Destroy Lonely – “</3³” review

The 3rd mixtape from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist Destroy Lonely finally arriving in time for fall. The son of former Disturbing tha Peace Records signee I-20, he’s released a total of 9 EPs & a couple mixtapes since originally breaking out through SoundCloud in 2019 prior to Playboi Carti signing alone to his Interscope Records imprint Opium Records to surprise drop his last tape No Stylist in light of his ongoing tour with fellow label-mate Ken Carson last summer followed by the full-length debut If Looks Could Kill. Love Lasts Forever was disappointing in comparison & See U Soon </3 would make great improvements paving the way for </3³.

“ain’t hard” starts the tape with Lone & Bugz Ronin telling us that it ain’t that hard to be a boss & that the rest of his crew is merely getting started whereas “risk” flexes that he doesn’t need a stylist to this very day, hence the project that made him popular amongst Opium fans alike. “see no evil” produced by Cxdy of Internet Money Records & Vanguard Music Group boasts of him living the Top Floor life while “no pressure” flexes that he keeps 2 hands on the steering wheel.

As for “stfu”, we have Lone advising everyone around to him to keep their mouths shut entirely leading into “show u how” askin’ if he’s putting up whatever he’s gonna put down. “top flo” reunites with Clayco for a successor to “ss” off of A Great Chaos leading into “kansas” talking about moving like a demon & sending anyone who tries to snatch his chain to God.

“screwed up” ends the first half of </3³ with a homage to the late DJ Screw while “party n get high” gets the 2nd act of the tape going by talking about wanting to do those 2 things. “leash” finds Lone trying to put his ego to the side for a woman who can’t be tamed over a Toom instrumental while the single “jumanji” talks about moving so quickly to the point where everyone else behind him finishes last.

Meanwhile on “not the mayor”, we have Destroy Lonely flexing that he’s counting up green as if he went to Yale prior to “blowin’ smoke” linking up with Rafmade to talk about smoking weed in a black & white Maybach in addition to being overly locked in with his team. “kool on ya” makes it known that he’s cool with anyone who’s cool with him while the 2-parter “soooo high” talks about the way his money makes him feel.

“open it up” featuring Ken Carson gives us a taste of what’s to come from their collaborative mixtape calling for the mosh pits to be opened whilst paying respects to the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne while “leave u out 2 dry” caps off the tape with Lone talking about being too good for this chick he’s been speaking to. Serving as an epilogue, “what’s it gon take?” samples “The Way That Wind Moves” by Sons of the Morning telling all his homies he misses them.

Starting the deluxe run, “with my bitch” talks about riding around the whip with his girl while “sipped too much” admits to consuming more lean than he should’ve. “hide it” talks about going days without eating & sleeping searching for peace & after “exorcist” with Nosaint compares his chick to Sexyy Red, the final bonus track “rose gold ice” once again gets back to the habit of sippin’ on some sizzurp.

For me: The biggest flaw Love Lasts Forever had going for it was easily the production was more lackluster than If Looks Could Kill & No Stylist. Fortunately for us, </3³ resolves that issue & lands behind Music for the best project we’ve gotten from the Opium camp all year. Mostly because it’s a return to the sound of Destroy Lonely’s earliest material & it’s topics take on an introspective tone.

Score: 4/5

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Johnathan Blake – “My Life Matters” review

Johnathan Blake is a 39 year old drummer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania notable for being the son of the late John Blake. His full-length debut The 11th Hour & the sophomore effort But Not Forgotten in the early/mid 2010s would generate enough buzz to the point where the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records signed him to their historic roster in 2021. Making his debut for them that fall with Homeward Bound, he’s ready to follow up Passage in the form of his 5th full-length LP.

After the 96 second “Broken Drum Cycle for the Forsaken” intro, “Last Breath” recruits Fabian Almazan on piano alongside Jalen Baker to play the vibraphone for an ode to the late Eric Garner reverberating the Black Lives Matter message whereas “Requiem for Dreams Shattered” after the “A Prelude to An Unnecessary Yet Tragically Banal Oratorio” further displays Fabian’s talents with the keys remembers those whose dreams weren’t realized.

