Now on his third album since reinventing himself with a new persona, the king of lo-fi balladry has returned with his briefest project yet. The follow-up to 2020’s solid Nectar, which saw Joji fleshing out his sparse sounds and astute songwriting instincts with production that was slightly more involved and less disjointed, things have swung … Continue reading Joji – SMITHEREENS
R&B Reviews
Rod Wave – Beautiful Mind
Still only 23 and now releasing his fourth studio album in as many years, Florida’s Rod Wave might be the single person who truly best fits the “melodic rap” description applied to many artists as of late. Inspired by abundantly emotional pop and R&B singers – and often interspersing samples from unexpected places into his … Continue reading Rod Wave – Beautiful Mind
Beyonce – RENAISSANCE
While she hasn’t exactly taken time off, RENAISSANCE is the first proper Beyonce album we’ve received in nearly six and a half years in the wake of the ground-breaking and culture-shifting Lemonade back in 2016. Scoring The Lion King, dropping one of history’s finest headlining slots at Coachella, teaming up with her famous husband for … Continue reading Beyonce – RENAISSANCE
Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
With just how long it feels like Steve Lacy’s name has been in the liner notes of tastemaker artists across a wide span of genres, it’s incredible that he’s still only 24 years old. A member of California R&B and funk collective The Internet since his late teens, he’s since crossed over with acts like … Continue reading Steve Lacy – Gemini Rights
Brent Faiyaz – WASTELAND
The path to R&B artist Brent Faiyaz being able to score a six-figure first week debut while still being an independent artist is rather impressive – taking his time between studio albums after dropping his debut back in 2017, Faiyaz has been steadily building a dedicated fanbase through a series of EPs and featuring alongside … Continue reading Brent Faiyaz – WASTELAND
Chris Brown – Breezy
Everything considered, it’s quite incredible that Chris Brown is still able to muster the popularity to warrant a review on this website 17 years and 12 major projects into his career – despite the quizzical outbursts he’s posting to social media about it not doing as well as he hoped. Truthfully, he might be doing … Continue reading Chris Brown – Breezy
Kehlani – blue water road
While it’s always been clear that Kehlani’s near-hypnotic vocal talents are far and away their greatest strength, they’ve seemingly been struggling to land on their artistic identity with their past couple of projects – collections of tracks which often provide a pleasant first listen, but don’t leave much in the form of memorability. With their … Continue reading Kehlani – blue water road
Blxst – Before You Go
West coast rapper and singer Blxst has already scored a couple of hits and worked alongside some iconic figures like Nas, Snoop Dogg and E-40 before putting out his debut album. Essentially going full R&B, Blxst leans more than ever towards his soulful tones and beachside vibe as he runs through a series of tracks … Continue reading Blxst – Before You Go
Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
Now firmly back in the public consciousness after a stellar Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, legendary R&B vocalist Mary J. Blige smartly saw fit to capitalize on her momentum and drop her 14th studio album just a couple days before she was set to take the stage. Partially written in response to a divorce, Blige … Continue reading Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous
The Weeknd – Dawn FM
You have to imagine that one of the most common questions The Weeknd gets is about why he dies so much – often graphically – throughout his music videos and album concepts. On the Toronto R&B/pop icon’s fifth full-length album, he takes his morbid curiosity to an entirely new level – but as it turns out, … Continue reading The Weeknd – Dawn FM
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 