Category: Album Reviews

Dior Deposits by Guapdad 4000

Album: Dior Deposits

Artist: Guapdad 4000

Genre: Hip Hop

Record Label(s): TWNSHP, LLC

Recommended Tracks: Track 4-Gucci Pajamas and Track 7-Izayah

Akeem Hayes aka Guapdad 4000 is an Oakland rapper who rides bouncy beats with somehow bouncier flows, creating undeniably fun hip hip with very no nonsense production. Guapdad associates with many other acts trying to craft hip hop in a similar vein: nocturnal, energetic, unconventional yet simple, grimy, commercial yet authentic rap. For example he has collaborated extensively with Smino, EarthGang, and Buddy, among others. Guapdad was also invited to participate in the Dreamville sessions for their collaboration album Revenge of the Dreamers III, which he described as a “life-changing” experience¹. I remember hearing one of Guapdad’s first commercial singles “Money” and being absolutely enraptured by the super fun and explosive energy of the track. The beat, which samples Jay Z’s “Money Ain’t a Thang” treads towards sounding goofy, but the risk pays off as in combination with the unabashedly nerdy and corny wordplay it creates this bombastic comic book-like energy to the track, which otherwise might not stand out at all. Going into the album in question, Dior Deposits, I hoped to find Guap exhibiting some of the same pizzaz and zany energy that made his first singles so infectious. Some of the album definitely realizes that potential, although it does in a sleeker, more polished and mainstream friendly packaging, which is both a strength and an impediment. Overall, I’d give this album a 3/5, as it delivers some of the most fun pop-rap tracks of the year, and even has some interesting albeit trite commentary on materialism as it relates to rap, acclaim, poverty, etc. However, some of the streamlining of Guap’s sound makes him less of a standout from his contemporaries.

My first standout track, “Gucci Pajamas”, is definitely my favorite on the album. The track features vocals from veteran voice Charlie Wilson as well as Chance the Rapper, and was produced by The Stereotypes, who are likely most well known for being a secondary production input on Bruno Mars’ 24K Magic, specifically leading production efforts on “Finesse”. The track isn’t a straight throwback, but it definitely has a gloss and warmth reminiscent of some of the 80’s and 90s throwback tracks for which they’re known. Charlie Wilson delivers great vocals that add to the energy of the track without being an overbearing or distracting presence, and Chance’s verse is largely uninspired but he stays on the topic of the track, and his voice is distinct enough that he does command a lot of attention on the track. The end of his verse also contains some funny bars, such as “Now all my pajama-wear is whiter than Santa beard,

whiter than Bon Iver, whiter than Sonny, Cher”, or “Kleptomaniac bitch, Ocean’s Eleven shit”, which definitely got a little chuckle out of me. Now you’ll notice I haven’t really talked about Guap’s performance on the track, and that’s because he gets largely outshined by the production and his guest vocalists. The chorus he delivers is not bad at all. I definitely wouldn’t say it capitalizes on the potential for a sticky hook that the bouncy beat promises, but it’s passable. However Guap’s verse is entirely forgettable, and he let’s Charlie Wilson and Chance captain the bridge, which sort of makes him seem like a feature in his own song. Overall this tracklist is very feature heavy, and it does sometimes mean that Guap himself is outshone, and that until the second half of the album it doesn’t even really seem like his album as much as an assortment of posse cuts.

My second standout track is Izayah, which features production from James Delgado who has worked with Guap multiple times in the past, as well as producer phenom Kenny Beats. The featured artists are KEY!, Maxo Cream, and Denzel Curry. This track is one of the harder cuts on the album, and the incisive hi-hats and rolling bass employed on both halves of the track frame all 3 emcees with verses (KEY! has an a capella intro) very well. Guap lays down one of his best verses on the album, flashing some of the clever wordplay that he showcased on his first few singles. The track transitions to Kenny Beats main portion in the second half, and Maxo Cream and Denzel Curry deliver some really high quality verses as well. This track isn’t excessively complicated, but it’s just a really well done rap heavy track with a crisp and bouncy bass. On Dior Deposits, Guapdad 4000 delivers a promising debut album. While I miss some of the more off-the-wall choices he made when he had more freedom, I can’t deny that the production has gotten leagues better. Also, while Guap sometimes gets lost in the sauce when it comes to features, the availability of A-list voices and emcees definitely enriches the overall appeal of his music. If you like Guapdad 4000, I would check out KEY!, EarthGang, or Smino. I definitely wouldn’t miss out on this album if you like energetic hip hop, or are looking for some new tracks for your workout playlist.

