I’m Your Empress Of is a bold statement of her individuality, nodding to her Honduran heritage but also her clear love of electronic music and Chicago house.
Lorely Rodriguez conjures up half an hour of breathtaking avant-pop on her powerful third album.
The Honduran-American artist proves that raw personal narratives and dance pop can happily coexist, picking up the mantle from forerunners like Robyn.
I’m Your Empress Of pieces together a concoction of 12 swirling tunes, the world might be coming to an end, but Empress Of is out to save the pop universe.
I'm Your Empress Of finds a perfect balance between funky percussion, understated synths, and twisting, fractured melodies delivered with remarkable emotional directness.
From the sharp synth stabs of “Bit Of Rain” to the distorted reflections of album closer “Awful”, all led by Rodriguez’s fantastic vocals, I’m Your Empress Of is a funky, generous and vibrant record.
After the disappointing Us, it’s refreshing to see Rodriguez experiment with new styles and textures on I’m Your Empress Of.
Lorely Rodriguez’s third album, largely written and produced alone, refocuses her voice into an emotionally and aesthetically rich album of heartbreak, family history, and pop delights.
It's Empress Of's best-sequenced work to this point, playing out like a colorful, catchy dancefloor musical about an ill-fated romance with an absent object of affection.
Not much here is over three minutes, showing a sense of urgency that only goes to make this collection more vibrant.
#16 | / | The Line of Best Fit |
#20 | / | Gaffa (Sweden) |
#23 | / | The Independent |
#28 | / | The Wild Honey Pie |
#31 | / | NME |
#33 | / | PopMatters |