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1. Melodrama, Lorde – improves upon a monumental debut, avoiding the ‘sophomore slump’ with gusto and grace. The fact that it didn’t perform well commercially is almost a testament to its greatness. Can’t wait to see where she goes from here.
2. DAMN., Kendrick Lamar – not as impactful as To Pimp A Butterfly, but with lyrics and performances as searing as these, that fact is merely an afterthought
3. 24K Magic, Bruno Mars – This is Bruno Mars’ Teenage Dream – he is owning his schtick and has never sounded better. His content will never have the gravitas of the likes Lorde or Kendrick Lamar – Bruno is a bop artist, and that’s more than okay.
4. Awaken! My Love, Childish Gambino – so much artistry, too much artistry. This album is, at times, thought-provoking and evokes some spine-tingling vibes, here and there, but while I appreciate his artistic ambitions, it just doesn’t resonate with me. Nothing here sinks its teeth in, and lingers.
5. 4:44, Jay-Z – I liked him better when he was in the Illuminati, you know before all they talked about before he cheated on Beyonce. Like Lemonade, a lot of the hurt feelings here ring hollow; there’s a weird bravado where there should be pain…these two may have a lot of power, but I don’t think they have many layers. “The Story of O.J.” is this album’s saving grace.
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This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by
HotNerdLover.
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This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by HotNerdLover.
24k Magic IS the safest choice. It’s the bestselling album, by the most famous/popular artist these days and the album is the most pop-ish. Melodrama is actually very much alternative, even if people consider it “pop”(for the lack of a better label to use). The lyrics and sounds are much more elaborated and hard to swallow than 24k Magic bops.
Besides, Bruno is very talented and respected, so the album’s lack of depth or artistic pretense won’t be that big of a problem. I hope he doesn’t win, but he’s the most likely winner, unfortunately.
ReplyCopy URLMelodrama is a high-brow pop album. There’s nothing alternative about it. But yes, Bruno is the “safest” choice. That doesn’t mean he’s undeserving, though.
What’s alternative, after all? To me, anything that doesn’t sound mainstream is alternative. I don’t see Melodrama as mainstream, too boring for that, and it’s not radiophonic at all. It’s not rock, or R&B, or country, or hip hop, so people call it “pop” by exclusion, but it’s not commercial enough for that, in my opinion. Anyway, pop or not, 24k Magic is much more catchy. And I don’t think it deserves to win, but that’s not the reason.
ReplyCopy URLI think when there’s a like two or three other choices you can make in a year when you are trying to show “diversity” and progression, Bruno wouldn’t be a very good choice to do that. Bruno is fun and talented and his album is fine, but he would scream “He’s not white and he made an R&Bish album, but he’s still close enough to our taste. Give him the win to shut them up!”. That’s why I think his win would be similar to Lionel Richie’s. I’m preparing for his win.
Also, people would only have an issue with Lorde’s win because she is white, but Melodrama is definitely more of a progression from previous work than Bruno’s album. I would say a win from her would be much more deserving, but she won’t win.
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This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by PoweR.
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This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by PoweR.
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This reply was modified 3 months, 1 week ago by
