After taking a couple diversions from her status as a world-dominating pop star that included a stripped-back country-pop project, a couple albums of duets with a legendary jazz singer, and becoming an Oscar-nominated actress, Lady Gaga’s first album in four years is her much-anticipated return to the kind of extravagant and electronic dance-pop that characterized … Continue reading Lady Gaga – Chromatica
Dance Pop
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Who could have seen this one coming? Tropes of 80s synthpop and disco-influenced sounds have been working their way back into the playbooks of the most forward-thinking pop stars in the industry for a while now, but nobody has truly modernized them in a way that’s so undeniably fun and futuristic like UK sensation Dua … Continue reading Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
The Weeknd – After Hours
After a wonderfully entertaining rollout as The Weeknd leaned heavily into his new broken-nosed 80s action movie villain look and persona, the resulting collection of songs and the story that goes along with it has finally arrived. After Hours is the fourth studio album from the dark and twisted man of mystery, and although we’ve … Continue reading The Weeknd – After Hours
BTS – MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
The steamroller of a cultural force that is BTS continues to roll on, crushing everything but Adele in its path as it debuts to over 3 million first-day sales worldwide, good for the second biggest all-time. And for the first time, their latest project Map of the Soul: 7 has honestly made me grasp the … Continue reading BTS – MAP OF THE SOUL: 7
Kesha – High Road
You have to give Kesha credit for continuing to push onwards. After returning from a long legal battle with former producer Dr. Luke with the cathartic and triumphant Rainbow, one of the most successful pop artists of the early 2010s is back with her fourth studio album. Blending together the over-the-top party girl rap persona … Continue reading Kesha – High Road
Selena Gomez – Rare
Selena Gomez has described her first album since 2015 as a “diary,” and if you wanted to know exactly what’s been going through her mind during the many struggles she’s had since then, it’s essentially all here in crystal-clear detail. After some highly-publicized health struggles – both physical and mental – and a lengthy breakup … Continue reading Selena Gomez – Rare
Rapid Fire Reviews (Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y, Avril Lavigne, Betty Who)
Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y - 2009 Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa has been seriously prolific coming out with projects over the past couple of years, and he’s back in a team-up with veteran rapper Curren$y. The two previously joined forces for one of the best songs on Khalifa’s last album Rolling Papers 2. The dynamic between the two … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Wiz Khalifa/Curren$y, Avril Lavigne, Betty Who)
The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
EDM duo The Chainsmokers took a unique approach to the release of this album, releasing all of its 10 songs one at a time in each month of 2018 (with a couple exceptions). Not professing to be the biggest Chainsmokers fan in the world, all of these songs are new to me now that the … Continue reading The Chainsmokers – Sick Boy
Rapid Fire Reviews (The 1975, Meek Mill, Rita Ora)
The 1975 - A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships British pop-rock band The 1975’s third studio album is easily their most experimental and ambitious, diverting from the typical straightforward guitar-driven anthems to a diverse and discordant array of genres with central themes of attacking the political landscape and our dedication to social media and technology. … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (The 1975, Meek Mill, Rita Ora)
Rapid Fire Reviews (Joji, Metro Boomin, Robyn)
Joji - BALLADS 1 One of ascendant label 88Rising’s biggest artists, Joji, drops his debut full-length studio album BALLADS 1 which exhibits his unique, lo-fi approach to modern R&B, pop and hip-hop music. A former YouTube star famous for his surreal, absurdist comedy, you can certainly still sense some of his over-the-top personality in his … Continue reading Rapid Fire Reviews (Joji, Metro Boomin, Robyn)