Dream Girl by Anna of the North

Album: Dream Girl
Artist: Anna of the North
Genre: Alternative/Indie pop
Record labels: Different Recordings, Atlantic Records, 300 Entertainment Recommend Tracks: Track 1-Dream Girl, Track 4-My Love

Anna Lotterud goes by the stage name Anna of the North. She is a singer songwriter from Norway. Manny people describe her music as soul bearing electro pop. I agree with this statement. While listening to the album you can hear the emotions. The album seems to be themed around moving on. In Anna’s case it’s moving on from someone who broke her heart, but it can be applied to any situation. This album is relatable;That’s why I like it. It makes me feel good about getting over a troubling problem. While listening to her album you feel chill, because her voice is soothing. I would rate this album a 4⁄5. Compared to her first album, Dream Girl is less electro pop and more pop.

The album starts off with a bang. Her first track “Dream Girl” is a great introduction to the contents of the album. My favorite line is, “I kind of like the girl I’ve become, when I’m alone”. It was a moment of self realization. Even though she was reflective, she goes back to him when she says, “I’m still your Dream Girl”. I like this song because it displays her vocal range. Her voice isn’t washed away by the music. Instead it accompanied her soft voice.

The fourth song on the album “My Love”is my favorite out of all the songs because it is upbeat. It makes you feel like dancing. The lyrics are relatable to everyone. My favorite line is

the hook, “wherever you go you got my love”. This song is for when your feeling happy and want your spirits to stay lifted.

Dream Girl is an album for someone who enjoys listening to songs that make them relax. Anna of the North is an artist whose passions can be felt through her singing. The way she sings lyrics like “you got my love”, you feel her old feelings. This album would get a 5/5 if it was less about losing yourself in someone and more about finding yourself. Even though a lot of the songs are about self reflection, it always relates back to an ex lover. Listen to this album if you want more something refreshing.

Bad Ideas by Tessa Violet

Album: Bad Ideas

Artist: Tessa Violet

Genre: Indie Pop

Record label(s): TAG MUSIC

Recommended Tracks: Track 1- Prelude Track 6- Feelin

Tessa Violet is a vlogger and an Indie Pop singer-songwriter from the United States. Tessa started to be known in the public eye through her Youtube video vlogs and then moved on to direct music videos and finally started to record and release her own music in 2013. “Maybe Trapped Mostly Troubled” was her first album released in 2014, two more including her most recent album “Bad Ideas” on October 25, 2019. This album diverges a bit from her previous album. This album follows the themes of crushes, relationships, and boredom. These themes seem sweet and relatable but they never feel monotonous. Violet’s smooth and soft voice, accompanied by her guitar, gives the album a raw feel. The album also has a combination of electronic music and contemporary pop, this along with the rawness gives the album an interesting take on anti-pop. “Bad Ideas” is an enjoyable art piece that listeners will gravitate to it and be stuck on Violet’s own thoughts presented in the album. If I were to rate this album I would give it a 5 out of 5 because the music feels like it’s been thought of carefully and meaningfully,

“Prelude” is the first song on the album and is one of the two rawest songs on the album. The song only consists of Violet’s rich voice and her guitar, once again, this gives the song a raw feel. The same musical choice is done once more for the ending song on the album. The lyrics to the song feel relatable in the sense that we all feel insecure and bad if someone we love leaves us, then we think it’s our fault but it really is not. “Prelude” is a very soothing, soft, relaxing, and relatable song that feels like a summer day is an old retro vintage style with the wind blowing through your hair while you reflect on your relationship

“Feelin” starts right away with kind of a repeating beat drop in the first verse. This song is what most of the songs on the album feel like, electronic music with the lyrics of the song gives it an anti-pop vibe. The song also has very unique sounds that make up the instrumentals of the song. The song has many more instrumentals in it as well as a more dubstep feel from the music, but it still sticks with the theme of the album and goes into depth about keeping your feelings inside.

