Hypersonic Missiles: 7.8
The Borders: 7.5
White Privilege: 6.6
Dead Boys: 8.1
You’re Not The Only One: 6.8
Play God: 8.5
That Sound: 7.3
Saturday: 7.9
Will We Talk?: 7.5
Two People: 8.1
Call Me Lover: 8.7
Leave Fast: 8.5

Favorites:
Call Me Lover
Play God

Next Level Charli: 8.2
Gone: 8.5
Cross You Out: 7.4
1999: 7.6
Click: 9.0
Warm: 8.2
Thoughts: 8.5
Blame It On Your Love: 6.7
White Mercedes: 8.6
Silver Cross: 8.2
I Don’t Wanna Know: 8.0
Official: 8.7
Shake It: 9.6
February 2017: 9.0
2099: 9.5

Favorites:

White Mercedes
Shake It
2099

My expectations for “i,i” were simple. I expected ambience to the max, off-kilter song structures and strong hooks. I didn’t expect to hear something coherent but I did hope for it. I pretty much got what I asked for without the coherence. Like 22, A Million, there are soaring standouts like Faith, which has a powerful digitized bass and epic build up not dissimilar to Creature Fear, only less folk more gospel. We is another favorite.

I can’t help but feel a sense of longing; a fabricated second-hand nostalgia for a time and place so disconnected from me. And for this, Omoiyari is both a narrative and technical success!

The melodies are great here, a strength Steve has in spades, yet when paired with his hypnotizing cadence over busy production, I have a hard time remaining focused on his words. There are obvious exceptions including Playground which has a well-arranged Prince inspired, quick and catchy hook. The groovy melodies on N Side as well are clear as day and I can’t express how brilliant and sticky Only If is.

Cate Le Bon spent most of this album in solitude, reeling from the loss of a relationship it seems. There are several references to the home, the kitchen, hallway ceilings, sharing borrowed cups, arranging chairs, the bedside, riveted wives and of course, the mother. Cate proves her writing prowess with clever and beautiful observations, be them simple, they evoke elusive feelings of nostalgia in ways no lo-fi guitar can do alone.

Khaled’s signature posse song construction, with no less than two features on most tracks, has been proven successful in his past (ie. Major Key) but can easily become overwhelming if artists are not paired correctly. Or in the instance here, if the production has little compatibility with the artists.

A rocky relationship, the core theme here, guides to self discovery and the nuances of love. That rockiness and feelings that come with companionship naturally collide into a Flower Boy, Cherry Bomb hybrid; the perfect marriage of not only past and present mindsets but also new and diehard fans.

He strips everything back musically and emotionally. It's too bad these emotions fall flat short of the words and have little to no translation through his horribly lazy presence.

YU guides the listener in and out of a romantic chasm full of familiar lush synths and subtle sticky melodies. There’s something about Rosie’s sultry rhythm that puts me in a trance without becoming tiresome. Engaging from front to back, YU is an ease to replay with little to no filler in sight. And might I add, a vinyl must.

The bar is set quite high for females in this rnb arena thus far, and that’s all thanks to Solange, Ari Lennox, Lafawnda, Mereba, Kehlani and more. LEGACY! LEGACY! sits comfortably in the middle of its competitors. Jamila has a powerful presence and can convey strong lush emotions with ease. And the lyrical quality is almost always great, but the busy production and lack of tonal consistency veer into unstableness from time to time. There’s nothing egregiously wrong here. I foresee ... read more

Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind is a title that doesn’t compliment a single theme here. And that lack of tonal and lyrical compatibility is what elevates his smug, pretentious, faux-deep intention. From Wannabe to Pardon My Ego to Straight Ballin, Logic wants us to know his confidence will not be wained by the haters, a fair enough statement. But he contradicts himself with continuous self-doubt and ‘woe-is-me, I don’t deserve this much hate’ whining. It’s a shame ... read more

She conveys interesting foreign feelings in brief, dense verses and gut punching choruses. For me, revisiting U.F.O.F in its entirety is to not gain a deeper understanding of the lyrical context which is easily determined upon first two listens, but rather to experience the otherworldly rollercoaster Adrianne Lenker and producer Andrew Sarlo showcase. An indie singer songwriter marvel and a strong contender for best of 2019.

We’re invited into a sensual cityscape setting inside a new apartment lounging on something velvet. Shea Butter Baby is sexy and luxurious while staying fully rooted in relatability. Ari Lennox has a down to earth attitude, her voice off the cuff, she will have no problem rising above and beyond her Rnb counterparts. That I’m sure of.

Conceptual and grand, still Father of the Bride is easy going, acoustic, structurally simple, sweet and brief despite the hour long run time.

As brilliant as the lyrics are, they aren’t necessary for a full understanding. That precision and connectivity is what elevates James from good to great.

The dreamy 80’s pop is exhausting at this point and while it works for her, I’d like to hear a bit more variety, less pop drums and big cliche airy guitar. The melodies are mildly catchy. Nothing extraordinary

"I'm playing this beat with a trombone cause I'm out of my mind." Playing this beat with a toddler more like it.

There’s a strong wah proponent, a digital glitch, timely push and pull, a tonal stretch best interpreted as the bowels of a demented toy box. And a lot like a Denzel Curry, a Kanye or an Andre 3000, Kevin is not a rapper in pursuit of his pocket, he is an embedded component, he is the beat.

The potential of Kevin Abstract lays heavily on his taste, his packaging, his irrefutable star power, and yes, his talent. What I want from him is more of this.

Marina is a 33 year old woman with some advice to give but her cadence is childish, run of the mill, more like a teen offering guidance to a small child. “Sit back and enjoy your problems / you don’t always have to solve them.” The words on paper aren’t immature. It’s the packaging that resembles a toy from a crank machine outside a department store.