Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I absolutely adore this album. This was my favorite album in 7th & 8th grade, and I feel so nostalgic when I listen to it. This was also the first album I ever collected on vinyl, starting an obsession I still haven’t let go of.

This was probably the closest we got to mainstream-sounding Lana, and a lot of people didn’t like that. I was not one of them. This album ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This is one of the first R&B albums I fell in love with, back in 2017. I mentioned in my last Solange review that I was severely depressed in 2018/19, and I got really into self-care. This album really soundtracked that self-care, healing process. I feel like I’m in a piping hot bath or meditating with candles when I listen to this album

If an advice column had a ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This is one of the most underrated albums of all time. It is genuinely perfect from front to back> It’s not high concept, it’s not revolutionary; it’s just good music. It’s a very personal look into the way in which she loves, be that romantically or familially. It starts with an interlude from her mother and ends with her interviewing a bunch of kids ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

What would you do if I said this wasn’t her best album? Not even objectively. Don’t let me be misunderstood, it’s a beautiful album, but this was kind of the beginning of the end for Lana’s creative, genre-bending era. After this album, she kind of stuck to this sound and hasn’t strayed much since. Fuck you, Jack Antonoff.

That said, this is a ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I feel so summer 2022 when I listen to this album, and I love it. It’s carefree, easy, indulgent, and unapologetically fun. I will never understand the hate this album gets from fans. Not everything has to be revolutionary to be good; sometimes the formula just works, and this is the perfect example of that.

This album is so conventional, yet so Charli. It’s authentic ... read more

This is definitely her most British album yet. It feels very 80s Britrock-inspired (vocally), and I don’t know how to feel about that. I understand the album, but I still don’t love it. This classical-inspired pop just isn’t my thing. I'm conflicted because I really like it when artists try new sounds, and I love moody Charli, but this just doesn't really land with me. I can appreciate it for its place in her discography and as a memento of her range, but I probably ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I don’t know what the fuck everybody’s problem was in 2020, but y’all hated this album. This is such a cute dance-pop summer album. Like, what did you not get? Listening to this album really feels like if summer 2020 was a singular album. It’s fun and free, but a little dark too. This should’ve been her Mayhem.

Musically, the production is great. ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This album helped me reclaim my Appalachian heritage, no joke. Before Beyoncé released this album, I was mortified by the fact that I grew up in West Virginia. I tried my best to unlearn my accent, I purposefully told people I was from the “DC area,” and I did everything I could to erase my roots. When I heard this album, something clicked in me. If ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I’ve been a fan of Summer since her first Mixtape. I remember when this album came out, I was so disappointed in it. I felt that it was just generic Trap Soul, and at the time, I was really into her neo-soul vibe. However, I grew into this album quickly.

This album is easily likable. It’s candid, unfiltered, and honest. The music itself isn’t exactly ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This is actually so embarrassing to listen to as an adult. I won’t divulge all the details (because they’re honestly mortifying), but I was obsessed with this album/era, like Amino obsessed. 6th grade was rough for everyone…

The music itself is so corny and shallow. Only a middle schooler could think this was deep, and I don’t understand how a grown ass ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This album had me in a chokehold during quarantine. I remember going to her virtual Zoom sessions and Instagram Lives when she was writing this. The interactivity of this album, along with the quick turnaround, made this a once-in-a-lifetime album. It captured the moment in a way that cameras never could; it captured the loneliness, the longing, the pure boredom, and the hope. ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

Ain’t a damn thing discreet, the name Junglepussy.

Junglepussy is one of the most underrated rappers (and artists) of all time, and I will die on that hill. If you don’t get it, you may just not be on her level. I first listened to this album when I was like 14, and I didn’t get it. I liked it, but I didn’t get it. I remember calling it “good ... read more

Honestly, I don’t think I can wrap my head around this album after just a few listens. It’s very clever and complex. I think since every song on this album is consistently good (but not amazing), the lines between them blur. I like the upbeat songs like Waitin and LMK and the slower ones like Jupiter and Enough, but the mid-tempo songs seem to fade into the background for me. Something about this album just doesn't hit on all cylinders for me. It feels like I can't focus ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

Alright, I’ll admit I’ve lost the 75 Hard challenge, but I’m still gonna try and catch up.

This album isn’t really a personal one for me, but I did like it when it came out. That said, it was still disappointing for being Kim’s major label debut. It felt like they just wanted to ride the wave of Unholy, and it fell so flat.

The concept of feeding ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This is another album I will defend to my grave. I genuinely think this is one of Lana’s best albums. I know the lyrics are controversial, but quite frankly, I don’t care. I think this is one of Lana’s most cohesive albums, and it really holds a consistent vibe throughout. It feels like a dimly lit dive bar, cigarette smoke in a trailer park, and getting drunk at ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This album should’ve gotten the praise that Caution got. It’s some of her most forward-thinking work (she revived disco with Meteorite before Dua Lipa even thought about it), and it has some of the most vulnerable lyrics, with songs like Supernatural being about her recent Motherhood. This album is also very referential, with songs like Dedicated being about old school ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

There is a reason this is considered one of the best albums of all time. Between the concept, the surprise drop, and the insane level of artistry, this album sits atop a long, long list of ‘the greats’. The concept of going through the stages of relationship grief (Hold Up is denial, Don’t Hurt Yourself is anger, Sorry is apathy, etc.) is something that we really ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I will never understand the hate that this album gets from the masses. God forbid a pop girl change her image for a little. I personally love it when pop girls go country. Beyoncé, Miley, Kylie, but Gaga did it first. To a lot of fans, this country image seemed disingenuous, but real bitches know that Gaga’s mother was from West Virginia, which means Gaga’s ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

This album is criminally underrated. I don’t care. I don’t care. Argue with the wall. This is Beyoncé’s most celebratory album (and I do consider it to be a Bey album). It feels like popping champagne on a yacht in the French Riviera. It feels like boarding a private jet to fly to Cancún. It feels less like a love story and more like a flex. I ... read more

Preface: This is an album I have already listened to, and I am re-listening to it as part of my 75 Hard Challenge.

I’ll admit I didn’t get this album at first. I couldn’t fully wrap my head around what it was or wasn’t. It takes a few listens to fully grasp what Ms. Polachek was trying to do here. Desire is its own story; it’s its own world; it’s its own dimension.

The world-building on this album is truly unmatched by anyone in recent years. Listening to ... read more