It turns out that February 10, 2023 was a pretty great day for celebrated musicians releasing their first body of work since 2017. Joining Paramore but residing at the near complete opposite end of the sonic spectrum, alt-R&B singer Kelela returns for the first time since her hypnotic yet catchy set of tracks on Take … Continue reading Kelela – Raven
Alt R&B
SZA – SOS
After a lengthy five-and-a-half-year wait with a rollout dating back as early as September 2020, SZA fans finally got to open an early Christmas present with the release of SOS, a follow-up to her transcendent Ctrl album that brought a refreshing new voice to the R&B genre and ignited the summer of 2017. With more than an … Continue reading SZA – SOS
RM – Indigo
Despite his reputation as the leader of the group, BTS’ RM was nearly the last of the K-pop juggernaut’s roster to chart when it came to their solo music. Now that the group is going on hiatus due to their military service, we’ve seen a couple solo outings in rapid succession – but none with … Continue reading RM – Indigo
Joji – SMITHEREENS
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
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
Drake – Honestly, Nevermind
The jokes write themselves with the title, don’t they? Only nine months after the biggest artist in the world released the much-ridiculed but still wildly successful Certified Lover Boy, Drake returns with his surprise-dropped 7th studio album, seemingly in an attempt to push the boundaries of how little effort he can put into a #1 … Continue reading Drake – Honestly, Nevermind
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