Lil Baby – “W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?)” review

Atlanta, Georgia rapper Lil Baby returning to put out his 4th studio LP. Rising to stardom in 2018 off his debut album Harder Than Ever, his profile would gradually increase from there by following up with a collab project with Gunna entitled Drip Harder & his 4th solo mixtape Street Gossip. His sophomore effort My Turn & It’s Only Me were equally welcomed moderately & is posing the question of W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?) few weeks after former AAA Reina de Reinas Campeon, CMLL Mundial Femenil Parejas Campeon, the only female TNA World Champion, TNA Knockouts World Champion & documented racist Tessa Blanchard returning at Final Resolution XIII.

“Listen Up” produced by London on da Track is this drumless intro dropping off 2 dope verses without a hook flexing that nobody can stand the way he does whereas “Dum, Dumb & Dumber” featuring Future & Young Thug gets together over a synth-trap beat from Wheezy talking about being GA certified. “F U 2x” boasts that he stealing women from lames who really ain’t players & DJ Champ going for a darker trap route instrumentally, but then “I Promise” with co-production from Southside assures that you ain’t always have to pour your heart out.

Glorilla joins Baby on “Redbone” for a decent joint dedicated to all the baddies out there except I find myself enjoying it more than “By Myself” featuring Rylo Rodriguez, which unites the CBFW Records artists together over a DY instrumental that I find myself enjoying as much as Baby’s verses & more than both Rod Wave’s hook AND the Rylo verse. “Due 4A Win” has a great concept not wanting to be compared to anyone else even if the beat’s kinda mild just before “Stiff Gang” makes up for it with it’s overall celebratory flare.

“So Sorry” takes a more serious approach making an open apology to someone that he thought was his homie & ready to see himself moving on from having that friendship coming to an end while “Stuff” featuring Travis Scott gets back on the carefree tip talking about them tryna see who colder. “Say Twin” hooks up some hi-hats & piano chords for Baby to hop over them maintaining his self-esteem while “Free Promo” wanting to know if you’re stupid or dumb.

The song “Outfit” featuring 21 Savage reaches the final moments of W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?)by getting them together over this moderately cavernous trap beat breaking down their lifestyles while “Drugs Talkin’” finds Dez Wright bringing in some horns & hi-hats talking about being under the influence of both drugs & alcohol. “Streets Colder” warms up for Dominique a month from now with a DY-laced closer pointing out how colder people are becoming out here.

“99” featuring Future gets the deluxe run going with both of them comparing themselves to Juvenile in his prime 25 years ago while “Idol” cloudily talks about not fucking with anyone else since they ain’t like him in any way shape or form. “Runnin’ This Shit” heads for a symphonic trap direction dissing Gunna for being a rat not giving a fuck if Young Thug said that they’re still cool & the final bonus track “My Shawty” rounds it out with a moody pop rap joint penned about his current girlfriend.

My Turn & It’s Only Me are both underwhelming compared to Harder Than Ever in my opinion, which is my favorite in Lil Baby’s discography. W.H.A.M. (Who Hard As Me?) on the other end, I find to be a decent body of work to hold everyone off getting in his young n***a bag for 41 minutes only doing without less than half of it. Either way you want to put it, I’ll take the highs until he shows us a more personal side to himself on Dominique.

Score: 2.5/5

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Snoop Dogg – “Missionary” review

Long Beach emcee, songwriter, media personality, actor, entrepreneur, record executive & WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg reuniting with his mentor Dr. Dre for the 20th studio LP in his discography. His 1993 debut album Doggystyle is widely regarded as a west coast essential, but his output since has been hit or miss whether it be Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment almost reaching the same caliber of his debut or Da Game is to be Sold, Not to be Told & Bible of Love falling flat on their faces. He purchased Death Row Records from MNRK Music Group days ahead of the Super Bowl LVI halftime person hence why he’s been B.o.D.R. (Bacc on Death Row) since, so it’s completely understandable that he & Dre are finally putting out Missionary through a historic joint deal between Death Row & Aftermath Entertainment/Interscope Records.

