nolanlee

What compels a band to title their fourth studio album after themselves? On The Dollyrots, it was the band’s departure from their previous label, Blackheart Records, and establishment of their own label, Arrested Youth Records. Not only is it a departure from Joan Jett's label, but The Dollyrots also depart entirely from the approaches of their previous albums. The result is, quite undoubtedly, one of the highest artistic moments of their career. Stripping away everything that ... read more

Very dreamy beat and soundscape; Ariana meanders both lyrically and vocally.

The first of two self-titled albums, Singer—not songwriter—Whitney Houston has undoubtedly cemented herself in contemporary music history as the voice. As the Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, has surged the late pop superstar's discography back onto the charts at the time of writing this review, I have been led to dive back into the discographies of his contemporaries. Furthermore, April 2026 marks a decade since Prince's death, and in recent years, my viewing of the ... read more

Apart from his adventures with Silk Sonic, The Romantic is the first true solo studio album release from Bruno Mars in nearly a decade. 24K Magic, while a rather safe Bruno affair, offered some quite sparkling and stand-out lead singles. Perhaps it was due to the commercial and artistic triumph of songs like the title track, and “That’s What I Like” that it received the Grammy award for Album of the Year.

I still maintain the 2018 Grammy for AOTY should have gone to ... read more