Cordavision Music Reviews

Cache Saturday is a new series of unranked reviews where I’m gonna catch up on albums I’ve listened to, whether it’s for the first time or not. I’ll also cover new albums I’ve missed from earlier or were cut from my schedule. Also, they’ll all be done in one paragraph. Here’s the first entry, Jon Batiste’s Grammy-nominated WE ARE . Woooow, how have I not heard his solo work yet? I know he’s also nominated and won for his work on the score for Pixar’s Soul, but this is just great. I’m pretty sure Batiste has a degree as a jazz pianist and it shows here. I love all the influences here like funk, soul, hip-hop, and gospel, yet it doesn’t feel like any of them. I could also tell Batiste is from New Orleans, mainly because the sound just feels born from it. Most of all, it just feels genuine. It feels like there’s a talented man at work here and it shows across the board. No wonder Batiste is the most nominated artist at this year’s Grammys. Listen here YouTube Music WE ARE is a Verve rele...

Earlier this week, the official nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards were finally revealed, and even if you think the Grammys aren’t hot shit anymore, I think it’s a big deal for newer artists. Having that ‘Grammy-nominated’ or ‘Grammy-winning’ stamp in front of your name is huge for smaller artists or artists who haven’t won Grammys yet. So, I’m gonna go through every major category and the categories I care about and list the nominees, who I think should win, and what I think will win in said category. Let’s get into it. Album of the Year Jon Batiste - WE ARE Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga - Love for Sale Justin Bieber - Justice Doja Cat - Planet Her Billie Eilish - Happier Than Ever H.E.R. - Back of My Mind Lil Nas X - MONTERO Olivia Rodrigo - SOUR Taylor Swift - Evermore Kanye West - Donda What Will Win?: SOUR What Should Win?: Donda or MONTERO Record of the Year ABBA - “I Still Have Faith in You” Jon Batiste - “Freedom” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga - “I Get a Kick Out of You” Justi...

Holy shit, it’s finally here. You know, I could safely say that this is my most anticipated album of 2021. Who the hell would ever imagine Bruno Mars, an industry titan and hit-making machine, and Anderson .Paak, one of the most underrated yet most respected artists working now (who also happens to be one of my favorite musicians ever), to team up for an entire album under a new name, Silk Sonic? I know a couple of people that doubted this, but right when I heard the news of them working together, I knew this was gonna be an absolute treasure. The three singles released for this album, the chart-topping “Leave The Door Open,” the bubbly “Skate,” and my personal favorite “Smokin Out the Window,” were all damn near perfect. There was a level of chemistry between Mars and .Paak that’s rarely captured in music. I may not agree with this notion, but people I’ve asked have said that this is the closest we’ll ever get to having Michael Jackson and Prince working together. Either way, Silk Son...

Most of the people I know in my life weren’t even close to alive in between breaks of new ABBA material. It’s no question that ABBA is one of the most iconic and legendary musical acts of all time. I’d say that they’re also well known for their vocal harmonies. I mean, have you heard “Dancing Queen?” Have you heard “Waterloo?” Granted, even with the hype (or lack of hype) for this comeback album, Voyage , I was cautiously excited about this project. Hell, I never doubt ABBA for their artistic quality, but it’s literally 40 in between this album and their last, 1981’s The Visitors . So, does this new album live up to the massive expectations? Let’s see if it does. Honestly, they still have the vocals down pat, but the biggest standout to me is the production. It sounds damn fantastic, and quite frankly, I always thought that this was gonna be the case, but this was pretty surprising. I’d say that the biggest issue here is the biggest issue in nearly all of ABBA’s albums: too many ballad...

The double whammy of Dawn of Chromatica and this within weeks of each other is so funny to me. For those that don’t know, this album marks the end of an era for music. Because of his battle with Alzheimer’s, this is the final album of jazz legend Tony Bennett. To end his career on a high note, he’s decided to make another covers album with pop icon Lady Gaga. Their last album together, 2014’s Cheek to Cheek , ended up being a welcome surprise for fans of both parties involved. Now, with Love For Sale , we not only have a second helping of that but along with this being Bennett’s final album, there’s a lot of good expectations for it. Let’s just not waste any more time and get into it. Remember when I covered that Black Keys album earlier this year, which was covers of 50s-60s blues-rock tracks? These are essentially jazz/show tune covers, and really, what’d you expect? Did you think this was gonna be bad? Both Bennett and Gaga are very talented singers, and most of these songs (if not...

Alright, I’m reviewing the score of a movie that hasn’t even been released yet. This is my redemption arc. If this is successful, I’ll be in the upper echelon. I gotta admit, I’ve never heard of a concept like this. Legendary composer Hans Zimmer is known for his pretty great track record for his film scores. His work in film has been absolutely stunning, and this is a brand new experiment for him. Denis Villeneuve’s new film, an adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune , has been in the works for a while now, and it has a massive cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, and Javier Bardem all star in it. When I heard that Zimmer was going to compose the score, I was so excited. Along with that, word got out that Zimmer had made not one, not two, but three separate scores for the movie. The first ...

So, based on the pregnancy marketing, would this album be 15 inches and 46 pounds…? It’s no secret that Lil Nas X is one of the biggest stars in the world right now. What everyone thought would be a one-hit-wonder in “Old Town Road” ended up becoming a pop icon within the past couple of years, and it’s really astounding to see. Especially for the rollout for this album, we’ve seen him go through controversy after controversy. Granted, I think most of these are just very stupid. Giving the king of Hell a lapdance, making Satan shoes (come on, guys, this isn’t the Salem Witch Trials), showering and dancing with a group of naked men, and calling your album your baby while going around looking pregnant for a few weeks isn’t worth the controversy. I actually think the marketing ended up working in his favor, making Lil Nas X seem like a very genuine and likable guy. It also helped that all of the singles for this were fantastic. His debut album, titled MONTERO , has some pretty high-profile...

Top of the morning. So, you may be on the same page as me that I was on a few weeks ago. Who is Baby Keem? Well, he’s a California rapper and producer. He also happens to be the cousin of Kendrick Lamar, and he’s had pretty eventful past weeks. The most recent single from this album, “family ties” featuring Lamar, made huge waves with it being Kendrick’s comeback, but along with that, Baby Keem ended up holding his own against him. In the past week, he also appeared on Kanye West’s last album, Donda , absolutely killing the song he was featured on. Now, he’s taking advantage of the opportunity and dropping his debut album, The Melodic Blue . Along with three Kendrick Lamar features, it also features Don Toliver and Travis Scott. Having heard all the excitement around this, I’m pretty hyped to see what’s in store. Let’s get into The Melodic Blue . I can say right off the bat that Keem knows how to make a catchy song. Even if the track “pink panties” isn’t my favorite song off it, I can’...

This has gotta be the worst album art I’ve seen in a very long time, just saying. I gotta admit something here. This past week has been absolutely insane when it comes to this website. Two reviews in a row are some of the biggest albums of this decade so far, and it’s wild to think about that. Either way, I’ve been in the middle on Drake for a very long time. Yes, I understand how influential he’s been but his music has never truly clicked for me except for his earlier albums and mixtapes. Now, after this album was supposed to come out all the way back in January, Certified Lover Boy is here. It’s got a good amount of features from Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Giveon, