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
Pop Soul
Khalid – Scenic Drive
Not long ago the most streamed artist in the world, it seems that Khalid’s fall from pop dominance has been incredibly sudden. Criticisms of his work being too stagnant and derivative had followed him for his whole career, but a couple tracks on his last project Free Spirit seemed to finally start breaking out of … Continue reading Khalid – Scenic Drive
Adele – 30
After a gap a single day shy of exactly six years away from the spotlight, the reigning queen of album sales has finally returned to reclaim her throne. There’s truly no other artist that casts a net of appeal as wide as Adele does – her soaring pop-soul ballads are capable of getting just about … Continue reading Adele – 30
James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
One of the music industry’s most sought-after collaborators, both James Blake’s touching and heartfelt folksy ballads and his tendency for experimentation and daringly jumping across genre lines to blend his malleable style with some of today’s biggest innovators have been drawing in more and more fans as his career progresses. Now on his fifth studio … Continue reading James Blake – Friends That Break Your Heart
Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over
The stereotype of child stars going on to have rough lives has always been prevalent in pop culture, and while it may unfortunately be true for the most part, it’s quite possible that nobody has had it worse than Demi Lovato. Accompanying a new highly intimate documentary about her struggles, Lovato’s 7th studio album is … Continue reading Demi Lovato – Dancing With The Devil…The Art Of Starting Over
Nick Jonas – Spaceman
Seems like even an iconic teen heartthrob like Nick Jonas can’t get the sales numbers going in the extremely quiet musical year that has been 2021 so far. Contrary to his other famous brother, Nick has been much more prolific with his public ventures outside of the brotherly band, and is now on his fourth … Continue reading Nick Jonas – Spaceman
Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales
Back for the first time since 2015’s Reality Show album, esteemed R&B vocalist Jazmine Sullivan has returned with what is essentially a concept EP. Featuring eight tracks that stir up a wide range of important discussions regarding society’s attitude towards women owning their sexuality and the emotional implications of walking that complicated tightrope between displaying … Continue reading Jazmine Sullivan – Heaux Tales
Sam Smith – Love Goes
After a long series of delays – and numerous successful singles to tide us over in the meantime, none of which made the final cut – soulful pop singer Sam Smith’s third studio album Love Goes finally sees the release it was supposed to at the beginning of this pandemic. While Smith has primarily been … Continue reading Sam Smith – Love Goes
Ariana Grande – positions
Well, that “break” that she said she needed didn’t last very long. One of pop music’s most prolific and influential figures has returned once again with her third album in just over two years, following up a pair of highly personal albums that catapulted her into an entirely new level of superstardom and critical acclaim. … Continue reading Ariana Grande – positions
Omar Apollo – Apolonio
Genre-defying singer and guitarist Omar Apollo has recently been making waves and growing his profile through collaborations with people like Kenny Beats and Joji, so now would be the perfect time to unleash his debut album. While Apollo’s artistry has never truly shone through on his collaborations, often sounding a bit like an off-brand Frank … Continue reading Omar Apollo – Apolonio
Ben's Beat - Music Reviews 