“In a Brown Study” feels like yet another interlude albeit the upright bassist talents of Dezron Douglas get a chance to shine just before Muna Blake provides the spoken word piece “I Still Have a Dream” with Dezron playing behind her. The title track combines post-bop with a small dosage of nu jazz enlisting Dayna Stephens to add a synthesizer into the fold until “Can You Hear Me? (The Talking Drums Have Not Stopped)” continues the 2nd half with a drum solo.

DJ Jahi Sundance jumps behind the turntables during “Always the Wrong Color” combining the art of DJing with vibraphones & synths but once “That Which Kills Us Makes Us What?” shifts it’s focus solely towards Dayna for a couple minutes, “Can Tomorrow Be Brighter?” has to be the most tense moment throughout My Life Matters expressing optimism regarding the future in spite of all the turmoil that’s unraveled within our country these past 8 months.

“Lullaby for An Eternal Rest” puts the spotlight on Jalen’s vibraphonist skills crafting a gentle anthem for those who’re no longer with us in the physical form while “We’ll Never Know (They Didn’t Even Get to Try)” finds John’s son Johna accompanying him for a somber 7 & a half minute instrumental. “Prayer for A Brighter Tomorrow” serves as more of an outro blending soothing piano melodies & vocal harmonizations from local neo-soul veteran Bilal.

Ditching the hard-bop undertones of Passage a couple summers ago, My Life Matters still maintains the post-bop & jazz fusion elements of Johnathan Blake’s predecessor for the most personal entry of his entire discography. A commentary on the importance of family values & the social imperative to stand up in the face of injustice, he takes the lesson his parents taught him growing up about being a part of the problem if they don’t stand up to the injustice African Americans have unfortunately dealt with for centuries.

Score: 4/5

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Justin Bieber – “Swag II” review

London, Ontario, Canada singer/songwriter Justin Bieber returning for his 8th LP. Signing to Island Records during my time in middle school to put out My Worlds & Under the Mistletoe only to fulfill his obligations with them on Believe & Journals. He has since been on Def Jam Recordings for the past decade & Purpose marked a divisive debut for the label, although Changes & Justice was equally as bad as a great deal of his Island output. Swag coincided with Clipse’s comeback Let God Sort ‘Em Out couple months ago & a sequel has surprisingly arrived over 2 weeks away from former 7-time WWE tag team champions Adam Copeland & Christian Cage taking on former 2-time AEW World Tag Team Champions, 6-time WWE tag team champions, ROH World Tag Team Champions & IWGPタッグ王座 FTR at All Out V.

“Speed Demon” was an upbeat pop intro singing about him feeling as if he’s only getting better with each album & “checking these chickens” whereas “Better Man” goes for an alternative R&B vibe promising his wife Hailey no bitterness when he holds her hand. “Love Song” produced by Mk.gee colorfully sings about time only getting prettier with his soulmate leading into “I Do” venting over these feelings that won’t wash away.

Meanwhile on “I Think You’re Special”, we have JB atmospherically singing about breaking all the rules with Hailey & their love being unlike any other just before “Mother in You” observes that his son Jack looks a lot like his mom over a bedroom pop instrumental. “Witchya” vents about the feeling of being stuck in place staying by his wife if she needs him while “Eye Candy” encourages his partner to enjoy the moment with him.

“Don’t Wanna” featuring Bakar has a bit of a funkier direction to the beat from Mike WiLL Made-It singing about not wanting to give any fucks while “Bad Honey” expressed Biebs’ desire of wanting to dance with Hailey & making a scene out of it simultaneously. “Need It” moodily sings about wanting his wife to let him know if she’s feeling emotional likening her to cinnamon sugar while “Oh Man” opens up regarding him & the love of his life igniting one another.