Tessa Violet is a very contemporary and anti-pop artist that is not afraid to show the negatives in everyday things. She is a very aesthetic person, style-wise, and her appearances fit perfectly with her style of music and her themes of anti-pop and indie pop. The album has a very different feel, separate from the sweet girl image that most female artists have. This style of music allows listeners to have their true feelings represented in the media, this has listeners drawn to Violet’s music. If you liked Tessa Violet, then I recommend listening to Billie Eilish and Conan Gray. Overall, if you enjoy anti-pop and indie pop music, then you have to give Tessa Violet a listen, especially her most recent album “Bad Ideas”.

Old Dominion by Old Dominion

Album: Old dominion

Artist: Old dominion

Genre: Country/Country Pop

Record label: RCA Records Nashville

Recommended Tracks: Track 6- Midnight Mess Around and Track 8- Hear You Now

Old Domination album came out on October 25, 2019. The band is an American country band that consists of five members that was founded in Nashville Tennessee. The band consists of Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung, and Brad Tursi. Their music is contemporary country with rock instrumentation, and has pop and hip hop overtones. Old Domination has won the Academy of Country Music Award for Vocal Group of the Year in 2018 and 2019. I am going to give this album a two out of five rating. I’ll explain at the end.

Midnight Mess Around is about what you guessed it to be. It is about being out in the middle of nowhere and wanting to have sex before they return to the city. The person singing the song “know[s] which road, which road to take you down”. This song reminds me of a country song that people would slow down to. It has a very soothing and slow beat that it would be perfect for a slow dance song. If you like slow country, then this song is perfect for you. Old Domination does have a guitar playing in the background, like most country music. But, the guitar is smooth and not overpowering. It is perfect for anyone who likes slow music.

Hear You Now is about someone who is in a relationship who is taking their significant other for granted. The significant other has told them multiple times to change or they will leave, but the artist is barely hearing them. They finally heard them when the person left. In the song they sing: “[I] Hear you now, hear you now, hear you now. Now that you ain’t talking to me.” This song is pretty depressing, because of the message behind it. This song is just like Midnight Mess Around, it has a very slow beat. The guitar isn’t overpowering in this song either. Just like the other song, if you like slow music then this is the perfect song for you.

The reason why I gave this album a two out of five rating isn’t because it is a terrible album, it’s actually pretty good. I gave this albuma two out of five because the genre is misleading. It is country, but slow country not pop. I was expecting more upbeat songs, not what the album contained. However, if you are a lover of country, slow country to be exact, then this album is perfect for you. You won’t be disappointed, the songs are actually pretty good for slow country.

True 2 Myself by Lil Tjay

Album: True 2 Myself

Artist: Lil Tjay

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Record label(s): Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment

Recommended Tracks: Track 7- Mixed Emotions and Track 10 – Leaked

Lil Tjay is an 18 year old rapper from the South Bronx burrows of New York. This album carries that east coast hip-hop familiar vibe and can be compared to that of fellow New York artist, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. Lil Tjay is a surging young artist with great lengths of potentially ahead of himself. He uses his music to speak about emotions and thoughts, while mixing in the troubles of coming from an area he resides in. If I were to rate this album I would give it a 9 out of 10 because his music in this album is so true to himself, no pun intended, but he really went off and exceeded expectations more than what I would’ve expected for Lil Tjay being so young and new to the rap game.

