Kanye's Yeezus sounds like a sonic opposite of his previous album. The incorporation of experimental electronic sounds, industrial hip hop, and minimalist production created an impressive sound. It was definitely worth the risk.

Prior the release of his 2010 album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West faced several controversies which definitely negatively influenced his public image. Besides that, his album 808s & Heartbreak (2008) was not as appreciated as it later grew to be. ... read more

After listening to this mixtape (which has been promoted as a playlist) and its preceding proper studio album, Views (2016), I do not really understand this place within Drake's discography. While More Life definitely has quite a lot of ups and downs throughout its 22 tracks, I enjoyed most of it, and it is definitely a better experience than exhausting Views.

Drake is one of the most influential artists of the 2010s, whether you like him or his music. It's a fact. Last decade belonged to him. ... read more

While Thursday does not reach the heights of House of Balloons, it is a decent and atmospheric work of art on its own, indispensable and important part of Trilogy, and a release which also helped to reinvent the sound of alternative R&B.

House of Balloons turned 10 years old just yesterday. I wrote my review to that mixtape about a month ago, and now it is time for its follow-up, which was released less than half a year following House of Balloons. Thursday. One of the three Abel's first ... read more

Dirty Computer is an expansion of Janelle Monáe's acclaimed discography with another high-quality masterpiece. At her third studio record, she was able to infuse her funk/soul alternative R&B with more widely accessible pop-influenced sound but she did not lose her uniqueness and created a powerful manifesto concept album.

I discovered Janelle Monáe through AOTY some time ago, and when I found out how acclaimed her discography is, I decided to dive into it. Her major-label ... read more

While this is undoubtedly an improvement over his 2020 record, Changes, Justin Bieber's sixth album Justice is still just another generic pop record. Unlike its predecessors, it has numerous enjoyable moments, but besides, it is a background music without memorable moments dedicated to his fanbase which is always going to adore everything he drops.

As well as Drake, Justin Bieber is both overrated and overhated. His music is extremely generic and the fact he is so successful is a result of ... read more

Chemtrails Over the Country Club is another step in the artistic development of Lana Del Rey. The fact that Norman Fucking Rockwell! is her best one to date does not change with the release of this album. However, she dives deeper into folk and soft rock, steps closer to her audience, and makes more personal confessions once again here.

I've been familiar with Lana Del Rey's music for some time already. "Born To Die", "Video Games" and "Summertime Sadness" are ... read more

Carly Rae Jepsen rediscovered the middle ground of pop music with her 2019 album Dedicated. While this album presents radio-friendly pop music from the beginning until the end, it does not sound dumb or generic like a lot of these pop records tend to sound. In fact, the mixture of the influences of music from the 1970s and the 1980s with modern production make it sound unique and unforgettable.

Call Me Maybe Girl. One of the nicknames Carly Rae Jepsen gained. At the beginning of the 2010s, she ... read more

Selena's first Spanish-language EP, Revelación, could be a decent release if its generic reggaeton elements were not forcefully pierced into the sound. Its commercial purpose will probably work, but regarding the craftsmanship of this project, it is rather a disappointment. Something I was afraid of.

The 28-year-old Texan Selena Gomez is one of the faces and the voices which accompanies my generation since our childhoods. We could see her on TV as a teen actress back in the 2000s. ... read more

Smiling with No Teeth is probably going to be one of those debut albums of rising stars we appreciate every year. And it definitely deserves to be one of them. Challenging the borders of contemporary hip hop music, Genesis Owusu enters the music industry with an unique sound which leaves quite a lot of his more famous colleagues far behind him.

I would not get to know about this album and this artist probably if I didn't spend so much time at this website. And I am thankful for that. Kofi ... read more

Canadian singer The Weeknd released his fourth album last March. A revolutionary R&B work (which incorporates genres we would not expect to be harmonic with urban vibes) with magical, cinematic melodies and creative vocals, After Hours broke many records with its release, and is the singer’s best studio album to date.

