Monthly Report: February 2023 Albums
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1. Paramore - This Is Why
As someone who thought Paramore was way cooler than Bloc Party in 2008, I am a little irritated (reverse snobby?) about Paramore namechecking Bloc Party as a primary influence 15 years later and winning over a bunch of Pitchfork types who never gave Paramore's amazing earlier albums a chance. That said, a jagged post-punk aesthetic works well for them and This Is Why feels like a natural progression from Hayley Williams's solo album Petals For Armor (which would probably be a top 3 Paramore album for me if it was released under the band's name). But I dig that This Is Why is their shortest and most no-frills album, feels like the right approach for them right now, so far "You First" and "Running Out Of Time" are my favorites. Here's the 2023 albums Spotify playlist that I add every new album I listen to.
2. Chase Rice - I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell
Before Chase Rice was a solo star, he co-wrote Florida Georgia Line's megahit "Cruise," and before that he was a runner-up on "Survivor," and before that he was a college football star. I'd never been too impressed with Rice's music -- the only previous times he's been mentioned on this site were 4 times he appeared on my 'the 10 worst country singles of the year' lists. But I found the title I Hate Cowboys & All Dogs Go To Hell both hilarious and intriguing, and it turns out this album is a huge step forward for him as a songwriter. "All Dogs Go To Hell" is a good song but "I Hate Cowboys" is a great one, I hope he releases it as a single. Rice's father died and he sat down in his home studio during the pandemic and wrote some songs on his guitar and really pulled some sad, funny, and poignant songs with a raw, direct sound that doesn't entirely abandon his radio-friendly instincts. The 7-minute "Oklahoma" feels like a Crazy Horse-style shaggy jam, really elevates the album.
3. Kelsea Ballerini - Rolling Up The Welcome Mat EP
5 months ago, Kelsea Ballerini released an excellent album, Subject To Change, weeks after announcing that she and Morgan Evans were divorcing. But it sounded like a pretty upbeat record that was written pre-divorce, and now we're starting to get the divorce songs on an EP surprise released on Valentine's Day. A few weeks ago I praised Evans's single "Over For You," and Rolling Up The Welcome Mat's opening track "Mountain With A View" is a pretty pointed response to that song. But it really feels a lot more introspective and soulful than just another celebrity breakup spectacle (although it's threatening to become that with tabloids running stories of her cheating with one of the Chainsmokers). Ballerini sounds very inspired right now and I'm glad she decided to go with a splashy surprise release and a big rollout with her first "SNL" appearance this weekend.
4. Elli$ & Livin Legin - Living Legend
It's been about a decade since I profile Baltimore rapper Elli$ for a City Paper piece about his excellent album The Education of Ellis. Levin Legin produced that album and they reunited for this duo project and they really have strong musical chemistry, great lush sample-driven production and some really dense, thoughtful lyrics. So far the standouts on the album for me are "Cloud Surfin" and "Hollow Earth."
5. YG Teck & Peezy - Champain
YG Teck has been on a run as one of Baltimore's top rappers for a few years now, and it's exciting to see him do a collab project with an out-of-town rapper with a higher national profile, especially since Detroit's Peezy just made "2 Million Up," one of my favorite songs of 2022. Peezy is definitely bar-for-bar the stronger writer, but they have that same kind of air of grim determination in their lyrics, and a lot of these beats bring out the best in YG Teck, especially "State Green."
6. Raye - My 21st Century Blues
There is a music industry phenomenon I refer to as 'EP jail': a young artist signs to a major label and releases single after single with varying success, without ever quite getting to the level where the label wants to invest in an album release, instead releasing scarcely promoted EPs just waiting for that big hit to arrive. Saweetie, for instance, has been in EP jail for the last 5 years. Polydor kept British singer-songwriter Raye in EP jail for about 6 years before she finally got fed up, went independent, and released "Escapism," which topped the UK charts and became her first hit in America. So My 21st Century Blues is the kind of triumphant indie fuck you to the music industry that's easy to root for, and it's a very ambitious pop album that takes on a lot of difficult subject matter (the song about body dysmorphia is called "Body Dysmorphia," because pop has become very clinical and on-the-nose these days). I'm not into all the different styles and sounds on the album, but there's some great stuff here, particularly that stretch of the last few tracks starting with "Five Star Hotels," and the little spoken outro really gives it a nice personal touch.
7. Pink - Trustfall
Pink is at a classic rocker career stage where she can tour stadiums but her singles struggle to get Top 40 airplay. But I can truly say that after nine albums she still doesn't have a single dud in her catalog, even if 2008's Funhouse is still her best. The two Greg Kurstin productions, "Runaway" and "Hate Me," are the only high energy tracks that feel like peak period Pink, but I don't mind the mellower vibe of her last couple albums because she can sing just about anything.
8. Rebecca Black - Let Her Burn
Rebecca Black making the widely mocked viral hit "Friday" at 13 and then growing up still wanting to make music and releasing her debut album is, I think, a great story, it's inspiring, really. In some of the responses I've seen to Let Her Burn, it feels like people are still pretty eager to dismiss Rebecca Black as an undistinguished wannabe who stumbled into fame -- it's just that now instead of being a kid who awkwardly attempts to make Top 40 pop, she's an adult trying to make cool edgy alternative 'hyperpop.' But I think she has good taste and the right kind of voice for what she's trying to do. My favorite songs on the album are on opposite ends of the spectrum, the numetal guitars over drum'n'bass beats on "Destroy Me" and the gooey '80s synth pop of "Sick To My Stomach," but most of stuff in between works pretty well too.
9. Key Glock - Glockoma 2
Key Glock was Young Dolph's closet collaborator, and it felt like he was just starting to come into his own when Dolph died. So I really root for dude, I would love to see him keep carrying the torch for his friend like Fat Joe did for Pun or Jay did for Biggie. He's not as big a personality as Dolph, but he's starting to get a better feel for ad libs and hooks to go with his verses. As with most Paper Route projects the last few years, the Bandplay productions are my favorites, particularly "Money Over Here" and "Work," that guy's a genius. Hitkidd has a couple great beats too.
10. Inhaler - Cuts & Bruises
"Cheer Up Baby" from the Irish band Inhaler's first album made my list of the best rock singles of 2022. And while I don't know if there's any one song on the band's second album quite as immediate and memorable as that one, but it's a solid album, I like their glossy modern rock sound. And "If You're Gonna break My Heart" is a pretty effective departure towards a more '70s classic rock vibe.
The Worst Album of the Month: Jessie Murph - Drowning
Jessie Murph is a teenager who rose to fame doing lipsync videos on Tiktok, but I'm not gonna be a total snob and say that's why I don't like this record, there's some appeal in the kind of moody alt-pop she's doing. Her vocal style just gets really irritating to me over the course of an entire album, it's nails-and-chalkboard to me like Jessie Reyez's voice, mixed with some widely imitated Billie Eilish tics.
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on Thursday, March 02, 2023 at 8:05 AM.
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