Category: Album Reviews

Courage by Celine Dion

Album: Courage

Artist: Celine Dion

Genre: Pop

Record label(s): Colombia Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 2- Lovers Never Die and Track 5- Courage

Celine Dion is a Canadian singer who grew up in Quebec. In her teens, she started off releasing French-based albums and she got international recognition after winning a song festival. She then learned English and released her first English-based album in 1990, this established her as an iconic pop star in the U.S and other English speaking places. Celine as released close to 30 albums, both in French and English, including her most recent, “Courage”, released on November 15th, 2019. This album contains themes of courage, self-reflection, and inner strength, different from her previous themes of love. This album is her most recent English-based album in six years. These themes are those that are starting to be more heard of on-air today. With Celine being a well known, iconic, and viable pop artist, her return, from a difficult time, was a huge hit that fans love. Celine’s album consists of ballads and up-tempo songs that make it appealing to her listeners. If I were to rate this album I would give it a 5 out of 5 due to the theme of the album and the way it was produced, by Celine entirely with a lot of musical assistance of other artists, making this album different, but still maintaining her signature “Celine Dion” sound.

The second track on the album is “Lovers Never Die” and it is arguably the best song on the album, due to its message and tough vibe the song gives out. The vocals in the song are rough but also very controlled when it comes to the high notes. The music transitions from slow ballad-like instrumentals to hard drums and guitar instrumentals, demonstrating the tough vibe of the song. Celine’s lyrics also express the tough vibe of the song and makes you feel powerful and gives you a sense of courage. The song describes how a person does not need a lover who is toxic and calling them out on it, they themselves are enough for the love they need, having a moment of self-reflection.

“Courage” is the 5th song in the album and the song that is the poster child for the album, both having the same name and theme. The song starts off with a nearly acapella opening with piano playing slowly and Celine’s voice singing softly. The lyrics can be felt and they hit powerfully, with Celine’s voice giving the emotion and depth of the lyrics. The lyrics express how a person is holding onto courage and grasping at their inner strength to keep moving on. This an example of a ballad in the album.

Celine Dion is a very popular and legendary pop artist and her newest album has the same “Celine Dion” feel but more contemporary, diverging from the lovey-dovey era of music to a more self-worth and courage era in music. “Courage” has a lot of songs that all fall under the theme of having courage, the album will make you feel empowered enough to reflect on your own worth and respect, leading you to have courage in dire situations. Celine Dion is iconic, and if you want to listen to more female artists that are extremely loved then I would suggest listening to Cher, Gloria Estefan, and Madonna. Overall, if you like music that will make you find courage and hold onto it, then I highly recommend to give Celine Dion’s “Courage” a listen.

La Linda by Tei Shi

Album: La Linda

Artist: Tei Shi

Genre: Alternative R&B

Record Label(s): Downtown Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 3-Even If It Hurts and Track 11-We

Valerie Teicher Barbosa, better known as Tei Shi, has been a favorite amongst critics since her first couple singles that she dropped in 2013. Tei Shi exceeds at crafting soft, detailed, and lush pop that employs elements of synth pop, R&B, reggaeton (specifically dembow rhythm), as well as a bevy of other eclectic sound palettes. Barbosa is a Jewish Colombian-Canadian woman, and her diverse cultural identity shows itself across her discography. For example, while she usually sticks to signing in english, little bits of Spanish, as well as “Matando” a full Spanish song off of this album, appear speckled throughout her work. Tei Shi has been known to compose and produce, however on this album she doesn’t have any credits as a producer. However, she leaves the production to a group of outstanding talents, such as Daniel Aged, Noah Beresin of Chiddy Bang fame, and Dev Hynes aka Blood Orange. Overall, I’d give this album a ⅗, as sometimes the minimal instrumentation contrasted with Tei Shi’s soft singing create delicate and gorgeous cuts with enough understatement and intricacy as to appear avant garde and masterful. However, Tei Shi’s underwhelming vocals and the lush soft dreaminess of songs can also turn lots of tracks into soupy, nebulous, and even boring experiences.

