An album that only gets better with time. Each listening more rewarding than the previous. Luscious, grounded, sexy, serene, fun, cosmic... and many, many more adjectives. It is a masterpiece that solidified Solange as one of the best R&B/neo-soul artists of this century. Somehow, this record feels lived-in and brand new at the same time... as if the songs were natural, homegrown and also, surreal and deliciously synthetic. Sometimes, the songs turn into mantras, lullabies. The next one, a ... read more

On her debut album, Luedji uses sounds of the African diaspora and sultry poetry to show her worldview as a black woman from Bahia (more specifically, from Salvador: the city with the largest black population outside Africa). The politically charged album feels both soft and metallic, full of self-realisation and hurt, always delivered beautifully.
She starts with the stunning track "Asas", where the wind is an allegory for how strength and lightness coexist inside her. The soft drums ... read more

Using an American state as a theme for a record is not exactly the recipe for a good album, one might say. Sufjan took the challenge very personally and the result is a majestic album that keeps on giving, even after more than 15 years since its release. It feels creative, clever, touching, strange and wonderful all at once. In this record, Sufjan weaves folk tales from Illinois with his own stories, using the landscape and state icons (both the good ones, such as Nicholas Sparks, and the bad ... read more

Catchy melodies paired with creative, deep and beautiful lyrics could never fail. Mitski did just that, and made it look easy. Her songs on this record are as great as they are brief: the message is delivered straightforwardly, with no fillers, no distractions. Just like in the best of culinary, the limited ingredients of these songs shine for their quality.
On this album, Mitski wanders through the different forms of love and longing with very relatable displays of all their sensations; there ... read more

This is an album that needs to be listened multiple times. It needs distance and time to grow on you. The hard part is that it is not an instant replay: the album is not particularly addictive or catchy, and it doesn't deliver epic moments that make you want to listen closely one more time. It requires something that it doesn't provide. But given the chance, this work flourishes as a simple, cozy and mindful collection. Just like Melodrama was visually clear, illuminated by club lights, the ... read more

Brittany has a beautiful mind and a fun soul. She can be unapologeticly horny in one beat and deliver a otherworldly arrange in the next. The use of organic instruments such as her violin make for the "Natural", the reflections about race justify the "Brown" bit, and the delicious flow that permeates the album crowns her as the Prom Queen. Her experiments on sound are refreshing and dispute tightly with her catchy melodies for what makes this album so addictive. At times, ... read more

Beyoncé continues on her journey to infuse the mainstream music with African diaspora sounds and concepts; this time, she adds queerness to the mission. Lemonade was a great, deeply personal album that had all of the emotions and all of the phases of grief; here, Beyoncé rejoices and makes an album that is less about her and more about how being authentic feels damn good. The album is anthemic to black women and queer folks, in a homage to the icons that brought dance music to ... read more

Saturated with the angst that can only be experienced between the ages of 19 and 24, this album is anthemic to the audience that grew with Lorde. Maybe due to the artist's synesthesia, the album sounds like visuals, at times vivid and otherwise, hazy and dark as a crowded club. The production elevates the lyrics to both euphoric and poignant states, one of the finest work from Antonoff, if not his best. The duo reaches the highest level of pop excellence: music that is just as good on your ... read more