This is a deft and mind-bogglingly intelligent record – a subversive pop masterpiece – that somehow sounds effortless, too.
Chart-mingling, radio-ready pop has rarely felt this disruptive.
For a flag-waving LGBTQ artist riding the transgender express, the secret of Letissier's crossover charm is that she never lets polemic get in the way of a slick hook. It may be pop with a purpose, but first and foremost it is pop with a damn catchy chorus.
Chris more than anything revels in fluid identities—whether gender, personality, mood, or otherwise—and the way they free people from expectations and limits. By extension, this frees up Christine And The Queens from musical conventions, and propels the group to the precipice of greatness.
It’s groovy and funky and sultry, and it takes things seriously while still being joyful. It encourages freedom of form, in the sense of both body and art.
Chris is the sound of an already accomplished artist pushing things even further, exploring new territories rather than resting on their laurels.
As she examines what masculinity, femininity, strength, and vulnerability mean to her, Christine has never sounded more exposed -- or in control. A triumph, Chris reaffirms just how masterfully she engages minds, hearts, and bodies.
Chris should serve as a prototype for those looking to make both music and its message so personally meaningful that it invites others in to relish - and listen - in its depth and in its quality.
A refreshing and urgent exploration of what it means to be a woman in a cultural moment when women’s experiences definitely need to be heard.
A sparkling pop album that flourishes in both English and French, Chris is a supremely confident introduction to the next phase of Christine and the Queens.
Far more than just a concept for a record, it’s a successful artistic experiment that demands attention. All eyes on Chris.
This is an album that navigates the ambiguous waters of sexuality and identity, relationships and selfhood, with a steady, sure hand.
Unlike most ephemeral pop music today, Chris—like the gender-fluid character at its center—feels consequential and everlasting.
Taking everything up a notch from 2015’s hit debut ‘Chaleur Humaine’ (Human Warmth), this is most intensely personal and overtly sexual work yet.
Chris is not Letissier’s masterpiece – that is surely yet to come – but it is a glorious statement of intent and a beacon of rainbow neon illuminating the current cultural and social landscape.
One of the year’s most intelligent, enjoyable albums, and cements her position as one of our most intriguing, interesting pop stars.
This is the voice of a major emerging artist in mainstream music and one that has a fiercely strong sense of control over where she is heading.
Letessier's evidently heightened confidence goes a long, long way on Chris, and its emotions and attitude pop with astonishing strength, even if the sound could afford to do so a little more.
Her metaphors blur the line between dancing to records and the act of love-making as great disco songs wont to do. Letissier sounds the freest and more importantly herself as she sings and struts to her favorite beat.
Chris is moving: either its beat will grab you or its lyrics will -- or both. And when it does, you'll lose all your social safeguards, and dance.
#1 | / | Clash |
#1 | / | The Guardian |
#1 | / | The Independent |
#2 | / | Idolator |
#3 | / | Drowned in Sound |
#3 | / | The Observer: Kitty Empire |
#4 | / | musicOMH |
#4 | / | OOR |
#4 | / | The Daily Beast |
#5 | / | MOJO |