My first standout track is by far my favorite on the album, Even If It Hurts featuring Blood Orange with vocals and production. This song sounds a lot like a cut on which Dev might have landed on his last project Angel’s Pulse. This track exemplifies why aesthetic appraisals such as gorgeous, smooth, and lush, are so often applied to Tei Shi’s music. The drums on this track are hypnotic and driving, and are a perfect grounding exposition to the glitziness of the rest of the track. Dev Hynes shows why his blend of airy vocals, proud piano lines, and synthy meandering have been so enrapturing. While neither Dev or Tei Shi are amazing as vocalists, the sticky melodies and wonderful production more than atone for this. If this realm of music is of interest to you at all, I would strongly implore you to not make this a track you miss.

My other standout track is the one piloted by Daniel Aged, who recently worked on Frank Ocean’s much anticipated “DHL”. The track opens with bird sounds and a couple warm reverberating guitar chords. Tei Shi then closes her album with this short poetic strong that leaves me wondering what potential she has as a songwriter along with her already impeccable production sensibilities. I interpret this song as being about Tei Shi’s experience of being a woman, and how she has been subliminally coerced into negative self conception. One of the most biting lyrics is “The confidence they take away from we, it should be criminal, it’s so subliminal” which shows the collective experience of being subjugation that women have the burden of sharing. The song closes by rolling out some dark synths and looping some distorted noise that sort of sounds like pressurized air, and then finally the album closes as simplistically as it began, with bird noises.

Overall, I think Tei Shi relies a lot on the gorgeous production that she and her collaborators are able to create, and due to this her presence on the track often feels muted and lacking. I mean, understated airy vocals are very in vogue currently, however I can think of many more compelling vocalists and songwriters I’d like to see over this production. I think Tei Shi assumes a large effort on the listener to pick apart and recreate meaning from her poetic, vague, faint lyrics and singing, and while that has definitely worked for others and is an interesting approach to songwriting, I just don’t find many of the tracks compelling enough to want to revisit them enough times to find deeper meanings or small sonic modifications or cool mixing on sounds. However, on a few tracks I think concessions to conventional music practices and driving drums help songs maintain enough structure to allow the otherwise lovely production Tei Shi employs to shine. If you like Tei Shi, I would definitely check out Blood Orange if you somehow haven’t already, as well as Tennis, and potentially TOPS. If you want something light and beautiful to listen to in the background while doing something else, I think this album is definitely worth a listen.

Queen and Slim Soundtrack by Various Artists

Album: Queen and Slim: The Soundtrack
Artist: Multiple Artist (Megan Thee Stallion, Lauryn Hill, Tony K, Burna Boy, The Dream, Reem, Simino, Moses Sumney, Tara George, Roy Ayers, Lil Baby, Mike Jones, Slim thug, Paul Wall, Blood Orange, and many more)
Genre: Multiple Genres
Recommend Tracks: Track 8- Collide, Track 1- Ride or Die, Track 3- Yo love

Queen and Slim is a love story between Slim(Daniel Kaluuya) and Queen(Jodie Turner Smith). Their story begins when Slim kills an officer out of self defense. They are unable to turn themselves in because the state would not view it as self defense, so they are forced to go on the run. Through their story you see black power, black love, and black revenge something that is not usually shown in movies starring black people. Throughout the movie songs from Black artists are heard, whether it be new age rappers like Megan Thee Stallion or old school artists like Lauryn Hill. I rate this album a 5/5 because it was diverse but still followed a central theme of Black Excellence.

Track 8, Collide is a R&B song that is one of my favorites from the album . From the smooth and slow beat to the effortless singing the song makes you relaxed. I have yet to see the movie, but this song sounds like it’s played the moment the protagonist fall in love because of lines like, “When we collide, it’s a beautiful disaster”.

