Iggy Azalea - In My Defense

One of the biggest disappointments in the last 5 years was how long it took Iggy Azalea to get another album out.  Digital Distortion was meant to be her sophomore effort and was originally scheduled for release in 2016, but it just kept getting pushed back until it was confirmed as scrapped in late 2017.  Since then she gave us some consolation with the For the Rats pack of songs (some originally intended for Digital Distortion) and she dropped the Survive the Summer EP.  S.T.S. was a nice taste of what sounds she was working on and where she was heading for her next album.  Songs like “Kawasaki” and “Kream” just left me wanting more.  Really I wasn’t exactly thrilled with what she was putting out with Survive the Summer, it grew on me overtime, but it was drastically different from what I fell in love with Iggy for.  Songs like “Rolex” and “Don’t Need Y’all” were cuts from The New Classic that really made the album stand out.  It seemed like it was her strategy to release the “bangers” (“Work,” “Fancy” & “Black Widow”) as the singles, leaving the more “serious” songs for when the album dropped.  With In My Defense, I was kind of hoping it would turn out the same way.  

Miley Cyrus - She Is Coming - EP Review

This is Miley’s first release since 2017’s Younger Now and I was really looking forward to Miley changing directions for whatever she was gonna do next.  Miley has stated that Younger Now was a “for her” album, which allows me to let it slide.  In reality, albums/EPs like Bangerz, Dead Petz, & SHE IS COMING just FEEL more like authentic Miley.  They’re wild, a little gritty, and unpredictable.  That’s something that I always thought made Bangerz so well received; she went with true-to-herself music and that’s the only way to have a good album made.  Two of her biggest hits were from that era (“We Can’t Stop” & “Wrecking Ball”) and there’s no denying the power those songs had at the time, they were everywhere.  It almost feels like she hasn’t made anything but “Malibu” since then, but this EP has already turned some heads.  

Banks - III - Album Review

Probably like most people, the first song I heard from Banks was “Waiting Game,” a track that still tops her Apple Music page.  It was around that time that she was being heavily compared to The Weeknd while simultaneously supporting him on tour.  If you only know about the Starboy, her music was fairly similar to where the Weeknd started out on his Trilogy mixtapes.  When her first LP, Goddess, dropped most of those comparisons stopped there.  Some of my album highlights were “Change” and “Someone New” which showed off her intricate story telling and raw vocals.  It wasn’t until her second record, The Altar, that Banks really carved out her own unique sound.  In my opinion, The Altar deserved to win all the awards; it was one you could listen to over and over again, discovering something new about it with each listen.  “Lovesick” is probably a fan favorite from that record, but rightfully so, it was a pop masterpiece.  The Altar had something almost creepy about it.  Along with the lyrics, the production and vocal editing all added to this sense of a “darkness” inside Jillian.  One thing that’s a staple of any Banks record is her unique songwriting though.  While most people look at songwriting as poetry, Banks trades it in for a more direct, almost conversational route.  Many of her songs focus on love or the loss of and she’s always had a different view on how/why relationships do or don’t work.

Madonna - Madame X

It doesn’t really feel like 4 years since Madonna’s Rebel Heart came out, but that might just be because I still listen to it a good amount.  At least once a month I go through a Madonna kick and end up listening to a bunch of her discography again.  Rebel Heart wasn’t a shining star among her discography, but there was something about it that kept bringing me back.  My favorite Madonna record remained Confessions on a Dancefloor, but I’m always open for her to top an album that would make my top ten of all time.  When Madame X was first announced and “Medellín” was released, I was honestly a little skeptical at the direction she was headed.  Even after hearing the album I still think it was a questionable choice for her to release her Maluma collab as the first single.  With latin songs flooding the airways these last few years it still didn’t feel like this could possibly be a huge hit for Madonna.  What eventually became clear was that this album wasn’t meant for singles, it was meant to digested as a one full piece.  More on that later.

Bebe Rexha - Expectations

For the last few years, Bebe Rexha has, for the most part, been just left of the spotlight. With a few moderate hikes, Bebe has been slowly climbing her way to full fledged stardom. During the last year she achieved a sort of “household name” status with her track, “Meant to Be.” It featured country act, Florida Georgia Line, and came as a bit of a surprise for everyone. By now it’s a bonafide hit, but it’s a perfect example of how unpredictable the general public can be. However, I don’t think this is where most people would first remember her from, personally I heard Bebe for the first time on the Cash Cash hit, “Take Me Home.” It’s been a few years since then and during that time she’s released two EPS and had success on a number of other features. Most notably with Martin Garrix (“In the Name of Love”) and G-Eazy (“Me, Myself, & I”) where she first made a name for herself. Her work on the All Your Fault EPs showed promise for an up and coming pop princess and even though an All My Fault LP was planned, it’s since then morphed in this Expectations era.

Lily Allen - No Shame

Lily Allen has never made music that I’d label as “conventional.” Controversial perhaps, definitely thought-provoking, but nothing she’s released over the last 12 years could be summed up as ordinary. This time around though, Lily seems to be putting her past behind her, with her best foot forward, looking towards the future. “No Shame” tears down Lily’s protective barriers and leaves her vulnerable in so many ways.

St. Vincent - Self-Titled

St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

St. Vincent - Actor

St. Vincent - Marry Me