Hurricane Chris appears for a bulk of “Poppin’ My Shit” blending pop rap & trap talking about their lil’ mamas wanting to be right beside them acting exactly the way they do while “All the Way” taps in with DJ Camper to promise Justin’s wife that he won’t ever let go of her. “Petting Zoo” finds himself drunk not wanting to fight with Hailey by any means asking why they’re arguing when he never said he was wrong or right while the indie folk-influenced “Moving Fast” sings about slowing down the ride & rollin’ the windows down for her.

“Safe Space” professes JB’s desire to take all of Hailey’s pain away from her & protect her from anything while “Lyin’” kicks the funk back in a little to sing about him telling the truth when he said he loved his wife. “Dotted Line” puts a lo-fi aesthetic on the bedroom pop style taking it slow & going back to basics while “Open Up Your Heart” featuring Eddie Benjamin pleads for their partners to tell them the way they really feel.

The song “When It’s Over” pushes towards the end of Swag II getting in over his head every time they go blow for blow, which results in his words ricocheting & cutting straight through him while “Everything Hallelujah” prior to the 8 minute spoken word outro “Story of God” praises God for everything from the Sun being out to the affection he’s consistently showering Hailee with.

Swag was one of the more admirable offerings in Justin Bieber’s discography even if I still didn’t care for it & the follow-up was as equally uninteresting than the predecessor earlier this summer. The musical palette’s similar to last time from contemporary R&B to bedroom pop, pop, pop soul, alternative R&B & alt-pop expanding on the original themes of marriage & fatherhood that still doesn’t grab me the same way as Earl Sweatshirt’s new album Live Laugh Love or Dominic Fike’s recent mixtape Rocket did.

Score: 2/5

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Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend” review

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

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

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

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

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

Score: 3/5

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untiljapan – “BornUnderPunches.” review

Here is the 6th EP from Atlanta, Georgia recording artist untiljapan. Putting out his last 5 EPs & landing a feature on “light ice” off Sk8star‘s 2nd mixtape whole new meaning, it wasn’t until his own full-length studio debut album Safe Travels where he established himself as an up-&-comer in trap, emo rap, cloud rap, alternative R&B & neo-psychedelia that landed him a contract with Interscope Records. His sophomore effort Trompe-L’oeil almost 3 months since it dropped has become one of the most beloved trap albums of the year, uploading BornUnderPunches. on SoundCloud without any warning.

“SoClose” starts with a rage beat talking about being here to take the throne & all the hoes whereas “NeverForget” doesn’t shy away from admitting he’s got lot of drugs running through his body & wanting money instead of rules over a CXO instrumental. “AcceptingMyFlaws” produced by Clayco & OPM BABI finds himself wanting this woman he’s been seeing to be truthful for once while “SayPlease” talks about feeling like he’s living every day the exact same.

To begin the 2nd half, “Showin’” samples “You’re Always on My Mind” by SWV keeping rounds of guns & sluts on him while “FuckedUpPeople” talks about the people he grew up around. “GunPowder” speaks on seeing somebody for who they really are while “PeopleNeverChange” talks about his gang going crazy in the back. “RealFunk” finishes BornUnderPunches. sampling “Cha Cha Slide” by the late DJ Casper cooking down those playing with fire.

Rather than sticking to the rich lusciousness than made Trompe-L’oeil the beloved major label debut it’s been rightfully hailed as being almost 90 days after if initially came out, the production on this EP sees untiljapan taking a more firm direction regarding the modern trap sounds that’s caused many heads to be turned these past 23 months although the usage of samples are equally impeccable as the predecessor earlier this summer.

Score: 4/5

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Concrete Rekordz – “5$tarCrete” review

Concrete Rekordz is an Atlanta, Georgia record label founded by Lil Yachty as a subsidiary of Quality Control Music & Motown Records. He has since signed Camo!, Dc2Trill, Draft Day & formerly KARRAHBOOO. They released a debut showcase compilation It’s Us receiving mixed-to-negative feedback & is having PlaqueBoyMax host a debut EP ahead of It’s Us 2 over exactly 4 months since Boat was at WrestleMania XLI sporting a shirt of the inaugural AEW tbs Champion & former 2-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Jade Cargill.