The album starts off with a bang. Opening song Ride or Die i s by Megan Thee Stallion who is a popular female rapper. This song is like most of her other songs; Catchy twerk song. This song, like the title suggests, is about being a ride or die shown in the lines, “I ain’t scared, I’ma

pop that shit”. Track 3 Yo Love, is another song about being a ride or die, but it is more about being madly in love then proving oneself.

I recommend everyone at the very least listen to this album. The soundtrack is so good that it paints a vivid image of what the movie is about, and makes you want to watch it. This album has something for everybody by including different artist like Burna Boy, 6lack, Lil Baby and many more. This album is more meaningful if you can relate to the racial struggles faced in the movie, but even if you can’t it still reaches you.

A Pill for Loneliness by City of Colour

Album: A Pill for Loneliness

Artist: City and Colour

Genre: Alternative/Indie

Record label(s): Still Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 6- Mountain of Madness and Track 11- Lay Me Down

City and Colour is a Canadian musician and songwriter, his real name is Dallas Green. Green was born in Ontario, Canada. Green started his musical career when he was part of a band called Helicon Blue and released several songs before breaking up. He then became part of another group called Alexisonfire, in late 2001, where they released four albums and two EPs before breaking up due to Green’s decision do focus on his own music career as City and Colour. From then on, Green started to release his music online for his fans to download, he eventually released seven albums. Within these albums, they included his most recent one, “A Pill for Loneliness”, on October 4th, 2019. Green’s new album continues to have the same themes of having dark songs, accompanied by beautiful music, which is part of only a few artists who do this on the radio today, it is unique. With Green releasing his own music under his own record label, Still Records, he is avoiding the control and restrictions that so many artists are in. Green also became a classic instantly. City and Colour stands out from other artists because of his concepts and themes in his music, with the mixing of folk melodies, that tell of different perspectives on life and experiences overall, including death, especially when accompanied by his clear voice that seemed to reach your soul, this made him quickly addictive to his listeners. I would rate this album a 5 out of 5 because of the themes this album presents and the types songs, that I find relatable, especially in this world, he has created, accompanied by the amazing, calming, and beautiful instrumentals that I think make the whole album come together gently.

“Mountains of Madness” is the sixth song on the album and is introduced as a song that can relate to many listeners. Green is known for his lyrics hitting the listener’s souls and being highly relatable and this song hits the same way. This song explains how someone feels as if whatever t3hey do, they feel like they are not living up to their own worth, and questioning if the end goal is even worth the pain along the way. You can feel the intensity and loneliness in the instrumentals. The music makes you feel alone and it also makes you feel the pressure of not knowing what to do, whether to keep going forward or stop. The lyrics are also very soulful and digs deep into the feelings of many people and the stress of not knowing if their hard work will pay off at the end and if the end result was worth all the trouble.

“Lay Me Down” is the last song of the album and it wraps up the entire album on a sad note. After many songs that talk about loving one another despite all the negativity and the effects of war, the album comes to an end with this song, “Lay Me Down”, and this song is kind of the last goodbye and wishing it all to come to an end because you know that nothing is going to change for the better, so you’d rather it all just end, thus, the song is called “Lay Me Down”, talking about how they just want to be put down and leave the negativity. The music is really slow and saddening, it helps give the song a sense of giving up and depression. The instrumental break amplifies the song’s effects and makes it even more saddening. This song is very much less hopeful than the others, but it closes off the album very well.

City and Colour has a way of telling serious issues, from a personal to a societal level, that makes people listen, this is unique to himself and to a few artists today. “A Pill for Loneliness” has a serious feel to it but deals with different issues that isolate the individual listener, but connects to everyone in a way that’ll make you stop and take a look at the world today. If you like City and Colour, then I recommend listening to Billie Eilish and to Conan Gray. Overall, if you like music that deals with real issues, that everyone goes through, then you should definitely take a listen to City and Colour and his latest album “A Pill for Loneliness”.

