Jhené Aiko – “Westside Whimsy” review

Jhené Aiko is a 38 year old singer/songwriter, musician & producer from Los Angeles, California who was supposed to debut in the early 2000s until Epic Records shelved her. She would eventually return in 2011 when I was in 8th grade for her debut mixtape Sailing Soul(s), which resulted in No I.D. signing her to his Def Jam Recordings imprint ARTium Recordings. She has since become the label’s most prominent artist following her debut extended play Sail Out, her full-length debut Souled Out, the sophomore effort Trip & lastly Chilombo only a week prior to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic taking full effect.

After the “Wild Cat(s)” intro, “Ghost” opens up with this moody instrumental singing about being in a loop whereas “Break” made for a decent alternative R&B single telling Big Sean to take his time upon their split after being together for a decade. I was disappointed Ab-Soul only did ad-libs instead of having a verse on “Love Bomb” although Jhené does holds it down well by herself singing about getting active until “Ceiling” freestyles over a summery boom bap beat cautioning she’s the bitch you shouldn’t do wrong.

“Nothing Nice to Say” explains the very reason she hasn’t been quiet in the midst of someone lying straight to her face just before “He Belongs” instrumentally brings a woodwind in the picture singing about a man who fits in with every woman he meets & everyone else except her. “Like, Whatever” featuring Tyga pretty much encapsulates my feelings towards the latter’s verse & the worst guest appearance here while “You” sings about having a million reasons why this dude isn’t the guy.

To bridge Westside Whimsy, we have Jhené advising “Don’t Be That Guy” taking it back to the boom bap vibes explored earlier leading into “Lullaby” going full alternative R&B again singing about how she’d rather close her eyes than leave his side. “Neighbors” featuring her new partner Larry June blends PBR&B with hip hop expressing the love at first sight they had for one another while “Mine” produced by Boi-1da & PARTYNEXTDOOR sings about feeling happy being with Larry.

“So Good” featuring Kendrick Lamar trades verses over one of the absolute smoothest beats Sounwave has ever made playing off each other perfectly while “Beach Boy” sings about needing a person who knows how to ride when the tide’s too high in the evening. “Unicorn” asks if it would be lovely if she & Larry had their own paradise likening their love to an island only they can go to while “I Don’t Mind” sings about feeling the envy of others whenever she steps inside the room.

The song “Nami’s Haiku” dedicates a brief collection of short form poetry to her daughter & eldest child Namiko Browner over a spacious alternative R&B beat while “A Living Light” takes some more stripped-back approach in terms of sound singing about dying at night only to be reborn in the morning right when the sun comes up. The closing track “Golden Coast” featuring nu jazz duo OHMA spends Westside Whimsy’s remaining minutes telling this individual shining through their darkest nights that they still have plenty of light left.

Confessing the reason it took so long for Jhené Aiko to come back was because life knocked her on her ass, Westside Whimsy still remains a solid comeback regardless of it not reaching the same pedestal Souled Out had when she has the capability of surpassing it. The neo-soul, alternative/contemporary R&B, pop rap & smooth soul production feels grounded in her west coast origins recapping everything that’s happened to her since COVID with a guest list who mostly deliver other than only 1 blatant exception.

Score: 3.5/5

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KARRAHBOOO – “Not da 2” review

KARRAHBOOO is a 29 year old rapper from Atlanta, Georgia who blew up in 2023 after former TNA World Champion, NXT Champion, NXT North American Champion & WWE United States Champion Trick Williams’ manager Lil Yachty signed her to Concrete Rekordz. Not only would she depart the label the following summer, but she was most notably the only artist in its brief existence who was actually talented other than Yachty himself of course. However coming off a string of guest appearances, she’s ready to make a broader introduction to the world with her official debut extended play.

“Inside the Booth” produced by Coupe talks about needing space from her clingy partner because she’s too high whereas “Pull a Luh Band Out” boisterously looks to walk her opps like dogs over a bell-driven trap instrumental. The lead single “No Hook” talks about being ready to drop for a minute & her past issues with Concrete embracing the Detroit sound just before the 2nd single “WYD?” hops on top of this cloudy Take a Daytrip beat describing a guy who’s constantly hitting her up.