After the “Fore Play” intro by BJ the Chicago Kid, the first song “Shangri La” samples “Stakes is High” by De La Soul with the help of Sam Sneed talking about the time coming to start trouble whereas “Outta da Blue” featuring Dr. Dre goes back-&-forth with each other on the mic over Dre, BoogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz & FNZ sampling both “Saturday Night” by Schoolly D & “Scratchin’” by Magic Disco Machine. “Hard Knocks” finds Dre & Focus… flipping “Another Brick in the Wall” by Pink Floyd to talk about taking the long way, but then the pop rap/neo soul crossover “Gorgeous” co-produced by Blu2th & Fredwreck doing the wildest shit at 6am.

“Last Dance with Mary Jane” featuring Jelly Roll heavily samples “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” by Tom Petty suggesting to not even bother asking them giving up smoking weed just before “Thank You” aggressively talks about Uncle Snoop thanking everyone listening for letting him be himself. “Pressure” takes a funkier route instrumentally addressing the pussies getting frisky soon as the Dogg gets let out leading into the worst single “Another Part of Me” featuring Sting sampling “Message in a Bottle” by The Police to talk about both of them keeping money on their mind.

Method Man joins Snoop on “Skyscrapers” going for a triumphant flare altogether telling the young black entrepreneurs to turn their cap into capitalism stackin’ their bread high ahead of the groovy “Fire” referencing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and WWE Hall of Famer, the shortest reigning WWE Champion & former WWE Tag Team Champion André the Giant. “Gunz N Smoke” featuring Eminem & 50 Cent flips “Dead Wrong” by The Notorious B.I.G. also featuring Eminem flexing their street ties in Long Beach, Detroit & New York respectively while “Sticcy Situation” shows a brand new strategy.

“Now or Never” featuring Dr. Dre pushes towards the conclusion of Missionary by shooting for the stars with something so unforgettable & trying to leave something that’ll live forever while the song “Gangsta Pose” featuring Fat Money keeps the gangsta rap vibes going asking where were y’all when they were in the middle of a war & keeping it on regardless of that. “The Negotiator” wraps things up with a poker face & talking about his legacy being everlasting.

By no means necessary did I go into Missionary expecting it to be another Doggystyle like some of the delusional comments that I’ve seen on a few of Snoop’s social media posts in the last few months simply based on the 3 singles we got building up to it. However, I do think it’s on par with Tha Last Meal & Tha Blue Carpet Treatment in being one of the best albums that he’s put out since his debut. From the lyricism to Dre’s production, you can very much hear the maturity between them both over the last 3 decades & testifies to their longevities in the west coast.

Score: 4.5/5

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DMX – “Let Us Pray: Chapter X” review

Yonkers, New York icon DMX posthumously releasing a brand new EP of unreleased material. Originally started off as a beatboxer for Ready Ron as a teenager in the mid-80s, it wasn’t until 1998 when X saved Def Jam Recordings from bankruptcy by dropping 2 of the most critically acclaimed hip hop albums of that decade back to back: It’s Dark & Hell’s Hot and Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood. The follow-up …And Then There Was X at the tail-end of the next year was just as great in my opinion but from there, the next 4 albums from Ruff Ryders Entertainment’s flagship artist would range from average at best or hideous at worst. Exodus 1:7 was posthumously released a couple months after his death to mixed reception although I can definitely tell it was completed before his passing & wanted to give Let Us Pray: Chapter X a chance since I have nothing but respect from the greatest to ever come from the hometown of the inaugural AEW Continental Classic winner, former CZW World Heavyweight Champion, 2-time CZW World Tag Team Champion, アイアンマンヘビーメタル級チャンピオン, EVOLVE Tag Team Champion, 新日本プロレス強無差別級チャンピオン & ROH World Champion Eddie Kingston.

“Favor” produced by Warryn Campbell is this orchestrally drumless intro talking about being God’s favorite child & thanking Him for making X as righteous of a person as he was while “Bear with Me” featuring Lecrae works in some pianos hi-hats to get on the spoken word tip for 3 & a half minutes. “1 Life to Do It” featuring MC Lyte continues the spoken word delivery over drumless strings & “Until I’m Gone” featuring WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg ends with a bare jazz instrumental speaking on a unique kind of love.