KIWANUKA by Michael Kiwanuka

Artist: Michael Kiwanuka

Album: KIWANUKA

Record Label: Polydor

Recommended Tracks: Track 9 – “Hero” , Track 10 – “Hard To Say Goodbye”

British artist Michael Kiwanuka released a new soulful album titled KIWANUKA. It has fourteen-tracks and infuses soul and psychedelic rock influences. It focuses on topics that are personal to Michael, such as his own mental health and political issues. Sonically, it’s an impressive album that definitely shows that Michael isn’t afraid to be experimental with his sound. A lot of the songs on this record are longer than 3 minutes, making it a duration of 51 minutes. There are a lot of instrumental breaks in the songs, giving each song a feeling of variety and not as though you are listening to the same song each time. He does a nice job at allowing his music to settle and simmer rather than rushing, which gives a sense of payoff when you finish listening. I rate it a four out of five.

The first recommended track, “Hero” starts off with a soft and echoing strum of guitar strings before it’s met with drums. One nice detail that’s implemented in this song is the use of violins behind the guitar during the chorus. Toward the end of the song, the strings become fuzzy and distorted giving it a psychedelic flair to the overall sound. Personally, I think this song is the best off of the album because of its intricate layering of different instruments at the halfway point of the song. Lyrically, it seems that Michael is singing about the pressing issue of police brutality and gun violence in our society. He sings, “please don’t shoot me down…it’s on the news again…I guess they killed another.”

The second recommended song, “Hard To Say Goodbye” begins with almost two minutes of instrumentals before shifting. There’s a slight pause before Michael begins to sing over the subtle guitar strums. At times, his vocals are echoed by what sounds like a choir behind him. In this song, his voice is very calming and doesn’t change in pitch very much. Overall, it’s a nice song to listen to, especially because of the instrumentation. The guitars buzz during the chorus and add a layer of richness to the sound.

KIWANUKA is a good album and I think that Michael Kiwanuka will continue to grow in popularity, especially because of this body of work that shows his talent. It’s a cohesive collection of songs and really showcases his focus on production-value.

Ocean by Lady Antebellum

Album: Ocean

Artist: Lady Antebellum

Genre: Country, country pop, and soft rock.

Record label: Big Machine Records and Capitol Records Nashville

Recommended Tracks: Track 7- Alright and Track 10- Boots

Ocean was released on November 15, 2019. It is Lady Antebellum’s eight studio album. The album is America country pop sung by a trio. The trio members are Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood. Ocean is the first album by Lady Antebellum to be produced by Dann Huff. The album has thirteen songs in it. Lady Antebellum was a group that was formed in Nashville, Tennese. The band has won over fifteen different awards since their start in 2006. Their most well known is country pop song Need You Now released in 2010. I am going to give this album a four out of five rating. I will explain at the bottom.

The exact moment I heard Alright, I knew I was going to fall in love with it. The message of the song is so meaningful, that it could turn anyone’s bad day into a good one. The song introduces the lines “I ain’t feelin’ pretty, what I wanna wear don’t fit me. And it’s messin’ with the way I see myself” at the start of the song. At first, I thought that this was going to be another sad, depressing, country song. But then they sing “just when I’m on the edge of cryin’, babe. You’re callin’ to remind me, remind me” with “this life ain’t always perfect. Sometimes it’s dominoes”, and my idea of the song went away. The song is about feeling so down about yourself, that one more thing will push you over the edge. But someone or something (they mention God in the song) will be there to help you get through it. Life has some “dominoes” in it, but you just have to keep pushing. This was my personal favorite song from the album. The song is slow but its overall great. It is perfect for anyone who us having a bad day and needs something to remind you that everything is going to be okay.

Unlike Alright, Boots is a faster paced song. However, like the song Alright, Boots has a wonderful message to it as well. When reading the title of the song, I thought this song was going to be a boring country song about boots. It is, but the boots in this song are used as a metaphor. For example, they sing the lines: “it’s a miracle they found their way to your door. It’s like they forgot all the places they have been before, oh. Took awhile to find their place. Girl, you know they’re here to stay”. The singer is using replacing himself with boots. They admit that the boots (the singers) are never going to walk away. The song shows a unique way of using a metaphor. This song is perfect for anyone who likes fast paced country music with a good message behind it. I really enjoyed the song.

