EL MUSICA

best song: “Stay Long Love You"

worst song: "GTFO"

hon. mentions: “8th Grade”, The Distance”, “Giving Me Life”

The vocal confectionist kept it light in terms of frosting and sugar drizzles, which I think is a testament to the strength of these records as there’s still some very hearty, full-bodied, cake present. This album has the most potential energy of her more recent releases. The foundations of the songs are stronger than they’ve been for a while, and though at times she fails to realize all the harmonic, melodic, and climatic potential of a song — as on “Caution” — or she mistakenly leaves a feel good bop too underdeveloped (and therefore vapid and redundant) — as on “A No No” — she still manages to create a solid body of work. Ultimately, Mariah’s back in good form. She’s excited, and I’m excited about it. This is the most confident and comfortable she’s been in years and the material reflects it.

The sonics of this record place it in tandem with Erykah Badu’s ‘But You Cain’t Use My Phone’ and Lalah Hathaway’s ‘honestly’. However, this is more characteristic of Mariah than those two, which is part of the reason she sounds so much more at home than they did on their projects (and than Lalah specifically). ‘Caution’ is both ‘Butterfly’ and ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ minded. This is ‘Butterfly’ in the world where “The Roof” and “Babydoll” are the album highlights, and more than meeting that task. The world where “Mine Again” and “Stay the Night” are ‘Mimi’’s. In their places we get “Giving Me Life” and “Stay Long Love You”, respectively. This is Mariah, as a more seasoned artist, further expounding on the idea she and Mary J. Blige introduced. Hip-Hop plus some SINGIN’ singing. What Mary J. did with soul vocals and emotional depth, Mariah did with ethereal pop vocals and compositional complexity. Mariah is in such good spirit and vocal shape here it’s reminiscent of 2005, the era her fans describe as her second prime. I’d go as far as to say the best songs on here sound like throwaways from that album, that is, they are comparably strong ideas though they don’t all execute as brilliantly (as “Shake It Off”, “We Belong Together”, or “Fly Like A Bird”).

Album highlight “Giving Me Life” is easily my favorite song. Slick Rick sounds quick and fit, and with as much wit as ever, and his verse feels like bumping into your uncle for the first time in a while and seeing he’s doing well in body and mind: It was a blessing. And the warm, stanky, groove Dev Hynes strokes out of the production with that fuzzy-like-a-bumblebee bass line makes it feel so Black, it’s a fellowship. Mariah is full on New York mixed girl here. We get the swag of hip hop, the attitude of an elusive chanteuse, and the hilariously hyperbolic and yet appropriate slang of Black LGBT folk (which sounds great on her as we know it’s authentic: she really talks like that and isn’t just adopting or co-opting the language for cool points). The other highlights include “The Distance” and the breezy “Stay Long Love You” which sounds like Harlem in the summer time, specifically Harlem summer 2004. The summer of “You Don’t Know My Name” and “All Falls Down” and “Yeah”. “The Distance” is a great feeling modern dance track, with a spastic bass line and anchoring drums that jump your pulse and get you right into a sturdy ass head bop. The strength of this record is definitely in the latter half.

I firmly believe the pre-album singles do this record no justice. “GTFO” specifically was corny, and lazily attempted to capitalize off of shock value. I imagine the conversation after it dropped being “Oh my god, Mariah is singing curses on a vibey song,” which may interest initially but the song is so weak it couldn’t even hold my interest until the end. To her credit though, Mariah did say the song was a just-for-fun record that happened in the spirit of improv and I think a post-album release, in similar vein to Beyoncé’s just-for-fun “7/11”, would have better communicated that to the public. It definitely should not have lead this album roll out. “With You” is similarly weak, but I think that’s due mostly to the fact that it followed “GTFO”. So hopefully, “With You” can find new life on shuffle in playlists as there is some compositional and emotional depth present.

Overall, this is a strong effort from Mariah. I imagine this album has the same energy as ‘Butterfly’ and ‘The Emancipation of Mimi’ because she, again, feels free. Free from the drama, and negative relationships both romantic and professional, and maybe even from negative self-talk. She’s in great spirits, she sounds good, she feels good, and that’s oozing out of the record. So even on weaker songs like “A No No” and “Caution” the fun cup runneth over so much you just want a taste, and so you join the soul train line to 2 step to the undeniable bops. More than the strength of this album alone, this album feels as though it marks a kind of return for the criminally underrated artist. Her voice isn’t as big and agile as it used to be, but her songwriting is as potent and interesting as ever. I mean after all, this is the writer of the American holiday classic “All I Want Is You”. She has 18 #1 singles for a reason: she knows what the fuck she’s doing. Be cautious, Mariah’s back and as good as always. 6.5/10.