What a lot of people including myself initially thought was gonna be 4 gospel rap tracks that DMX had left in the vaults for an unspecified amount of time turned out to be a disappointing cash-grab from Def Jam that I like even less than Exodus 1:7. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with Warryn Campbell’s production whatsoever, but the spoken word performances from the guests & even DMX himself seems like a significant letdown reminiscent to The Rose That Grew from Concrete that 2Pac’s estate put out 24 years back.

Score: 2/5

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Lelo – “When It’s Over” review

This is the 6th EP from Detroit, Michigan up-&-comer Lelo. Signing to 10K Projects earlier within the year following his first 3 EPs, he would make his presence known more widely in the local trap scene by putting out his 4th EP Nightingale not too long after landing a record deal & gained even more exposure a month later by dropping the single “No Contempt” on SoundCloud. LifeAfterDogshit just so happened to come out a month ago & exactly 30 days later, he’s picking up exactly where he left off on When It’s Over.

“Broken” starts by mixing a rubbery bass-line with hi-hats talking about his top shelf status & being in it forever whereas “Get It Together” takes the cloudy trap route instrumentally talking about trying to get everything all in order. “Manga” has a cool symphonic trap vibe advising not to compare him to anyone he’s better than while “Dresser” cautions that all the extra shit is gonna result in y’all getting lined up.

To get the other half going, “Evangelion” talks about his desires of becoming rich & not trying to come off as being too brash while “Game” speaks on racing his idols out here rather than looking up them & callin’ a fuck boy his child since he raised him. “Numbers” nears the end of the EP by talking about having hoes leading into “Real Dogshit” closing up shop pointing out some of these dudes be actin’ tough & not seeing any action.

Whenever the time comes for Lelo to put out an official full-length debut, I really do think it’s gonna elevate him to the next level because I can say with confidence that When It’s Over has to be the most enjoyable EP in his discography other than Nightingale. The production maintains the consistency of the EP that he gave us only a month ago, once more holding off on any guests to make way for him rippin’ mics by himself.

Score: 3.5/5

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Nettspend – “Badass Fucking Kid” review

Nettspend is a 17 year old rapper & songwriter from Richmond, Virginia notable for being an affiliate of both the Novagang & 1c34 collectives. His debut EP KiCKDOOR was released a year & a half ago to mixed reception, although his subsequent singles have been skyrocketing his popularity in the jerk & lowend subgenres to the point where he landed a record deal with Grade A Productions & Interscope Records for his official debut mixtape with an interesting list of production credits that could make it clear the breakout EP.

“Growing Up” starts the album on some atmospheric trap shit talking about not wanting to grow up although Tyler, The Creator did the concept better on “Parade” off his only mixtape Bastard whereas “Leader” goes for a rage-inducing vibe instrumentally thanks to Kenny Beats & Ok talking about trying new things, which I’m all for. “Project Pat” keeps the hypertrap vibes going paying homage to the titular Hypnotize Camp Posse member & “Tommy” flexes his girl street slimin’.

Moving on from there, “Tyla” maintains the rage beats talking about needing a bitch as lit as the mononymous Queen of Popiano prior to “A$AP” incorporating some pianos & hi-hats making it clear to pull up soon as you can referencing Rocky’s upcoming 4th album Don’t Be Dumb. “Fuck Cancer” talks about being on the run like he’s Foxy Brown & his girl being on the daily grind, but then “Skipping Class” sampling “Genesis” by Grimes cuts straight to the chase that he’s done being bad with this specific person.

“Beach Leak” is another favorite of mine from the drill instrumental from Evilgiane to him likening himself to a Gen Z version of Future while “Shut Up” gets back on the hypertrap tip talking about feeling like it’s a glitch considering how big he is on ‘em & being the shit. “Bird Box” bombastically makes an interesting comparison to the 2018 film that it’s named after while “Drop the Blunt” playfully steadily stays smoking dope.

The song “Perc Soda” begins the encore of Badass Fucking Kid talking about lacing his pop with percocets & he’s the baddest kid of 2024 while the energetic penultimate track “Laughin’” wants to know exactly why these fuckboys be bluffin’ out here. The closer “Say Please” finishes Nettspend’s debut fusing cloud rap & drill talking about how it ain’t his fault he got as much swag as he does.