Overall, the songs within the album were pretty good. Some were very upbeat and energetic, while others were slow pacing, like slow dance songs. The reason I gave the album a four out of five rating instead of a five out of five is because of that exact reason. Some of the songs were a little too slow for my liking and they did not keep my attention. However, like the two I wrote about, most of the songs kept my attention and were executed perfectly. I recommend this album to anyone who is a big fan of country. Especially a fan of the band, Lady Antebellum.

YOU by Ali Gatie

Album: YOU

Artist: Ali Gatie

Genre: R&B/Soul

Record label(s): Warner records

Recommended Tracks: Track 1- It’s You Track 8- “Holding On”

Ali Gatie is a Canadian performer who was born in 1997 in the city of Toronto. He started to listen to music at the age of 17. At age 20, he started to post his music online and started to collaborate with other producers, but he gained recognition from the RhymeStars song contest he won. He used this fame and released several tracks online and they went viral. He has been releasing tracks since 2017 and albums including his most recent being “YOU” on November 7th, 2019. This album continues with the same theme and style of Soul and R&B music he has been producing which is a very enjoyed style on the radio now. Ali has a unique vibe to his music. This album includes previously released songs that have been popular. His songs about mainly about personal experiences told by raw lyrics that are companied by sound music. “YOU” follows the same theme of love, the turmoil, and amazing experiences it offers. This style of music is the reason why he spiked as an artist and has gained such a big following, he is able to connect with his listeners through his own feelings. If I were to rate this album, I would rate it a 5 out of 5 because of the music, it feels very soothing and calm, plus, the lyrics feel like a lot of heart and soul was poured into them, making it feel so personal.

“It’s You” is the first song on the album and the most popular since Ali released it as a single. This song has a low vibe song that projects a lot of hurt feelings. The lyrics in the song repeat a lot of hurting and vulnerability, but also a lot of hope of love. The music starts off a guitar and another guitar playing a really saddening chord that gives the song a sad vibe from the start, it continues with a mainly acoustic ensemble of instruments that gives the song a minimal feel to it, making it even more saddening. The song is well made and it shows how much emotion and how much if himself Ali has put into this song.

“Holding On” is the 8th song on the album. This song has a much more loud vibe to it and uses more sounds that feel like the world is falling on you. The loud thuds and echos feel as if you are surrounded by large objects and it makes you feel powerless, which is what Ali is saying in his lyrics, he feels powerless when it comes to wanting to move on, he is stuck on loving someone. The desperation is felt in this song and it feels sad and lonely. The lyrics express a lot of hope for his love. This song mirrors “It’s You” but it expresses how he still has hope even after a loss.

Ali Gatie is a young man who uses his emotions as a guide in producing his music, which is unique and different from anything else. His style markets well to a younger generation, with personal experiences and low vibe music, most people could relate to it, especially the younger generation. “YOU” is an album that describes Ali’s love journey of falling in love up to acknowledging the loss of his love. The album has a sad and slow feel that makes the listener reminisce about their love and have a chance to express their emotions. If you liked the personal feel of the music, then I’d recommend listening to Tessa Violet and Waterparks. Overall, if you enjoyed an album that you can listen to when you feel sad and are hurting, you should listen to Ali Gatie’s recent album, “YOU”.