“Go” starts with a trap instrumental lenient towards sampling talking shout them not breaking any sweats whenever they issue any threats whereas “Big Spender” featuring PlaqueBoyMax references TKO Group Holdings co-founder Vince McMahon fresh off his recent interview regarding the death of the inaugural IWGPヘビー級王座, former 12-time WWE world champion, WWE tag team champion, 2-time WWE Hall of Famer, Real American Beer founder, Real American Freestyle Wrestling (RAF) co-founder & known racist Hulk Hogan.

Former 2-time NXT Tag Team Champion Ludwig Kaiser may or may not have been referred to on “It’s Us” nearly a week after him, the current WWE Intercontinental Champion Dominik Mysterio & former AAA Mundial Parejas Campeon Dragon Lee failing to end former The Crash Pesocompleto Campeon El Hijo del Vikingo’s ongoing 2nd reign as AAA Mega Campeon at Triplemanía XXXIII while “Life’s Proper” by Lil Yachty proves to be my favorite song of the 4 talking about the way life is trading him.

It’s Us wasn’t really all that interesting to me personally because it felt like KARRAHBOOO was the only signee that was actually entertaining besides Lil Yachty himself & 5$tarCrete feels like a step further down from it. Far less interesting production & the true star of it is Yachty, even if I felt that a bar he had regarding the late Screwed Up Click member Big Floyd during a livestream earlier this month was done in horrifically stomach churning taste.

Score: 2/5

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Offset – “Kiari” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Offset returning after 22 months for his 3rd studio LP. Starting out as 1/3 of the Migos with Unc & Phew, he released a fantastic collaborative project with 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’ on Halloween 2017 called Without Warning only to make his solo debut Father of 4 the best of the 3 compared to QUAVO HUNCHO & The Last Rocket. Set It Off wasn’t too bad either, but Kiari has been shaping up to be his most personal since Father of 4 & had me anticipating it.

“Enemies” produced by Metro Boomin’ & Honorable C.N.O.T.E. begins by asking for God to protect him from his friends whereas “Pills” featuring YoungBoy Never Broke Again samples “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” by Nina Simone to talk about drug usage “Professional” mildly boasts of him getting bitches like it’s a skill leading into the underwhelming “Back in That Mode” featuring YFN Lucci talking about them getting in their bags again.

Gunna joins Offset on “Different Species” bringing an acoustic guitar & some hi-hats together so they can discuss the baddies they stole livin’ the dream just before my favorite single “Bodies” featuring J.I.D paints poignant imagery of the gangsta lifestyle combining trap & chipmunk soul thanks to Vinylz, FNZ & BoogzDaBeast or trap metal if you include the remix from BNYX of Working on Dying. “Love You Down” by Ready for the World gets smoked during “Love You Down” courtesy of London on da Track telling his new chick that he’ll start trusting her while “Run It Up” featuring Key Glock talks about having money on their minds over.

“Set It Off” oddly enough ends Kiari’s first leg with a demo quality title track that didn’t make his previous album while “Folgers” references my 2nd favorite basketball player of all-time Kobe Bryant & refusing to trip since he’s been bettering himself. “All of My Hoes” incorporates these psychedelic guitar licks & hi-hats talking about his hoes stealing each other while “Calories” flexes that he made $20M from his sound this summer.

As for “Checkmate (Smooth)”, we have Offset talking about making it onto the news because he’s a fashion week killer & flooding his new bitch out in the pool while “Backends Fasho” boasts of him making finer materials out of the regular things. “Prada Myself” talks about how everything he has makes him the person he is now while “Never Let Go” pays homage to Takeoff.

“Favorite Girl” counts down the final minutes of Kiari with a dedication to the most special woman in his life & “Move On” ties it all up by reflecting on his marriage to Cardi B, explaining that she’s happy for her moving on & asking why she doesn’t feel the same way about him. He even touches base regarding their little back-&-forth convo on Twitter at the beginning of 2025, rightfully explaining that it made them look foolish.