Announcing his arrival officially, the Virginia up-&-comer hailing from the same city that made Pharrell from the greatest production duo of all-time The Neptunes as told in Piece by Piece a couple months ago showcases his promising future with the production ranging rage to cloud rap, drill & trap in addition to Nettspend giving us a look at who some of his influences are musically.

Score: 3.5/5

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Rich Amiri – “War Ready” review

Boston, Massachusetts up-&-comer Rich Amiri returning for the final month of 2024 with his 3rd full-length studio album. Beginning to turn heads since the fall of 2021 off the strength of his debut EP Ethereal, the 4ersona member would go on to follow it up with 6 more EPs before signing to Internet Money Records & introducing himself to a wider audience on the aptly titled Evolution followed by the sophomore effort Ghetto Fabulous. He landed a spot in this year’s XXL Freshman Class over the summer & is now War Ready roughly 6 months later.

“Amiri Trendsetter” featuring OsamaSon finds the pair kickin’ things off with this psychedelic trap instrumental talkin’ about people bitin’ their styles & that life can’t be any better in 2025 whereas “Oh Myy” has a bit of a rage influence living life as if it’s a movie. “Don’t Make Me” hazily suggests that he can show y’all how to move & finesse thanks to Internet Money in-house producer Synthetic & venny just before “U Want That?” flexes that he’s at Maggianos with a baddie over a siren & hi-hats courtesy of Rio Leyva.

OsamaSon & Amiri link back up on the futuristic trap joint “I’m wit It” explaining that shit’s getting gnarly in addition to showing off their new sticks & everyone else’s glitching while “Touché” works in a hypertrap beat talking about bitches tryna fuck him for his paper being outta their minds. “Count My Bandz” with co-production from Taz Taylor triumphantly clarifies that the world don’t owe you shit, but then the hypnotic “That’s It” boasts his lifestyle.

“Hunchos” ends the first half of War Ready expressing his fear of telling a bitch that he loves her because he’ll feel completely stupid if she ends up cheating on him while “Same Old Me” samples “New Person, Same Old Mistakes” by Tame Impala to talk about those thinkin’ shit’s sweet being goners. “I’m Gone” admits that he doesn’t want to choose violence & he’ll dead any beef if they bring it to him over a rage-inducing instrumental while “Stormi Daniels” likens his girl to the titular pornstar.

Meanwhile on “Keep It Cool”, we have Amiri maintaining the hypertrap vibes saying y’all better keep it cool ’cause shit could get ugly at any point while the carefree “So Easy” talks about having his way. “Gutta Gutta” promises that he won’t ever switch on his Day 1s shell shocking people & leaving them wrapped up while “G23” turns the bass up staying focused off the adderrall.

“U Like?” reaches further towards the backend of War Ready turning the distortion up a bit addressing a mischievous bitch who doesn’t love him at all & actually wants to beef him coming to the apparent realization that he doesn’t think he can save himself anymore while “Day After Day” finishes the LP with a cavernous trap cut knowing he’s been making it look like a breeze as a result of doing it from the very beginning.

Starting the deluxe run with a bang, “Heavy Steps” that Toom of Vanguard Music Group helped laced asks how you saying you have a check when you can’t even afford your rent while the intergalactic trap cut “New Celine” talks about him refusing to cop a plea deal. “Ray Charles” happens to be the final bonus track of the 3, treating a bitch as if she’s the rhythm & blues icon not seeing shit alluding to his blindness when he was still here.

Many have criticized Amiri for having a supposed “lack of authenticity” & he pretty much takes the opportunity to silence those individuals by putting out an album that reinforces why he landed a spot the 2024 XXL Freshman Class nearly 6 months ago. Although he’s been experimenting with his music for a while now, he’s trying out more new sounds on here & it results in his most eclectic offering.

Score: 3.5/5

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Juice WRLD – “The Party Never Ends” review

This is the 5th & final full-length studio LP from Chicago, Illinois rapper & singer/songwriter Juice WRLD. Quickly becoming a prominent face in the emo rap trend in the spring of 2018 off the strength of his commercial debut Goodbye & Good Riddance, this was followed up the next year with the sophomore album Death Race for Love & Juice sadly passed away after his 21st birthday from a drug overdose. Now even though I personally found both of those albums to be average at best before his untimely death, they eventually grew on me & the kid was undeniably talented. Case in point: “Lucid Dreams” & his astonishing 1-hour Tim Westwood freestyle. Legends Never Die during the summer of the COVID-19 lockdowns was a cool little tribute & 3 years after Fighting Demons tied-in with his Into the Abyss documentary nicely, The Party Never Ends is finally seeing the light of day.

The title track begins by hopping over a psychedelic trap instrumental getting the party started whereas “Misfit” gets on his emo rap shit talking about not fitting in. “All Girls Are the Same 2 (Insecure)” featuring Nicki Minaj is this pointless sequel to one of Juice’s biggest hits, but then the bassy “Lace It” featuring Eminem makes up for it reflecting heavily on substance abuse & Eminem giving one of his best guest verse in recent memory discussing the recent deaths of many rappers due to drug overdose.

“Cuffed” produced by from benny blanco, Cashmere Cat & longtime collaborator Nick Mira of Internet Money Records joyously celebrates Juice’s accomplishments as result of his position as an artist up until the point of his death while the cloudy trap joint “KTM Drip” talks about letting in the drugs that’re knocking on his door. “Love Letter” goes for a trippier direction to the beat once more telling the woman that’s on his mind that he wants to be with her forever just before “Condone It” tackles the lifestyle that he lived over this woozy Boi-1da instrumental.

The Kid Laroi who recently starred in the A24 Films teen flick Y2K hops on the mic throughout the entirety of “Goodbye” heading for a minimal sound & looking back on the time that he spent with his late mentor while the guitar-driven “Party By Myself” talks about nothin’ else numbing his pain like the pills & the weed. “Adore You” addresses his issues with love & drugs over more guitars while “Celebrate” featuring Offset has one of the best beats on the album thanks to Metro Boomin’ mixing Raf Simons & Rick Owens together

“Jeffrey” pushes further towards the 2nd half hooking up a rubbery bassline chillin’ with killers referencing Jeffrey Dahmer while “Barbarian” reuses the instrumental of “Red Dead” by Yung Bans, doing it better by professing his affection for codeine referencing WWE Hall of Famer Mike Tyson. “Best Friend” featuring Fall Out Boy tediously fuses trap, pop rap & a hint of pop rock for a duet asking their soulmates if they could put a yellow diamond ring on their left hands while the upbeat “Floor It” boasts about his drug use as well as expensive materialism & his girlfriend at the time of him recording it referencing 14-time WWE world champion, 4-time WWE tag team champion, WWE Intercontinental Champion & WWE United States Champion Randy Orton.

The song “Oxycodone” has a cool rap rock flare courtesy of Purps talking about the drug addiction that he sadly lost his life to & Spend It” finishes the final body of work in Juice WRLD’s discography showcasing his wealth & the slow vibes that Zaytoven laced make it feel bittersweet. “Empty Out Your Pockets” though initially premiered during Fortnite’s Remix event falling back after needing millions over pianos & hi-hats until it was later added as an official bonus cut.

Shy of the 5-year anniversary of his tragic death in less than a couple weeks, The Party Never Ends fills the void for fans who grew up alongside the beloved rapper’s melancholy melodies in the form of misfit music running at 54 minutes. The familiar themes of doomed love, vicious cycles, numbing out & fighting demons sung in an anguished warble matched with the production blending emo rap, trap & pop rap ensures that the Chicago artist’s legacy will live on forever.