Monaleo appears for the off-kilter “W.Y.O. (Whatever You Want)” taking shots at their completion over some buzzing synthesizers & hi-hats just before “Patched It Up” featuring Lil Yachty gets more in detail about their beef being squashed. “Make Her Dance” featuring k3 hits us with my least favorite guest appearance of the 4 which sucks because I don’t mind the sinister atmosphere while the 3rd &!final single “Keep Up w Me” featuring Zukenee makes up for it talking about learning from their mistakes & needing no pity.

“Swerve” wraps up the final moments of Not da 2 cautioning that anyone who fucks with her will wind up dead in the ocean & not being shy whenever money’s involved while “Understand Me” discusses being misunderstood, blocking out all the hate from the type of individuals who envy her & chasing the bag for her family’s sake. “Do U 1 Better” spends the remaining 115 seconds of the EP talking about upstaging everyone with her mother providing a sweet spoken word bit during the outro.

I’m fairly certain Mercury Records & Republic Records will do much more for KARRAHBOOO’s career than Concrete Rekordz ever did in the short amount of time she was signed to Yachty, but Not da 2 fell somewhat short of my expectations & hope for her full-length studio debut to be much grander statement in her discography. She does her part telling the world where she’s at in her life right now bringing a few guests on board who mostly kill it except the production choices could’ve been better.

Score: 2.5/5

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Mike D – “Thank You” review

Mike D is a 60 year old MC, musician, songwriter & producer from Manhattan, New York who blew up back in the 80s as 1/3 of the Beastie Boys alongside Ad-Rock & of course the late MCA. They would go on to drop 8 consistently praised full-lengths together preceding their disbandment towards the conclusion of my freshman year of high school following MCA’s death. Nobody in the group has ever put out any solo material until this point, so for Mike to recording a full-length studio debut under Capitol Records peaked my curiosity.

“Switch Up” combines breakbeat, experimental hip hop & experimental rock for a lead single talking about changing things every now & then whereas “What We Got” goes for a more standard east coast hip hop vibe speaking of self-doubt & having a backup plan once he retires from music. “True Colors” fuses breakbeat & neo-psychedelia for a reflection of when the Beastie Boys were younger just before “That’s Right” embraced an electro vibe talking about receiving confused looks regardless of what he does.

Continuing from there with “Secrets”, we have Mike D coming through with a 2-parter with a danceable opening & a lyrically repetitive counterpart revealing little to no secrets whatsoever leading into “I Don’t Care” taking a swampier approach instrumentally talking about being the guy to count on. “Make It Stop” speaks of our worlds being filled with drama because of everyone having their own traumatic experiences while the 4th & final single “Crypto” satirically pokes fun at greed.

“Here We Are” wraps up the final moments of Thank You talking about being lost in the dark looking for the door while “Back to Start” strips things back singing not to pass go if one’s looking to return to where they began. “It’s Time” talks about there being so much shit he wants to do despite all these things he needs to complete & the title track spends the remaining moments of Mike’s solo debut looking back at his youthful days 1 last time.

If anyone’s expecting Thank You to sound anything like what the Beastie Boys have done as a trio, then you’re probably not gonna get a kick outta this album so much but I applaud Mike D for trying something different with the help of his sons. The breakbeat, experimental hip hop, electronic dance music, experimental rock, neo-psychedelia, indietronica, electro & swamp rock production paired with his vulnerable lyrics feels like a bridge between the gap that was left when MCA passed & this new creative direction he’s following.

Score: 3.5/5

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13° – “Ghetto Hipster” review

Brand new sophomore effort from Chicago, Illinois rapper 13°. Emerging only a few years ago off his first couple mixtapes Urban Junkie & Metropolitan respectively, he would go on to follow both of those up with Uptown Dropout as well as Clique City & it’s sequel. His debut EP Cyber Sundayz caught the attention of Island Records & they helped introduce him to a wider audience with the positively received full-length studio debut Black Fridayz, now declaring himself to be the Ghetto Hipster nearly 2 months since CM Punk became a 9-time WWE world champion.

“A Gloomy Morning” hops over a synth-driven boom bap beat produced by longtime collaborator Gyant to kick things off talking about being the king of his city & his life soarin’ past him whereas “Lordz Never Worry” gives off some Graduation vibes declaring himself to be a superstar. “White Sox Capz” psychedelically represents his hometown advising to get the fuck out his face unless one’s looking for him to put them to shame while the cloudily poppy “Pistolet” flexes of dating every model & comparing the head to blowing the smoke off a fired pistol.