“Leaked” is the tenth song released off the album and is personally my favorite. It is something that you can vibe to whether it be at the gym, the beach or just cruising in your car on a nice day. It brings me to an utmost mood whenever I hear it. It gives little lyrics of different things to relationships, friendships and street activities. It talks about how much success he’s been getting the hardships that came along with it along the way like fake friends. It is a must hear song for sure!

“Mixed Emotions” is track on the album that lets the songs speaks for itself. Lil Tjay talks about his mixed emotions towards a certain female & friends and how when money becomes involved they switch up. It’s a good song to play if you are going through things yourself and can’t really release it out there. And if you can’t do it then what’s a better way to listen to someone else do it. You can really feel his thoughts and what’s going on through his reality.

Lil Tjay is a young artist and will soon blow the music charts up more than ever before. He has something special and really authentic in his music and wants his voice to be heard. While keeping that same attitude and emotions from being brought up in the not too brightest areas in New York. Nothing is going to change about him from his flow or lifestyle and there is nothing but better things you can expect out of his music. If you like Lil Tjay, I would recommend listening to artists like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Luh Kel, NBA Youngboy & $tupid Young. Overall if you like the new wave hip-hip of gangster authenticity mixed with real-life emotions, “True 2 Myself” by Lil Tjay is the perfect album to listen to.

AI Youngboy 2 by NBA Youngboy (Never Broke Again)

Album: AI Youngboy 2

Artist: NBA Youngboy (Never Broke Again)

Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap

Record Label: Never Broke Again LLC & Atlantic Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 11 – Lonely Child & Track 6 – Make No Sense.

NBA Youngboy is a rap artist from Baton Rouge, Louisiana allowing him to have that really southern accent. Often referred to as just “Youngboy”, Kentrell Gaulden has made a name for himself at such a young age of 20. He is the most streamed artist on YouTube with over millions and millions of plays on practically every song that he drops. His album AI Youngboy 2 is a successor to AI Youngboy, which featured many Youngboy hits and really brought him to the limelight. Youngboy is a popular rapper amongst the younger adult crowds and is nwk for his gangster way of life. If I were to rate this album I would give it a 10 out of 10 because of how much it sounds just as good as AI Youngboy and for the ways Youngboy is able to express his pains and emotions.

“Make No Sense” is the catchiest song coming on as the sixth track on the album. It was leaked out before the release of the album, making it highly anticipated to see if it could even make the album. It has that really catchy flow and catchy lyrics as well. “I feel like I’m Gucci Mane in 2006.” This is the famous heard line all over the song and gets you hyped up to be singing and dancing. It is a great song to listen to whenever you’re in the mood to turn up or dance with your friends. This is also the most likely song you would hear on the radio due to just the catchiness of the whole track.

“Lonely Child” is the 11th track off of AI Youngboy 2 and is the most heartfelt song on the album. With Youngboy being known for his hardboy image he brings out a different side of himself by releasing his pure emotions and pain into this song. You can feel what he’s talking about and if you come from the trenches or gone through things like him you can relate to this song yourself. Youngboy makes you feel his pain to the max as if you’re going through it yourself. It is a classic that will stand under his name for a very long time.

AI Youngboy was a notorious album under Youngboy and I think AI Youngboy 2 lives up to the greatness of the first album, if not even passed it up. AI Youngboy 2 was sort of not really a planned album but more of a compilation of songs he has laying around. It wasn’t announced by Youngboy until the night before that it was dropping. Many songs were already leaked out and heard on platforms like Soundcloud and Youtube. Youngboy just put these together and who would havethought they’d be mostly all hits. If you like NBA Youngboy, I would suggest listening to other artists like Lil Tjay, Quando Rondo or Shoreline Mafia. Overall if you like the gangster hip-hip/rap, AI Youngboy 2 is the album for you. Especially if you would love to listen to emotions from a gangster himself, quite unusual.