Starting the deluxe run, “Athlete” cloudily talks about getting geeked up on ecstasy on a boat while “History” mixes some horns & hi-hats to give game for free. “How Did We Get Here?” takes full accountability for his divorce from Cardi B while “Swing My Way” links up with Turbo for a cloudy pop rap/trap hybrid. “Style Rare” featuring Gunna shows off their senses of fashion & the final bonus track “10” was a weaker pop rap attempt.

Putting his artistic persona aside, Offset or in this case Kiari looks at himself in the mirror to see how far he’s come & what he’s done whether it’s good or bad. Soul-searching without sacrificing the technical precision he’s been known for, the ex-husband of WWE’s SummerSlam XXXVIII hostess gearing up for her comeback next month peels the layers back & gives the audience a better look at himself as a person.

Score: 3.5/5

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KiD CuDi – “Free” review

Cleveland, Ohio rapper, singer/songwriter, producer, actor, fashion designer, model, director & filmmaker KiD CuDi making another stylistic departure with his 11th LP. Blowing up in 2008 off his debut mixtape A KiD Named CuDi as well as his songwriting credits on his mentor Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West’s 4th album 808s & Heartbreak, his profile from there would increasingly grow off his groundbreaking debut & sophomore albums Man on the Moon: The End of the Day & Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager. But following the self-produced & overlooked Indicud, CuDi would leave G.O.O.D. Music amicably to form his own Republic Records imprint Wicked Awesome Records. Satellite Flight: The Journey to Mother Moon though was mediocre at best & who could forget when CuDi attempted to go alt-rock on the critically panned Speedin’ Bullet 2 Heaven? Luckily he would redeem himself on his next effort Pain & Demon Slayin’ in 2016 along with the self-titled album from him & Ye as the duo KIDS SEE GHOSTS couple summers later & even Man on the Moon III: The Chosen the day after my 24th birthday despite it’s blatantly heavy Travis Scott influence. Entergalactic was released mixed reviews as was INSANO, but I enjoyed how both LPs took it back to his roots along with mixing old & new sounds together respectively. INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA continued the energy of its predecessor & is staying on Republic to drop Free fresh off his appearance in Happy Gilmore 2 with the longest reigning AEW World Champion & current CMLL Mundial Peso Semicompleto Campeon MJF and the current WWE Women’s Intercontinental Champion Becky Lynch.

“Neverland” after the self-produced “Echoes of the Present” compositional intro fuses pop rock, alt-pop, stomp & holler and synthpop to sing about love & embracing life whereas my favorite single “Mr. Miracle” culminates in pop rock, alternative rock & power pop feeling like he’s found his way back home. “Opiate” spaciously sings for the city to turn the lights off leading into “Deep Diving” finding himself having enough of no love.

Pop rock & alt-rock cross paths once again on “Truman Show” referencing the classic Jim Carrey film of the same name just before “Submarine” sings about feeling like he’s to deep into this psychedelic dream he’s having. “Ashes” goes for a moodier direction in sound wishing this person would lie to him & tell him they still mean something while the emo-pop rock single “Grave” sings about life eating him alive.

“Past Life” vents over the dichotomy of simultaneously being a winner & a loser in the same mind over a synthpop instrumental while “Picnic in Paris” sings about a soulmate waiting his whole life from him mixing the positives & negatives. “Stargazing” considers himself lucky if freedom was garden & sending love letters to this woman for eternity while “Salt Water” produced by BNYX of Working on Dying ends by singing about calling his life 1 hell of a ride.

The idea of KiD CuDi foraying into pop music doesn’t sound bad at all on paper, but Free as an attempt to provide the world with hope in the midst of our country’s current political climate leaves me a little torn. I have no issues with his vocals or songwriting & I’m proud he’s the happiest he’s ever been. My main criticism here though is that the production doesn’t grab me the same way INSANO 2: NITRO MEGA or the original INSANO did.