Rate: 6.5/10

Dopeness Level: x8000

Lyrical Depth Level: x7000

Sonic Beauty Level: x7000

(Sonic) Cohesiveness Level: x7000

Style Level: x8000

best song: "won't let it go"

worst song: "don't give up"

hon. mentions: "call on me", "honestly", "y o y"

Lalah Hathaway's "Honestly" is comprised of jazz informed R&B vocals over hip hop arrangements and 8-bit sounds. A patchwork of melodic writing and spacious production, this album presents new obstacles for one of singing's heavyweights. She generally does well here, though at times the production doesn’t serve to highlight her expert vocalism (her phrasing and timing, clarity and robust texture). Sonically “Honestly" is very dissimilar to the R&B/Soul vocalist’s previous output. Which I’m sure is attributable to Tiffany Gouche, the newcomer who wrote and produced this record along with Lalah. Lyrically, the album revolves around a relationship, with songs about various stages of connectivity or the lack thereof between Lalah and a partner. Despite this, the writing offers no depth or detail. The vocals and production are very clearly the main focus of this project. The idea, it seems, was to outfit Lalah in a more modern sonic environment and to a degree this adds some youthful vibrance and lightness that serves Lalah well, at times though, the lyrical content is too young. So much so you could think you were listening to “Bust Your Windows” era Jazmine Sullivan instead of a 48-year-old woman who’s spent the last 27 years singing professionally (for comparison: Lalah’s older than JAY Z). This album is very clearly a sonic foray into a more energetic, fun-loving, and youthful sound.

The best song here is easily "won't let it go" it's the only song on the album that highlights Lalah's abilities as a vocalist and arranger. The airy and smoky harmonies swirl around the emotive guitar which is plucked with such intensity and precision it’s reminiscent of a clock’s second hand and the neurotic inertia of passing time. The dream-like soundscape is further served by the opening lyrics "Once upon a time". The production alone has the same emotional depth as your most soul-stirring Sam Cooke record, which it livens up with a trap bounce. The chorus is engineered exquisitely: the voices are coalesced, but not conquered, by vocal compression, and this serves to further elevate the song, ironically, by further grounding it. Though as good as the song is, it’s readily apparent that it could be even better had they substituted the platitude filled verses for some soul-bearing or story-telling. My biggest complaint though, is that they didn't milk those brilliant harmonies a bit more.

The worst song on the album is "don't give up". The song, with its incredibly trite and tired message doubled with Lecrae's banal and, mind-blowingly, lackluster verse -- which ends with the most unimaginative, and unimpressive, play on Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech legacy ("Keep that dream alive like you Martin") -- embodies the definition of skippable. In fact, the record as a whole would be better off if the track was deleted completely. It most clearly embodies the vagueness that holds the album's writing back. Frankly, it’s lazy much in the same way that "Heal the World" is. The inspiring song with no depth or thought. The chorus is a collage of empty platitudes plastered against vapid production. Who shouldn't give up? This is the time to make what right? I suppose we're to figure that out while holding our "head[s] up to the sky" as the chorus so blankly puts it. Not even Lalah, or "the universe" she talks to, could save this song.

Overall, "Honestly" sounds like Lalah is experimenting with new sounds, and though it isn't as spot on as Erykah Badu's venture into trap and hip hop arrangements (her mixtape 'But You Cain't Use My Phone'), I like it. This album sounds as though it was made because Lalah wants a bigger market share of the modern music landscape and I think it could have helped her do that if it was more inspired and authentic. The writing, or rather lack thereof, hold this album back the most. People of all ages experience romantic relationships with the kind of dynamics she sings of on it but the empty language used strips the songs of all depth. The over-emphasis on slang on some tracks reeks of pandering, which makes her seem older and more disconnected from the audience this album is clearly made for. In summation, Lalah dipped her toe into the waters of urban contemporary music with this record, it's weaknesses and strengths both bolster the point that should Lalah engage with this music more authentic- and artistically she could make something really special. She’s a more than capable musician and should she find the inspiration and connection musical exploration could prove both exhilarating and prolific. 6/10.

Rate: 6/10

Dopeness Level: x7000

Lyrical Depth Level: x6000

Sonic Beauty Level: x8000

Cohesiveness (Sonic): x7000

best song: “Life Round Here”

worst song: “Digital Lion”

hon. mentions: “Retrograde”, “I Am Sold”, “Voyeur”

Overgrown is one of the albums spawned from the womb of the climate created by For Emma, Forever Ago, the album by indie-folk band Bon Iver. This album marked a stark change in the approach to the scolding and unrelentingly bitter tone that was break up albums and added a truthful, touching, introspective and accessible depth to break up songs. The strengths of "Overgrown” far outweigh any weaknesses that may exist. This album feels more like a collection of sonnets than an album, and moreover feels crafted rather than made or recorded. These lush sounds blend counterintuitively well against the chill and emptiness conveyed through his resonant voice and queer instrumentation. Interestingly enough, this sounds like the work of a veteran and it’s only Blake’s second full-length LP.