Mala Santa by Becky G

Album: MALA SANTA

Artist: Becky G

Genre: Latin Music, Pop, Hip hop

Record label(s): Kemosabe, RCA, Sony Latin, and Arista Records

Recommended Tracks: Track 1- MALA SANTA Track 2- PELEAS

Becky G is an American singer and songwriter. She is a Mexican-American born in 1997 and from Inglewood, CA. Becky G was discovered by some of her record labels after she posted videos of herself covering popular songs in 2011. Becky G first debuted her first single “Problem” and many works after, including her first album “MALA SANTA” on October 17th, 2019. This album diverges from the past theme of love and sweet pop music and incorporates the theme of fun and rebellious pop music that is meant to empower listeners, which is a common theme in modern music, but very much popular. Being Mexican-American, Becky G incorporates her culture into her music by singing this album entirely in Spanish and reaching to the Mexican-American demographic. Becky G is a popular singer who has an empowering and hard-edge beat which is why her fans love her. If I were to rate this album, I would rate it a 5 out of 5 because of the way the album drifts away from Becky’s sweet image and the way the music makes you want to dance and feel dangerous, confident, empowered, and tough.

“MALA SANTA” was a single released a few days before the album was released on October 17th. The song starts off with a quiet opening and it also starts with Becky singing in a more quiet and whispery voice that draws the attention to the song. This song is the theme of the album and Becky’s place in her career as of today, with talking about her being the bad saint and not wanting to stop for anyone. The song turns into a more seductive tone and becomes more fun to dance to. I think this song is the best representation of the album because the album is supposed to represent Becky’s grown woman image. This song is a lot more seductive than her other songs but still contains her rebellious theme with her other songs.

“PELEAS” seems to be a more personal song because it deals with relationships. This song has a few rap verses that make this song a bit different from other songs on the album, but it makes it feel fresh as well. It also has some amazing guitar instrumentals in the beginning of the song and makes the song feel as if it were a song of missing someone, but then the lyrics change and so does the instrumentals, involving some beats and making the song about the mistakes in the relationship. The chorus of the song repeats the title of the song, emphasizing the issues in the relationship and it also expresses how Becky knows the other person won’t change. This song gives a more edgy vibe to the whole relationship theme of some songs, but it also sticks with the album’s theme of being tough, much like “MALA SANTA”.

Becky G has been through many changes in her music career since being in the public eye when she was young, this album is her way of transforming into a woman. Her style has changed to a more seductive and rebellious style and it reaches the young adult demographic. “MALA SANTA” is a very empowering album that is completely different from Becky’s old music, it also shows her growth from a sweet girl to a grown woman. I recommend listening to this album if you like pop music and want to feel empowered and tough.

Surviving by Jimmy Eats World

Album: Surviving

Artist: Jimmy Eats World

Genre: Alternative/Indie

Record label: Exotic Location Recordings

Recommended Tracks: Track 2- Criminal Energy and Track 6- All The Way (Stay)

Surviving is Jimmy Eats World tenth studio album. It was released on October 18, 2019. The band produced Surviving with Justin Meldal-Johnson. Meldal-Johnson co-produced Jimmy Eat World’s previous song in 2016 Integrity Blues, as well as the 2018 songs Love Never and Half Heart. A new version of Love Never is on Surviving. Jimmy Eats the world is an American rock band that formed in Arizona in 1993. The band members are Jim Adkins, Tom Linton, Zach Lind, Rick Burch, Courtney Marie Andrews, Mitch Porter, and Rachel Haden. The band is most known for their song The Middle that came out in 2001. I recognized them once I heard this song. I am going to give this album a four out of five. I will explain at the end.

Criminal Energy definitely has alternative rock written all over it. It is very upbeat and fast pacing. This song reminds me a lot of Jimmy Eats World older music they made in the 90’s. It hasn’t really changed, like most artists who developed in the 90’s. This song is very energetic. This song is about having that unexplained feeling of doing something bad. Jimmy Eats World is saying that they have felt that same feeling and they understand it. You will like this song if you like upbeating rock music. It was my favorite song out of the rest of the album.