Score: 2.5/5

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Teyana Taylor – “Escape Room” review

Teyana Taylor is a 34 year old actress, singer/songwriter, rapper, dancer, model, music video director & choreographer from New York City who briefly signed to Star Trak Entertainment in the mid-2000s until going over to G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings at the start of the previous decade. Her full-length debut VII during my senior year of high school & K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy) produced by Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West stands as the most underrated offering of the Wyoming sessions. Fulfilling her G.O.O.D. Music contract with The Album during the COVID-19 pandemic, she’s returning to Def Jam for her 5th LP.

After the Taraj P. Henson intro, the first song “Fire Girl” opens with a delicately drumless instrumental singing about the impossibility of her soul being burned whereas “Long Time” after the Sarah Paulson interlude fuses afrobeats & R&B addressing her ex-husband Iman Shumpert. “Hard Part” featuring Lucky Daye follows 2 back-to-back interludes with a duet asking if their partners want a relationship or not leading into “Back to Life” singing about her dissolving marriage.

“All of Your Heart” after the Jodie Turner Smith interlude expresses her desire to be loved & trusted while “Shut Up” ends the 1st leg of Escape Room pleading for her limits to be pushed & likening sex to a weapon. “Pum Pum Jump” featuring Tyla links up for a duet singing about getting too crazy with their lovers whenever they get lit while what could possibly be my personal favorite track here “Open Invite” produced by KAYTRANADA gives her partner a chance to come inside & get this right.

After the Issa Rae interlude, “In Your Head” sings for her new man to drown in her love waiting for him in his bed while “Final Destination” explains that it’ll always be love no matter where they take it. After another Issa Rae interlude, “Bed of Roses” embraces a contemporary R&B direction singing about wanting to be close to someone & “In Your Skin” after the Kerry Washington interlude lusts to be pressed up against her lover all the time. “Always” after the Regina King interlude finishes up with a heartwarming tribute to her children.

Exploring themes of heartbreak as well as healing & finding freedom, Escape Room makes for a solid comeback to music for Teyana Taylor excluding her feature on Will Smith’s 5th album Based on a True Story earlier this spring. The narration interludes can be a little excessive at times personally, but the production is a step up from The Album & it’s gratifying to hear her breaking free from the mental prison she was in.

Score: 3.5/5

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Paul Cornish – “You’re Exaggerating!” review

This is the full-length debut studio album from Houston, Texas pianist Paul Cornish. Known for working with the likes of Terrace Martin or Robert Glasper & Herbie Hancock, he would go on to sign with the greatest jazz label of all-time Blue Note Records this past January after solidifying himself by blending post-bop with blues & gospel. Coming off the heels of 3 singles with in the past 7 weeks or so, You’re Exaggerating! looks to carry the torch for all the pianos players who began an 86 year tradition that’s still going strong.

“DB Song” comes out the gate blending these settle piano passages with Jonathan Pinson on drums & Joshua Crumbly on bass hence the “DB” in the title whereas “Queinxiety” expresses Paul’s habit of chronic overthinking the 3 & a half minutes. “Star is Born” references the formation of literal stars instead of the composer himself leading into “Slow Song” removing the drums & bass from the equation.

As for “5AM”, we have Paul looking back at his days in college where he used to wake up very early to work out just before the lead single “Dinosaur Song” takes inspiration from his girlfriend’s nephew. Jeff Parker plays guitar on 2nd single “Palindrome” complimenting the Monkian keys & after the final single “Queen Geri” pays tribute to the late Geri Allen, the closer “Modus Operani” shows off a bit of a baroque influence to end the LP.

Inspired by Robert Glasper’s sophomore effort Canvas & it’s follow-up In My Element, all 9 of the original compositions that Paul Cornish conceived throughout the course of his 42 minute debut continues a historic lineage of local pianists by taking out a few pages from his story leaning towards the styles of post-bop & jazz fusion with an approach that tends to entice the audience rather than impressing them.

Score: 4/5

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