We have some crazy sampling techniques being pulled off on “Membership” talking about not needing a patch because he’s already a gold member leading into “Ridiculouz” maintains the euphoria confessing he kinda digs people detracting him for being a golden ticket. “Poetry Jamz” stood out to me for it’s unignorable throwback to when The Neptunes dominated the airwaves in the early 2000s just before the poppy yet cloudy “Juene O.G.” poses the question of whether his not his name will be brought up in discussions a century from now.

“Northside Synonymz” begins the 2nd half likening life to another public assembly with the background vocals sticking out the most to me regarding the instrumental while the cloud rap/pop rap-infused 2nd single “Dwntwn Luv” intoxicatingly talks about trying to fuck a bouncer. “Lyricz” made for a solidly cloudy pop rap lead single making a cold reference to the late Juice WRLD at the end of the hook hoping this woman can heal his heart while the Ye-inspired “Brand New” talks about life giving him body shots.

Trippie Redd makes Ghetto Hipster’s sole guest appearance during the penultimate single “Emotionlezz” dedicating itself to all the weirdos & having apathetic pulling from future bass thoughts while the 3rd single “Hipster Encore” talks about his love of skinny Vogue models who do coke. “Microphone Fein” ironically lager includes a bar referring to 17-time WWE world champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion, 5-time WWE United States Champion & 4-time WWE tag team champion John Cena while “Journalistic” atmospherically concludes the album clapping back at the way fraudulent blogs be acting.

Black Fridayz was a solid farewell to the Clique City sounds 13° blew up off of & to begin this new chapter of his career, his 2nd major label offering initially stemming from a highlight off his debut last fall dethrones it’s predecessor & the Clique City mixtape series for the bragging rights of becoming his finest collection of material so far. The production’s significantly cloudier than the debut & he’s having more fun with his music taking inspiration from the likes of Nas, Westside Gunn, the late Capital STEEZ & A$AP Rocky.

Score: 4/5

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benny blanco – “Hermoso” review

benny blanco is a 38 year old producer, songwriter, record executive & author from Reston, Virginia who made his debut in 2018 with Friends Keep Secrets under Interscope Records. He recently produced my favorite album Selena Gomez has ever made I Said I Love You First…& You Said It Back in the spring of last year preceding their marriage several months later, departing from A&M Records following a 10 month tenure on the label to drop his sophomore effort that I’m sure will have a 2nd disc much like the predecessor a week after Adam Page & Brodido ended The Demand’s week-long reign as AEW World Trios Champions at Grand Slam VIII in partnership with Consejo Mundial de Lucha Libre (CMLL) at Arena México.

“Un poco perdido” by Neton Vega opens up drunkenly admitting he’s lost whereas “Te Olvido (La La)” by Becky G & Selena Gomez blends Latin pop, reggaetón & cumbatión asking what their partners have that no one else does. “Joven y salvaje” by Bb trickz co-produced by Cashmere Cat wasn’t bad of a contemporary R&B, pop rap, bedroom pop, alt-pop, post-punk revival single talking about not wanting to pick up the phone while the dream pop-inspired “Memoria De Paz” by The Marías depicts 2 lovers holding the sound of their voices on the phone tightly.

After the “Te Amo” interlude, “Ay Bendito” by Mora featuring co-production from Ovy on the Drums takes a breezier approach instrumentally getting sexual with the songwriting & “Degenere” by Myke Towers succeeding the “Cinco” skit properly concludes Hermoso with a reggaetón closer fans of his already heard a couple years ago when his 5th album La Pantera Negra came out so it’s a bit unnecessary although I suppose it wouldn’t be a bad introduction for those who’ve never heard of him.

Part of me respects benny blanco for what he’s musically done with artists like Eminem & of course the late Juice WRLD in the past, but I do find it strange for him to go full Latin for a Friends Keep Secrets follow-up that I’d consider weaker than his debut. Hermoso’s production is more Latin-heavy experimenting with Latin pop, reggaetón, cumbatión, contemporary R&B, pop rap, bedroom pop, alt-pop, post-punk revival & dream pop except I feel like it doesn’t come from a sincere place like Cypress Hill’s latest full-length Dios Bendiga.