The release of After Hours was preceded by a massive promotion, and it was one of the most expected albums of this year so far. It broke a record at Apple Music, as it ... read more

Scary Hours 2 is not the most impressive hip hop release you are going to hear. However, it went much better than I expected it to. It's a decent EP with three easily listenable tracks, something I have not expected to get from one of the most overhated artists of this time, especially after a few releases which mostly marked his quality downfall.

Drake is one of those artists who are both overrated and overhated. His releases of recent years, such as Views (2016), Scorpion (2018) or Dark Lane ... read more

Mostly it's groovy, often it's fun, but in most of cases, Zara Larsson's Poster Girl does not leave the established bubblegum-ish pop radio format. It is mostly an enjoyable pop album, but if you expect an album to have a deeper concept and a broader artistic idea, I don't think this will satisfy you.

Zara Larsson is one of those Swedish pop stars. Sweden has been a factory of pop music since the rise of ABBA, and Zara is one of the youngest and currently the most streamed representatives of ... read more

The 26-year-old rising star, Celeste, releases her debut album. As a record which connects retro genres, including jazz, soul, or traditional pop, with modern R&B, it features memorable moments. And although it sometimes sounds too simple and seems like she lacked deeper ideas while writing the songs, it is one of those impressive debuts.

Celeste is not a big star ... yet. In the past, she provided guest vocals to some of prominent electronic producers, including the late Avicii. ... read more

The deluxe edition of the American superstar's sixth studio record expands the established R&B vibe of the parent album. It shows nice ideas which could replace weaker songs from the standard edition. All of the new tracks are enjoyable, even the weakest one of them, but they might sound unfinished due to their length.

Unlike many critics and other users here, I enjoyed Positions. In fact, I still do enjoy it, as it became one of my most-streamed albums. It seems like this style was ... read more

Next month, this mixtape will turn 10 years old. It still sounds timeless, futuristic and innovative. It may be a case of my taste, however, in my opinion, House of Balloons remains his best release as a cohesive body of work (yes, even better than his 2020 album After Hours). No wonder this became a holy scripture of alternative R&B.

House of Balloons is Abel's debut release. It is also one of his three 2011 mixtapes, alongside Thursday and Echoes of Silence, which form Trilogy (2012). He ... read more

While we are still in the middle of this pandemic, we are also in the middle of disco revival, and SG Lewis' debut album, times, expands this revival again. Is it the best album of this period? No, but it will definitely make you groove. And if you like dance music, and especially this disco wave, it may be a nice addition to your library.

SG Lewis is a rising star in the background of dance music now. He is one of producers of "Hallucinate", one of singers of the global bestseller ... read more

Robyn's 2018 album Honey is not just one of those retro albums we have received in recent years. Although it is not always as mind-blowing as some of its sister records that arrived as part of this retro wave during last two years, Robyn presents the flashback to the late 1980s with this album, rather than the time around 1980 which is a central point of all the remaining bodies of work.

Although her fame is not as high as it used to be years ago, Robyn belongs among the icons of Swedish pop. ... read more

In 2020, music scene experienced a significant growth of popularity of nu-disco in the mainstream. It became trendy to take inspiration from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. New albums by Dua Lipa and The Weeknd are definitely great examples, but if you really want to return to 1980 and the era of Off the Wall and Thriller, What's Your Pleasure? offers the most faithful sound.

Jessie Ware released her debut album, Devotion, back in 2012. It garnered critical acclaim, and established the pop-soul ... read more

No, The Moonlight Edition does not offer as outstanding experience as its parent album. It does not dive into the acclaimed nu-disco style as much as most of the tracks of the standard edition either. However, it is a great extension of the era, and also kind of a flashback to the sound of her debut album. In its best possible way.

My connection with Future Nostalgia was immediate. Even faster than with Chromatica, which subsequently became my number one album of the year, just to be closely ... read more

With its 20 tracks, Drake's fourth record offers a few enjoyable moments, mainly through its dancehall element. However, as a whole body of work, it is full of fillers, its tracks tend to be repetitive, cheap, too long, and Drake's vocals often make the album tiring to listen.

The Toronto-born rapper and singer Drake remains one of the most prominent artists of the contemporary scene. His initial three albums received predominantly positive response from music critics, and he has never stopped ... read more