Score: 3.5/5

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Kendrick Lamar – “GNX” review

Compton emcee, songwriter & actor Kendrick Lamar surprise-releasing his 6th studio LP outta nowhere ahead of his Super Bowl LIX halftime show in a few months. Coming up in ‘04 off his debut mixtape Y.H.N.I.C. (Youngest Head N***a in Charge): Hub City Threat (Minor of the Year), he would go on to follow-up with 2 more tapes as well as an eponymous debut EP before breaking out in the fall of 2010 off his 4th mixtape O(verly) D(edicated) & then Section.80 that next summer. Then came him signing to Dr. Dre’s very own Interscope Records imprint Aftermath Entertainment, where Kendrick made himself home at for a decade. Especially given that good kid, m.A.A.d city & To Pimp a Butterfly have quickly become some of the most beloved hip hop albums ever made in their own rights for good reason whether it be gkmc coming off as a hood movie on wax or TPaB delivering relevant social commentary on top of jazzy, funky production. DAMN. however was definitely his most commercial one yet & I don’t listen to it as much as his other work, but it’s still a great listen nonetheless with its phenomenal duality concept. Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers fulfilled his Top Dawg Entertainment/Aftermath contract with a mature 2-disc effort, resulting in pgLang signing with Interscope for distribution. His beef with Drake this year has been absolutely prolific on his side from “euphoria” to my favorite “meet the grahams” & of course “Not Like Us”, returning a week ahead of Thanksgiving by pulling up in a GNX.

“wacced out murals” is this trap intro talking about Drake fans fucking up a mural of his in Compton a couple months ago additionally refusing to squash it with Drake himself, WWE Hall of Famer Snoop Dogg reposting “Taylor Made”, feeling like his hard work let Lil Wayne down & Nas being the only person to congratulate him for the Super Bowl LIX halftime show whereas “squabble up” takes the hyphy route instrumentally to talk about walking in & later walking out both sides. “luther” samples “If This World Were Mine” by Cheryl Lynn & Luther Vandross thanks to Jack Antonoff, Kamasi Washington & Sounwave envisioning a world where pain & conflict are eradicated prior to the calming “man at the garden” talking about deserving it all when he absolutely does.

Meanwhile on “hey now”, we have Kendrick & Dody6 over a ratchet instrumental from none other than DJ Mustard boasting that they’re way too important just before my 2nd favorite track “reincarnated” flips “Made N****z” by 2Pac letting off concentrated thoughts on who he used to be & putting 100 hoods on 1 stage at the Pop Out show this summer. “tv off” serves as this 2-parter with the 2nd half standing out the most explaining that someone gotta do something about these muhfuckas actin’ bad out here with only a few real ones left, but then the atmospherically funky “dodger blue” with co-production from Terrace Martin talks about the westside getting the money.

“peekaboo” featuring AzChike & Dody6 nears the end of GNX by getting back on the nervous tip dissin’ everyone for talkin’ a whole lotta nothing while my personal favorite track “The Heart VI” serves as the real 6th installment of his famous “Heart” series disregarding that awful diss Drake put out this spring, sampling my favorite SWV song “Use Your Heart” to take ownership in a Black Hippy album never materializing & explaining why he left TDE. The title track by Hitta J3, Peysoh & YoungThreat gets together over some keys to talk about being the ones while “gloria” tropically finishes by addressing a fear of forever.

“Not Like Us” was a firm reminder that Kendrick is absolutely more than capable of making fun music rather than certain individual having him pigeonholed as a conscious artist & GNX being his first body of work after leaving TDE/Aftermath if anything expands on that. The production showcases his versatility with a decent list of lesser-known local guests prominently going for a west coast trap vibe with additional elements of ratchet music, nervous music, conscious hip hop, hardcore hip hop & pop rap.

Score: 4.5/5

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Gwen Stefani – “Bouquet” review

Gwen Stefani is a 55 year old singer/songwriter, producer, fashion designer & actress Fullerton, California most notable for being the frontwoman of No Doubt. She later embarked on a solo career by signing to Interscope Records, seeing huge success following the release of her full-length debut L.A.M.B. (Love.Angel.Music.Baby.) named after her fashion line & The Sweet Escape. A decade later, she returned to positively received This Is What the Truth Feels Like as well as the Christmas album You Make It Feel Like Christmas consisting of covers during the 1st half & original material for the other. However, country producer Scott Hendricks is now joining Gwen for her 5th studio LP.