Score: 1.5/5

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Internet Money Records – “We All We Needed” review

This is the sophomore effort from Los Angeles, California label & producer collective Internet Money Records founded by Taz Taylor. Releasing their full-length debut B4 the Storm to moderate reception in the summer of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, they would later drop an extended play a couple years later called We All We Got which I found myself enjoying more than majority of people generally did. BabyBartier, ladé, Sir Untre & unitus have all signed to Taz since & he’s having all 4 of them coming to they’re for We All We Needed under their new distribution deal with Mercury Records & Republic Records.

“Lambo, Maybach & Black Truck” by BabyBartier, Sir Untre & unitus produced by Nash opens up with the trio boasting the luxurious whips they’re hopping out of whereas “Helly” finds all 3 of them sticking together over a Cxdy instrumental dedicating this to all the rebels who’re staying down. “Flexed Up” by BabyBartier & Sir Untre combines some synthesizers & 808s so they can talk about being too geeked prior to BabyBartier getting a track of his own with “No Problems” clarifying that he doesn’t have any issues.

As for “Tellin’ Lies”, we have unitus talking about walking with the bag differently than everyone else while “Monster” by BabyBartier & Sir Untre impressively trades verses with one another on top of a rage beat. “Home” by Sir Untre gives the latter a chance to shine talking about not being broke anymore while “Medusa” by BabyBartier & Sir Untre runs it back over a PROJECT4PLAY instrumental so they can topically get some gangsta shit together.

“Yellow” by BabyBartier talks about being up in the club all night sippin’ lean while “Pop Tags” by BabyBartier & unitus reaches the midway point of We All We Needed explaining that they be fuckin’ so many bad hoes boiling down to them having that swag when walking around over synthesizers & hi-hats. “Ceiling” by BabyBartier hooks up some bells to talk about stacking money higher than it can go while “Steve Nash” by BabyBartier references the Phoenix Suns’ senior advisor of the same name.

Sir Untre joins Bartier for the only single “556” explaining their precise caliber over a Maaly Raw beat while “Do the Most” by unitus talks about the very reason his hoe loves him & putting her in Chanel. “Sing” by ladé marks one of the latter’s only 2 appearances & giving him a solo cut to spit that gangsta shit preceding “Down” by BabyBartier, Sir Untre & unitus was only right until the 3 talking about breaking it off with bitches who have no swag over a Zaan instrumental.

“Words Don’t Hurt, Bullets Do” by Sir Untre winds down We All We Needed’s final moments discussing his preference of letting the stick leave everyone in pain since he’s so pissed that he doesn’t even wanna talk while “Whole Lot” by BabyBartier talks about having so much product where he straight up asks what one would like to buy. “I Love” by Sir Untre expresses the gratification he gets outta hearing gunfire while “Mojo” by BabyBartier & ladé concludes the album talking about getting drugs off a boat.

To my knowledge: Rich Amiri has been primarily holding it down for Internet Money Records within the past couple years so it overdue for Taz to bring some fresh new faces on board & We All We Needed certainly offers a promising future for the imprint. BabyBartier, ladé, Sir Untre & unitus all deliver some of their hungriest performances on wax & I found myself enjoying more out of the production than I did when Bartier made his major label debut this spring.

Score: 3.5/5

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Sk8star – “The Beautiful Rebellion” review

This is the latest extended play & the 8th overall from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Sk8star. Emerging all the way back in 2021 off Superstar Status, he would go on to follow it up with a total of 7 more EPs & a couple of mixtapes preceding him signing to Island Records for his full-length studio debut Designer Junkie this past spring marking a full circle moment when reflecting upon his earlier output. As he prepares for the upcoming sophomore effort After the Gala though, The Beautiful Rebellion has only just begun.

“Lo Mein” begins with a decent opener likening his girl to a vampire whereas “Bloodhound” produced by Pi’erre Bourne talks about these other muhfuckas being out of bounds compared to him. “Doom” featuring Pz’ finds the pair trading verses over an ahead of the curve trap instrumental from Nosaint of Vanguard Music Group leading into “Churchs’” bringing Richie Souf back behind the boards to resurrect the chemistry they displayed throughout Designer Junkie, talking about being the hood type.