Hot Pink by Doja Cat

Album: Hot Pink

Artist: Doja Cat

Genre: Pop/Rap

Record Labels: Kemosabe Records and RCA Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 4 – Bottom Bitch and Track 6- Like That (feat. Gucci Mane)

Doja Cat’s popularity may have spawned out of memedom, but she has far exceeded the limitations and expectations allotted to a typical viral sensation nowadays. If you’ve never heard of Doja Cat, you’ve likely still seen her in a low cut cow print top, potentially with fries up her nose, singing about how despite her name, she is not a cat, but a cow. The video for her breakout hit “Mooo!” has amassed over 57 million views since its release a little over a year ago in August. The video posesses just enough absurdity, sex appeal, and genuine quality singing and rapping to make it ripe for internet virality. However instead of looking at this as some sort of opportunity to delve into meme-y content future forward, Doja used her new exposure to further her more serious musical ventures. I was surprised, as I’m sure many others were, when after the “Mooo!” video she had already dropped a couple EPs, and had recently dropped her debut album Amala, based off of her given name. Even more surprising, a lot of the music in her catalog was really good! Off of Amala, “Go To Town”, “Juicy”, “Tia Tamera”, and “Wild Beach” are a couple tracks that displayed her versatility and potential for stardom. However Amala was dropped before the sensation of “Mooo!”, and while she released a deluxe edition to include it as well as some of her more polished newer tracks, there was still a sense that her big industry breakthrough could still be on the horizon. That breakthrough comes in the form of Hot Pink, an airtight 40 minutes with 3 A-list features, exhibiting more polish and popiness than Amala. To me, this album is much more successful than not as Doja’s debut in the big time. Overall, I’d give it a 4/5 . It isn’t the most inventive pop album ever, and I do wish that Doja rapped a little more, but the tracklist is chock full of fun bangers that show why Doja is one of the most entertaining pop acts right now.

My first standout track, “Bottom Bitch” was released earlier on as a single. The track employs a warm distorted guitar, a kick and clap combo crispier than autumn leaves, and pimping terminology to craft an infectiously warm friendship anthem that would undoubtedly bang cruising around with friends as the accompanying music video depicts. The guitar is in fact a sample of blink-182’s iconic hit “What’s My Age Again?” transposed down, which creates a perfect milky, nostalgic backdrop on which Doja lays down audacious and punky yet loving verses with a minor layer of vocal manipulation. This song feels like the drive home after a night of shenanigans with friends, and its youthful spirit is incredibly fun and infectious. The song isn’t incredibly intricate, but it is a very individual direction for a female pop act right now. Doja also is credited as the lead producer on the track, showing her potential when it comes to song construction past performance.

The collaboration that goes over best on the record is “Like That” which features Gucci Mane. Guwop doesn’t come in with a super inspired verse, but Doja makes the song irresistibly catchy with the stickiest book potentially on the album. This track shows another thing Doja flashes throughout her catalogue, and that’s her collection of inflections. While not quite to the extent of Nicki Minaj’s character rapping, Doja can come in softly on a track, floating a chorus reminiscent of something Ariana Grande might do, and then ride a trap beat as well as or better than most trap rappers out right now, and then she can punctuate a track with a gorgeous R&B refrain. This track has each of those, and while I think Doja could command more attention as a performer, singer, rapper, and producer, I think her versatility and potential makes for lots of exciting tracks.

On Doja Cat’s next venture, I hope she is able to carve out a sound that feels more individual to her instead of exploring others sounds, as interesting as the marriage of those sounds through her persona is. Tracks like “Bottom Bitch” and some of the less poppy, self produced cuts are really exciting to me, as even though they may not hit or have commercial everytime, I find them to be some of the more long lasting tracks as far as appeal. However, Doja is a self proclaimed crafter of sticky hooks, and I hope she doesn’t strays from her pop roots for a while, because she’s definitely an exciting voice to have around the mainstream. If you like Doja Cat, I would check out Kali Uchis, Jorja Smith, or cupcakKe. I’d definitely check out this album if you’re a fan of pop rap, need some extra energy in your life, and also if you don’t mind having hooks stuck in your head for days.

oh, how perfect by ROLE MODEL

Artist: ROLE MODEL

Album: oh, how perfect

Record Label: Interscope Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 5 – “say it first”- Track 6 – “thank you for coming”

Up-and-coming artist who goes by the moniker, ROLE MODEL, released his new EP on November 13, 2019. His songs on oh, how perfect, revolve around themes of loneliness and the struggles and experiences that come with the emergence into adulthood. He writes and co-produces his own music and takes inspiration from his own life to create a more personal dialogue between him and his listeners. The six tracks on the EP have dreamy and honest undertones. His style pulls from indie-pop and rap, blending both to create a sound that balances upbeat rhythms with gloomy lyrics. ROLE MODEL is one of the many new DIY-indie artists who gravitates toward the idea of being vulnerable and allowing listeners to connect with the music that they put out. I rate it a three-and-a-half out of five.

