aidannbaker

Something I've noticed as a trend in pop from the late 2000s and early 2010s is that artists would truly treat their debut as a once in a lifetime chance to prove their worth to the music industry. The drive, the hunger....t was palpable. The Fame by Lady Gaga serves as a perfect case study for this very theory. With the modern day context of knowing this would be the primary source for Gaga's signature sound, I totally understand the foundation that The Fame laid for the albums that ... read more

I remember hearing my first Weeknd song around 2013. I had this old boombox in my room that was passed down to me from my Grandpa. At the time I didn't have any CDs to play on it, but it had a radio antenna so I would catch 96.3, the hip-hop/r&b radio station in Indianapolis. One night as I was getting ready for bed, I flipped on the radio and heard Wicked Games for the first time. Now I didn't catch the intro so I had no clue who was singing or what the song was, but I remember ... read more

Gap Year! was one of the more enjoyable listens I've had to a project this year. I always tip my cap to artists who lead the production of a project in addition to the vocal performance. Laila's style is reminiscent of Summer Walker, particularly on her more acoustic EPs where the vocal production isn't heavy and the material just feels raw and authentic. This album is a true R&B project, but explored a nice variety production styles that kept me engaged and interested from ... read more

An album that fully embodies the title, Short n' Sweet was exactly that (and more). Sabrina Carpenter turned her Espresso moment into full on momentum that you can feel carried out through this project. She ping-pongs between different genres, delivering a wide array of sonic experiences with each track. There is clear representation of each of the last 5 decades all over this record, and that diversity is refreshing. It feels like she blew the dust off of some of these classic pop, funk, ... read more