Kicking off the 2nd half of the EP, we have Pi’erre & Sk8 cooking up 1 last banger together with the pluggy “Callin’” confronting someone who stayed the same unlike him evolving just before “Sk8rokk” introduces us to the titular MC/producer duo dissin’ those who run with what’s popular. “Loose Tooth” reunites with Richie Souf talking about receiving oral while the closing track “Siamese” featuring diamond* spends The Beautiful Rebellion’s final minutes discussing exactly how slimey each of them are individually.

Couple longtime fans of Sk8star I know have since hailed Designer Junkie to be the Take Care of his discography & regardless of my uncertainty towards that claim, I can say it was a satisfying culmination of everything he was doing throughout it’s preceding EPs & mixtapes. The Beautiful Rebellion nevertheless preludes After the Gala in the form of a tasteful transitional phase in Sk8’s career enlisting a couple ØWay members to remind the world on top of 16 minutes worth of tight trap, rage, plugg & cloud rap production that they really do this.

Score: 3.5/5

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Ariana Grande – “petal” review

Boca Raton, Florida singer/songwriter & actress Ariana Grande launching her own imprint Babydoll Music distributed by Republic Records for her 8th studio LP. The very same label who signed her in 2013 after breaking out through the Nickelodeon series Victorious alongside Leon Thomas III & has gradually become one of the biggest pop stars in the entire world since, dropping my personal favorite in her discography sweetener following the moderate reception of Yours Truly as well as My Everything & Dangerous Woman. I also enjoyed thank u, next for what it was following her engagement to Pete Davidson being broke off & Mac Miller’s tragic death even if Positions took it back to the mild feedback of her earlier output, coming off Eternal Sunshine to give us petal in time for July ending.

“kiss me” opens up yearning to be kissed like it could potentially be her final goodbye until “hate that i made you love me” averagely blends alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave for a lead single venting about her divorce from her now ex-husband Dalton Gomez. The title track serves as a metaphor for how flowers can still bloom in the most rigid places just before “stay” detailing yet another corrective experience she had.

As for “oh well”, we have Ariana telling Dalton that more breakup songs about him are on the way & wishing all of the toxic people in her life the best luck traveling to Hell leading into “big feelings” reaching the midway point wanting this person to promise they’ll handle her properly & providing the kind of sex that can make grown men cry. “freak” sings about distancing herself from someone who doesn’t want to get to know her from a personal standpoint but after the “warning signs” interlude, “like i do” gets tongue-in-cheek for a sassy self-confidence ode.

“never get over me” embraces some R&B influenced to finish up petal’s concluding act singing about a unique kind of intimacy with a bridge calling back to “Thinking ‘Bout You” off Dangerous Woman while “bad thing (bunny hop)” finds herself rediscovering her feelings towards photographer & dancer Ricky Alvarez. The closing track “nowhere, nobody” sends off the album choosing to stay present in love regardless of the uncertainty of whether or not it’ll last in the end.

Despite coming away from petal with mixed feelings towards it, I can certainly see myself coming back to it more than I do Positions & Eternal Sunshine since it does have more high points than lows. I think Ariana Grande breaking up with all different kinds of negative attachments throughout her life comes from a sincere place although the alt-pop, contemporary R&B, alternative R&B, synthpop & chillwave production was merely ok. Would love for her to work with someone like Jermaine Dupri.

Score: 3/5

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DOMi & JD Beck – “WHO ASKED?” review

DOMi & JD Beck are a jazz fusion duo from Los Angeles, California consisting of keyboardist DOMi & drummer JD Beck. They would eventually sign a joint deal to Anderson .Paak’s own imprint Apeshit Inc. in tandem with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records in 2022, dropping their widely lauded full-length studio debut NOT TiGHT that summer. Exactly 48 months have passed since to celebrate, it only makes sense that the pairing returned for a highly anticipated sophomore effort.

“ÈPiPHANiE” begins with this colorful 2 & a half minute compositional intro I can imagine hearing at the start of a wonderful day whereas “HAD ENOUGH” co-written by Anderson Paak. finds the pair singing about tomorrow possibly being the same despite not being too far. “EXiT” embraces a more autumnal vibe instrumentally assuring this isn’t the end & never showing signs of helplessness just before “SiLHOUETTE” asks if the fear causing doubt in your mind is worth the mind fading out.