The first recommended song, “say it first,” starts off with plucked strings before his raspy vocals. It has a simple start production-wise, but once you get to the chorus, the beat is layered with a drum beat and electronic accents that make the song really catchy and addicting. Lyrically, he’s singing about someone reciprocating the feelings that he has for them but they’re both afraid to acknowledge it, so the other person ends up taking the initiative because he’s nervous.

The second recommended song, “thank you for coming,” is a great way to end the EP considering the content of the song. ROLE MODEL is singing about the people in his past who were mean to him and judged him for being himself. It’s a triumphant song that provides closure and acceptance of what he has gone through in his past as he acknowledges the fact that he is the person that he is today because of these experiences. It has a simple melody and uses simple guitar rhythms, putting the lyrics at the main focus of the song. He expresses a positive outlook on these negative memories and turns them into learning experiences instead. ROLE MODEL’s oh, how perfect is a solid collection of songs that all have catchy musical elements with a deeper layer of lyrical content. I recommend everyone to give it a listen.

I don’t care at all by bbno$

Album: i don’t care at all

Artist: bbno$

Genre: Hip Hop/Rap

Record Label: bbno$

Recommended Tracks: on god, gone

bbno$ is a Canadian rapper, singer, and songwriter from Vancouver, British Columbia. He rose to prominence with his collaborations with rapper Yung Gravy as well as his track in 2019, Lalala, with Y2K as his producer. His latest album, i don’t care at all, was released on November 8, 2019, with bbno$ acting as his own producer and record label. The album is reflective of its title, being extremely laid back and lowkey. It is the sort of album your friend who lives in their parent’s basements would put out if they were actually musically talented. It is an album with a variety of tracks on it, the majority being very lowkey, short, and catchy bops. If you are in a lighthearted mood or are trying to get into more of a lighthearted mood, this album is a great choice to give a listen.

My personal favorite track on this album is “on god”. The track’s strongest feature is its beat, which is strong out of the gate. The beat starts out slow and prodding along, then picks up with the introduction of the vocals. The song also features Lewis Grant, who works in perfect tandem with bbno$. The song is almost in a state of juxtaposition, as it is energizing with the catchinees of the beat but the rate at which the beat hits you is so slow and controlled it produces a calming effect as well. It is an interesting track to listen to and can be enjoyed by yourself or could also easily be added to a playlist for an upcoming party or group gathering.

“gone” is a track that is slow and trippy, that is a real contrast from the rest of the album. It is a heavily doctored song, but the beat is not overly-produced or odd sounding. The song has a great beat that is catchy, but not the type of catchy that makes someone want to jump out of their seat and start dancing. It is a song that allows you to get lost in the beat, sink into the chair you’re sitting in, feel the room around you and lose yourself in that feeling. By the end of this track, you might feel like you are in a state of suspension- levitating just above the things in the room you’re in. If you are in the mood to be carried away by a track and to get lost in the feeling it gives you, this track is perfect for you.

“i dont care at all” is a great album with a wide spread of tracks on it for everyone to enjoy. The theme that runs through the entire album is the lack of effort and composition of the tracks-rather allowing the songs to be defined more by a natural rhythm or melody than a rigid structure. If you enjoy rap/hip hop in general, or more specifically the work of Yung Gravy or Y2K, then you should definitely have a good experience listening to this album. This album gets a respectable 3.5 out of 5 rating from me.