Category: Reviews
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AllMusic Review: Gunna’s DS4Ever
On 2020’s WUNNA, Atlanta trapper Gunna went all-in on his woozy, “Skybox”-like style – now, two years later, the rapper takes things back to his faster-paced roots for third album DS4Ever. While this more generalized direction results in a less cohesive project overall, its highs are worth your time –…
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AllMusic Review: Bad Bunny’s TRILOGY
After half a decade of non-stop hits, Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny completes his victory lap with TRILOGY, a vinyl compilation of his three studio albums to date. Marking the first time that his reggaeton opus YHLQMDLG has made it to vinyl, this box set is a must-have for fans…
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AllMusic Review: TWICE’s “Formula of Love: O+T = <3"
TWICE’s third Korean-language LP is a triumph, a glitzy pathway through love’s numerous forms that folds the group’s mature new sonic direction into their winning formula. Read my full review of the album at AllMusic: Rating: 4/5 Top 3: “ICON,” “REAL YOU,” “PUSH & PULL” Genres: K-Pop, Korean Pop, Pop…
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AllMusic Review: ENHYPEN’s “Dimension: Dilemma”
And another round-up review, this time for South Korean trailblazers ENHYPEN. Though their debut album feels more like an EP, running just 8 songs long, it more than makes up in quality. Read my full review of the album at AllMusic: Rating: 3.5/5 Top 3: “Tamed-Dashed,” “Blockbuster,” “Just a Little…
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AllMusic Review: Ka’s “A Martyr’s Reward”
Finally got round to delivering my thoughts on the latest LP from Brownsville poet-rapper-visionary Ka, hosted by the wonderful AllMusic as always. Read my full review of the album at AllMusic: Rating: 3.5/5 Top 3: “Everybody Up,” “I Need All That,” “Having Nothin” Genres: Underground Hip-Hop, Political Hip-Hop, Rap, East…
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AllMusic Review: Baby Keem’s The Melodic Blue
The Context: having been hotly-tipped by blogs and tastemakers in the late 2010s, California-born rapper Baby Keem blew into the mainstream with “Orange Soda,” a woozy, trippy trap anthem that soon garnered over 200 million streams online. His follow-up mixtape, DIE FOR MY BITCH, showcased a rapper with a unique…
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AllMusic Review: Juls’ Sounds of My World
The Context: For years, British-Ghanaian producer Juls has been instrumental in pioneering the sound of Afrobeats, a downtempo, dance-focused genre forged at the crossroads between Nigeria, Ghana, and the UK. And in 2021, he is ready to make a statement piece of his own – Juls’ debut album, Sounds of…
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AllMusic Review: 88Rising’s Shang-Chi
The Context: For their latest blockbuster, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Marvel enlisted pan-Asian giants 88Rising for an authentic take on the film’s soundtrack. Rather than a simple collection of “All The Stars”-like hits, the 88Rising team conceptualized the album around the Asian-American narratives at the core…
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AllMusic Review: J Balvin’s “JOSE”
The Context: Having reshaped reggaeton with the critically-lauded Vibras (2018), formed a powerhouse duo with Bad Bunny on OASIS (2019), and explored the relationship between colour and sound on Colores (2020), it’s clear that Colombian superstar J Balvin is beyond just a hitmaker — the reggaeton pioneer has reached living-legend…
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AllMusic Reviews: Isaiah Rashad’s “The House is Burning” and Pop Smoke’s “Faith”
It’s been a busy few weeks. This month I had the pleasure (or misfortune) of reviewing Pop Smoke’s second posthumous album, Faith, as well as the long-awaited third album from Isaiah Rashad, The House is Burning. Both have been out for a little while now, but if you haven’t seen…
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