Meanwhile on “GROWiNG OLDER”, we have DOMi & JD observing the inevitable process of aging in the midst of seasons quickly passing us by leading into “SOME THiNGS NEVER CHANGE” blissfully sings about staying frozen in place & holding steady since certain stuff remains the same. “RAiN” discussing both fear & comfort over more woodwinds combined with intense drumming until “SMALL EYES” contains a J Dilla influence showing the love they have for their dogs.

“LOVELY MASQUERADE” continues the 2nd half with one of WHO ASKED?‘s most infectious grooves singing about the possibility of being betrayed whilst the puppets dance blindly & after “PUZZLE PiECES” promises us it’s ok if life doesn’t make sense sometimes because there are moments where pieces fall apart for no reason whatsoever, “PHANTOM TREAD” endearingly pays tribute to an individual who greatly helped them at some point in their career.

The song “OUT OF SYNC” finds the pair lost inside their heads while “CONCERTiNO (FOR PiANO, DRUMS & ORCHESTRA)” hits us with another delightful instrumental piece comprised of pianos, flutes, strings & brass. My least favorite track “CLiMBiNG HiGH” awkwardly experiments with J-pop singing about the sky still being above when heading upwards for a better view & the “ÈPiLOGUE” concludes the LP in the form of this orchestral outro that I can imagine hearing in a Disney movie.

Regardless of WHO ASKED? being ranked behind NOT TiGHT in DOMi & JD Beck’s discography, it’s still an exceptional continuation of their music. They swap out the secondary influences of neo-soul & jazzstep to incorporate more elements of chamber music & classical crossover but more specifically, they’re singing a lot more than they did on their debut & I feel like they could make some improvements in that specific department going forward.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Rolling Stones – “Foreign Tongues” review

The Rolling Stones are a blues rock trio from London, England, United Kingdom comprised of rhythm guitarist Ronnie Wood, lead guitarist Keith Richards & frontman Mick Jagger. A band who dropped some of the greatest rock music recorded throughout the late 60s-early 70s like Beggars Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St. & Some Girls. Their previous full-length Hackney Diamonds under Geffen Records made for a tolerable comeback after 2 decades & the Stones joining Capitol Records for their 24th studio LP had me intrigued since the material dates back to 2019.

“Rough & Twisted” begins with a blues rock single incorporating further elements of electric blues & boogie rock singing about flashing jewelry being a false pretense to them whereas “In the Stars” takes the pop rock route stylistically with some bluesy undertones admitting to feeling a heavy hand meddling with their plans. “Jealous Lover” goes completely smooth soul singing about a relationship going sour while “Mr. Charm” starkly reminding the world of life being as short as it is.

Meanwhile on “Divine Intervention”, we have the Stones singing about our existence being a gamble within it side just before “Ringing Hollow” brings a bit of a country twang into the fold observing all the political turmoil in the United States for a year & a half. “Never Wanna Lose You” reaches the halfway point of the full-length taking back to the pop rock style not wanting to lose the love of their lives whiles “Hit Me in the Head” has a more traditional rock flare acknowledging they won’t be here eternally.

“You Know I’m No Good” takes back to their blues rock origins reminding this woman who’s interested in them cautioning that they were trouble from the very beginning & after “Some of Us” brings a summery atmosphere to the table singing about all of us needing some love in troubling times like these, “Covered in You” continues to make it clear that they’re fed up with the rise of fascist autocracy. More specifically Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder, Neuralink founder, Twitter owner & Nazi Elon Musk.

The song “Side Effects” hits us with a powerful rock ballad singing about there being a price to pay for literally everything pondering whether if it’s the drugs fucking with their mood or not while the 6 minute “Back in Your Life” treads the Americana waters a bit singing about doing whatever it takes to for this individual to let them in their good graces once more. The closer “Beautiful Delilah” sends off the album with a passable cover of the late Chuck Berry’s track of the same name.

If I have to be serious with myself, Hackney Diamonds still remains a decent comeback for The Rolling Stones after nearly 2 decades exclude the Blue & Lonesome covers but I came away from Foreign Tongues confident that it could be the most gratifying entry in their extensive catalog since Tattoo You. The bluesy pop rock production refines what they tried to do 3 years earlier mixing elements of electric blues, boogie rock, smooth soul & hard rock for a politically charged hour.

Score: 4/5

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