Category: Reviews
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AllMusic Review: Dave’s “We’re All Alone In This Together”
The Context: When Dave speaks, England listens. Over the past half-decade, the South London MC has consistently proven that he’s not just one of London’s premiere lyricists, but one of the country’s generational voices, an evocative wordsmith able to tackle some of his nation’s most pressing social concerns. And with…
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AllMusic Review: Tyler, The Creator’s CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST
The Context: In a landscape of multi-year album delays, sloppy roll-outs, and multiple “debut” albums, Tyler, The Creator‘s consistent brilliance is a game-changer. Like clockwork, the contrarian-turned-critics’ choice continues to drop seminal bi-annual projects, from the woozy, drifting Flower Boy to the conceptual pop of IGOR. And his newest LP,…
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AllMusic Review: 42 Dugg’s “Free Dem Boyz”
The Context: Since breaking out with last year’s minimalist “We Paid,” Detroit’s 42 Dugg has been on a relentless streak, giving his dedicated fans a string of turnt-up anthems (“Not a Rapper,” “4 Da Gang”) alongside the explosive mixtape Young & Turnt 2. Now, with his knack for speaker-thumping bangers…
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AllMusic Review: Sech’s “42”
The Context: In Panama – and, indeed, much of the world – Rio Abajo-born Sech is king of melody. Since the late 2010s, the reggaeton giant has become not just his country’s biggest star, but one of reggaeton’s premiere acts, making waves each year with his woozy, downbeat approach to…
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AllMusic Review: Genesis Owusu’s “Smiling With No Teeth”
The Context: Having steadily built a local following in the late 2010s, Australian one-man-army Genesis Owusu decided that 2021 was the time to unleash his talents on the world — and what talents they proved to be. With a spectrum-bending array of sounds, Owusu delivers stories of prejudice, pain and…
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AllMusic Review: Camilo’s “Mis Manos”
Fresh off the back of a dominant 2020, Colombian popstar Camilo returns in full force with Mis Manos, his second full-length LP. Among organic, breezy, yet exceptionally mastered soundscapes, the vocalist finds his home: his simplistic, saccharine songwriting proves the grounds for some of the year’s most infectious pop so…
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Review: C. Tangana’s “El Madrileño”
Having enjoyed a lengthy career under names of Crema and C. Tangana, Antón Álvarez Alfaro has used the 2020s to craft his most complex album to date – El Madrileño. Despite its titular illusions, Tangana’s latest LP unfurls as a fundamentally global project, folding the traditions of Hispanic and Latin…
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Review: C. Tangana’s “Avida Dollars”
Under names from Crema to Agorazein, Antón Álvarez Alfaro, known now to the world as C. Tangana, has remained one of Madrid’s most promising rap talents through the 2000s and 2010s. His latest mixtape, Avida Dollars, attempts to reconcile Alfaro with the breezier sounds of modern trap music, delivering 23…
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Review: Aaron Cartier’s Best Dog
Having bubbled through the underground rap landscape during the late 2010s, experimental musician Aaron Cartier returns to his industrial roots for Aaron Cartier Best Dog, a collection of distorted, jumped-up, and boundary-pushing anthems. While the album’s headstrong approach can cloud its success at times, when Cartier hits his stride he…
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Review: Eladio Carrión’s MONARCA
One of Latin trap’s most dominant new faces, Puerto Rican star Eladio Carrión returns just a year after his extensive debut, Sauce Boyz, with sophomore mixtape Monarca. With a tighter-knit set of features, the tape offers a greater spotlight on Eladio’s versatile set of talents, providing a vibrant, party-ready set…
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