All The Way (Stay) is another upbeat alternative rock song in the album. It is not as fast paced as Criminal Energy, but it is still as good as that song. All The Way (Stay) is about wanting someone as a boyfriend or girlfriend but not knowing how to show their feelings to that person. They are trying to ask the person to “stay” so that they can go “all the way” and express their feelings to them. So yes, the song is about sex. It is about going all the way with someone no matter how awkward it is in the beginning. This song is perfect for anyone who loves to listen to chill rock music. It is also pretty catchy.

I gave this album a four out of five rating because most of the songs on the album are great, while others are not. I liked the overall beat of the entire album. When I read that the genre for the band was alternative/indie, I was dreading doing this review. But after listening to the album, most of the songs made my low expectations go away. If you are interested in alternative rock and indie and where a band has changed much from the 90’s, then this album is the one for you.

You Deserve Love by White Reaper

Band: White Reaper

Album: You Deserve Love

Genre: Rock, Pop Punk

Suggested track(s): Real Long Time

White Reaper’s new album You Deserve To Be Loved is a great rock album with influences from Queen and All Time Low. I know Queen is an odd band to say they draw influence from, seeing as how everyone takes from them, but the harmonizing guitars really give a Queen vibe. Beautifully composed, the album runs for about 30 minutes with 10 tracks.

Rock is an umbrella term used for punk, pop punk, alternative, (etc.), but what does it really men to be a rock band? What separates pop from rock? By definition, rock is characterized as a musical movement that took off in the 50s-60s, with experimental riffs and lyrics about sex and drugs. I think now, people more closely relate Rock to being ambitious and rebel-esque, consisting of lots of guitars and solid drums. White Reaper captures the essence of rock in the guitars that harmonize so beautifully to give a queen sound. The lead singer’s voice is more high pitched, and there’s some incorporation of synth, and a more pop sounding beat, which is why I associate them with All Time Low, a staple pop-punk band.

Real Long Time is a seemingly exetenialist song. The person in the song is being regular, wondering when things will not be so. The line that stood out to me the most was “How come what you want and what you get/Always seem to be two different things?”. Not necessarily a special lyric, but one I related to none-the-less.

All in all, I would highly recommend this album, it was a very fun and exciting listen, and honestly, Now i’m curious to know what they sound like as a live band. Catch me at their next gig.

Motions by Melii

Album: Motions

Artist: Melii

Genre: R&b soul

Record label: Interscope Records

Recommend Tracks: Track 3-High For U, Track 1- No Hard Feelings

Melii, Audrey Grinell Duncase, is a singer, songwriter and rapper from New York. She gained popularity in 2017 when she made a bilingual cover to Cardi B’s “Bodak Yellow”. Her ethnic background is Dominican, and she speaks both English and Spanish. She sprinkles bilingualism throughout her album. Melii gets music inspiration from Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Amy Winehouse, and Lil Kim. Her first album phAses has a similar sound to MOTIONS. What she sings and raps about is consistent across both albums. She sings and raps about sexual freedoms, being better than the next person, and love. Although the songs are of similar content each song has a different vibe. Some make you want to dance and others get you in your feels. Overall I rate this album a 4⁄5 . For it to receive a 5/5 I would like to hear more tracks where she belts it out. It would really emphasize the feelings.

Track 3 High For U feat. Gyptian is a really nice club song. The Afro/ Caribbean beats in the background makes you want to dance. The lyrics are also really good, it makes you feel like that Girl. I line from the song I really like is “say you want a bad girl, show you what it’s like then”.
The first track on the album is “No Hard Feelings”. The slowed down music in the background, makes you really feel the lyrics. This song is about a previous breakup showing your above that

now. I like the line, “say you doing better, I heard you”. This song is one you can bump in the car after you found out something vital about your significant other.

Overall I enjoyed Melii’s album MOTIONS. It took me on a journey of hurt and being over it. Melii has a light voice that’s also seductive so it makes you want to move your hips. I will add some of her songs to my playlist. If you are going through a breakup or are just over it, I say give this album a listen. It’s really relatable.