I come away from it getting her best pop material ever. The production mostly handled by Jack Antonoff masterfully fluctuates between contemporary R&B, dance-pop, po rap, synthpop, synth-funk, freestyle music, trap music, sophisti-pop & the Minneapolis sound and the prominently dishy subject matter.

Score: 4.5/5

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Skepta – “Skepta .. Fred” review

London, England, United Kingdom rapper, songwriter & producer Skepta teaming up with local producer Fred again.. for his 3rd EP. A co-founder the Boy Better Know collective, a lot of people in the state including myself didn’t hop on board with him until almost a decade ago when he dropped his 4th album Konnichiwa to critical acclaim. This was followed up a couple years back with both Ignorance is Bliss & All In being welcomed to moderate reception, but the Skepta .. Fred singles had me anticipating this much more.

“Back 2 Back” fuses grime & dubstep together so he can talk about the recognition he’s gotten throughout his career whereas “London” carries over the styles of the previous track preferring to play the villain than the victim. “Last 1s Left” turns the dubstep influences up to talk about being the last of a dying breed while the soulful “21 Years” reflects on these past couple decades. “Victory Lap” co-produced by PlaqueBoyMax ends with a nod to the local community platform of the same name.

Both teasers that we’ve gotten these past few months confirms the speculation I had regarding Skepta doing a whole EP with Fred again.. & as I would’ve thought, it reveals itself to be the most cutting edge project he’s put out since Konnichiwa celebrating it’s 10-year anniversary next spring. Fred’s production plays well into the Boy Better Know co-founder’s grime style that he helped lay out the foundation for & simultaneously places electronic dance music as a secondary influence.

Score: 4.5/5

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Blood Orange – “Essex Honey” review

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

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 4.5/5

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