“Somebody Else’s” starts with this country rock opener singing about her current state mind after moving on from her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale whereas the title track those for more of a traditional country flare explaining that her heart was broken when meeting her new husband Blake Shelton. “Pretty” goes for more of a stripped-back approach singing that she’s bloomed & the acoustic-heavy “Empty Vases” tells Blake that he filled this lonely space of her’s.

Meanwhile on “Marigolds”, we have Gwen going country pop explaining that the tears they cry brought them back to life just before “Late to Bloom” goes for a country rock vibe once again singing about how waiting for Blake took centuries from her perspective. “Swallow My Tears” mixes country, pop & rock into 1 feeling as if the past has been chasing her around wanting Blake with her leading into “Reminders” asking if she can stay in his shade when she’s scared.

“All Your Fault” pushes towards the final moments of Bouquet pulling from traditional country music once again singing about her previous ex-husbands making her feel broken putting all the blame on them & “Purple Irises” featuring Blake Shelton himself properly finishes the LP in the form of this country duet telling each other that they’ve never known I love like the kind they have picking the titular flowers that symbolize wisdom, respect & admiration.

Chock full of 70’s pop-rock radio gems with a prominent Nashville influence, Scott Hendricks helps Gwen make her foray into country music one that’s better than I had originally anticipated because I can definitely see myself going back to this more than This is What the Truth Feels Like or You Make It Feel Like Christmas. Scott was the greatest choice of a producer that the No Doubt lead singer could make since he’s worked with her new husband plenty of times & Gwen’s songwriting throughout is prominently based around her experiences with love.

Score: 3.5/5

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070 Shake – “Petrichor” review

070 Shake is a 27 year old rapper & singer/songwriter from North Bergen, New Jersey who started out as a member of the 070 collective. She later caught the attention of one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye formerly known as Kanye West, who signed her to a joint deal with G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings in 2016. Her debut EP Glitter saw a release in the spring of 2018 a couple months ahead of her mentor’s historic Wyoming sessions & it showed her artistic potential, which the full-length debut Modus Vivendi & the sophomore effort You Can’t Kill Me both expanded on. Def Jam would sever all ties with G.O.O.D. Music a few months after the latter due to Ye’s antisemitic meltdown forever altering his public appearance after calling himself a Nazi & later starting YZY SND, resulting in people questioning G.O.O.D. Music’s future. Over 2 years later, Shake’s returning for her 3rd album & presumably the last under the G.O.O.D./Def Jam tandem.

“Sin” works in some pianos & guitars to get us started singing about being awake & in a dream state simultaneously whereas “Elephant” keeps the guitars in tact addressing an individual that she doesn’t even recognize anymore & vice versa. “Pieces of You” brings the pianos back in the fold swapping out the guitars for strings asking what to do with the pieces of this person in her head, but then the standout “Vagabond” was originally conceived during the Vultures 2 sessions never loving anyone else than Johnny Depp & Vanessa Paradis’ daughter Lily-Rose Depp.

Moving on from there, the minute long “Lungs” wants to know if Lily-Rose would come with her to go find another one when the sun explodes & there’s nowhere to run kinda giving me a Yeezus vibe instrumentally just before “Into Your Garden” featuring JT brings the pair together over more keys being under the impression that all good things come to an end. “Battlefield” has these prominent organs throughout asking to come & give it up on top of restoring her faith, but then “Winter Baby / New Jersey Blues” is a drumless 2-parter paying her dues & doing her time.

“Song to the Siren” featuring Courtney Love asks if they should stand amid the breakers or lie with death while the synth-driven “What’s Wrong with Me?” sings about feeling as if a virus took control of her body with a new host. The crescendoing “Blood on Your Hands” finds her being unable to begin untangling herself from Lily-Rose while the song “Never Let Us Fade” repetitively sings about if she had her way. “Love” ties up Petrichor professing her love for her partner.

Taking it’s name from a term used to describe the smell of rain on arid soil after a long period of dry weather, what’s likely the end of G.O.O.D. Music’s partnership with Def Jam gives 1 final look at 070 Shake’s genre-bending style & a glimpse into her fatal vision of desire. The musical palate consists of acoustic guitars, ornate piano passages, ominous synths, dembow & hip-hop rhythms with a dash of psychedelia leveling up her maturity.

Score: 3.5/5

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