The album opens to very hymnal humming over ambient piano strikes, and just as you are overtaken by the sheer beauty of the soundscape ‘Overgrown’’s first lyrics emerge: “And I want you to know…” Right from the beginning of this album, you begin to settle into the mood of it. It is very much a melancholy and soothing album. The opening track, and the album’s namesake “Overgrown”, is a post-dubstep/folk realization of his meeting with Joni Mitchell and his feelings on wanting to blend in with his surroundings, rather than “Be a star” and pull all attention inward. It’s ambient in all the right places, and his voice gives it that pinch of grit and realness that is necessary to fully identify with the depressing and sappiness of it. The cover art fits brilliantly with the tone and mood of this piece, because just like the cover, the album is a very focused yet full look at Blake but more over Blake’s place in his surroundings, which in this case is his last relationship.

The tracks flow together pleasingly; this album shows Blake’s comprehension of the power of silence and near-silence in music. On ‘Take a Fall for Me’, Wu-Tang member RZA makes an extremely well placed cameo. RZA almost plays the part of Blake’s subconscious, reflecting and conveying in depth what Blake’s mere shock and heartbreak have reduced down to, “You can’t marry her yet.” While here he’s almost apologetic for the failure of this relationship and envious of the one his ex has progressed in, the following song ‘Retrograde’ – the lead single – explains that her loneliness is her fault because of her inability to love and trust completely. She’s changed from the self-accepting, self-loving, beautiful woman she once was to some tattered shadow of herself, and it’s the “Starkness of the dawn,” that makes him want to remind her of who she was, bidding her to move retrograde and “Be the girl [she] loved.”

For a breakup record though, the album is indeed very balanced. It addresses almost every angle of a relationship and the failure thereof. While ‘Retrograde’ addresses her fault in her own demise, in songs like ‘DLM’ Blake is apologetic and realizes his leech-like nature. He pleads with her to leave because he’s hurting her, ironically enough, with his love. Then there’re songs like ‘I Am Sold’ – possibly the best song on the album – where Blake really flaunts his incredible yet simple songwriting:

“Linked like dog to man, I am sold

And we lay, nocturnal

Speculate what we feel”

Blake does something amazing here, how many times does one speculate how they feel about something? The idea of feelings are that they’re innately honest and come directly from the core, but Blake and his mate are lying, stargazing and speculating about what it is they feel about one another and themselves, because they’re so unsure, so unsure that only through their surroundings can they properly know where they are, “But it may be the constellation / That shows us where we are.” Songs like ‘To the Last’ show Blake fighting to make it to the resolution of their conflict although what they have is falling apart. The refrain, “We’re going to the last, you and I,” is repeated throughout the song; it feels as though Blake is trying to muster up the strength to carry on by repeating this enough times to convince himself. While ‘Our Love Comes Back’ feels as though Blake has accepted defeat, recognizing that what they have is only temporary, and proclaiming that their love, “comes back in the middle of the night.” The general feeling of the album is very blueish-gray and smooth silver that’s cold to the touch. Although the album isn’t completely solemn, songs like ‘Life Round Here’ – one of my favorites on the album – tells of a part-time love, and ‘Voyeur’ is a dance track straight from Blake’s dubstep producing past. 

Overall, this album is hands down one of the best releases of the 2013 year, its only contenders would be the likes of Janelle Monae’s Electric Lady. Most artists (and I use that word very selectively) of Blake’s talent level have an issue with expanding and maturing their element, on this album Blake has done that masterfully. The sound he offers here is complete and realized in it’s fullness. It’s only shortcomings would be that during interactions on songs like ‘To the Last’ some of the words can’t be heard very clearly, but – as a fan of Bon Iver – I believe that sometimes, the music is most touching and sincere when the words are unintelligible.

Rate: 9/10 

Dopeness Level: over x9000

Lyrical Level: over x9000

Sonic Beauty Level: over x9000

Cohesiveness (Sonic): x8000

Along with an overall rating from 1-10, the works reviewed will be rated in categories. The categories to be judged are:

- Dopeness Level

- Lyrical Depth Level

- Sonic Beauty Level

- Cohesiveness (Either sonic, lyrical, or thematic -- will be specified)

- Style

These categories will receive ratings of x3000 - over x9000:

- x5000 - lowest level, complete lack of (insert category here)

- x6000 - second lowest level, near complete lack of (insert category here)

- x7000 - middle level, sufficient but not impressive presence of (insert category here)

- x8000 - upper middle level, sufficent and impressive but not masterful presence of (insert category here)

- x9000 - second highest level, complete and near masterful presence of (insert category here)

- over x9000 - highest level, complete and masterful presence of (insert category here)