If you are not paying attention to her lyrics, it might be easy just to write her off as another Cardi B clone. She has been at this for a minute, the 38-year-old rapper was part of the pop duo Karmin, and she has been releasing music as the Qveen since 2017, so we are 7 years into this chapter of her career. Surprisingly she also attended Berklee School of Music. The only hint of this you hear is in the arrangement of her vocal harmonies when she sings her own hooks. The backing tracks are much closer to the mainstream, as they are a futuristic vision of disco. Her clever lyrics are her biggest strength that elevates "Lavish" from what you hear on the radio.
They keep things funky and guitars in the mix for "Mirror Mirror" which creates a more organic feel than most pop music these days. Then things default to making her feel like a female version of Eminem on "Magic". It is still pretty effective, though a clear-cut formula to songwriting is in place and this is the most mainstream moment so far. "Bob Dylan" opens with a more atmospheric vibe, with her vocals bared in the minimalist mix before the beat drops in. She sings on this one more than she raps. In some ways, it reminds me of a less grooving Luscious Jackson. This is another song that could be edited and censored for radio play. You can hear her fleeting influence but she does not pay blatant tribute to any one artist.
Fr33sol lends his voice to "WE GOT THIS", which really only edges her closer to what everyone else is doing and narrows the margin from which it sits parts from other artists doing similar. 'My SZN" closes the album with an almost Beyoncee-like that colors some of the vocal melodies. The hooks are not as sharp as what we heard earlier in the album. I will give this album an 8.5, as it starts strong, but then gradually who she is gets moved to the back of the mix as they dial her in at a more of a radio-friendly formula.
pst307
No comments:
Post a Comment