Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia [Warner Records 2020]
Sultry, heavy handed toward the end, “Good in Bed” is hot but a little toxic, She’s a diva-lite whose Albanian heritage is the signifier. Expect her to do even better next time. 3.8/5
Westside Gunn – Pray for Paris [Griselda 2020]
One third of a classicist rap group from Buffalo who gives plenty of time to his other two cohorts, he also checks good taste at the door, just listen to that sale of da Vinci’s painting. But it’s not that deep, the fun is in the WWE character demanding even more diamonds because its gaudy as fuck and he knows it. Which is why emotionally his reverence for his influences – George Condo is the visual artist behind the album art for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Also see: the Mobb Deep sample on “Shawn vs. Flair” and the title with Pop Smoke – and his daughter hit as hard as they do. Ain’t he a stinker? 4.2/5
The Weeknd – After Hours [XO/Republic 2020]
A decade and four bloated albums later, now Abel Tesfaye seems to get his shit in order. He has secured his legacy among the algorithmic masses with “Blinding Lights”’s shiny ode to 80’s excess while still being damaged enough to touch sad rich kids who see molly as a way out of their oh so terribly humdrum lives. But why does this still feel so wafer thin? Maybe it’s because since Los Angeles defeated him he’s been kicked homeward and forced to pretend via persona for point of view? 3.0/5
Taylor Swift – folklore [Republic 2020]
There have been a lot of complaints from the rockists and Swifties in my life; “It’s still too glossy”; “It puts me to sleep”; “This isn’t her Nebraska”; “This isn’t indie, by definition indie means independent label and she’s not on one”; “Who the fuck is The National?” Ignoring all this and taking it for the hypercompetent chamber pop it is is for the best even if Aaron Dessner does still sound a little too much like himself. Taylor Swift has always been a strong woman and detailed storyteller whether focusing on herself or made up folks, meaning introspection has always come second nature to her, the gloss of it all then is a simple wink to those in the know that she’s still herself and happy even during this time of hunkering down. 4.5/5
Taylor Swift – evermore [Republic 2020]
Less singularly cohesive in sound but more accessible to old fans and new from “willows” finger plucking to “no body no crime”’s outlaw country. The theme this time around is winter, no three song love triangles but much more jangle and pop to liven up the place despite the cold. But that don’t mean she skips the earth shatterers and tear jerkers, two about the end of long-term relationships and one a revelatory biography/in memorium for her grandmother. In time this and folklore will be looked at side by side (as all of these types of releases are) and, given history, props will be given to the first born; and while I definitely agree with that as a unit, there are higher highs and lowers lows to be found in the little one. 4.5/5
Cosmic Hero 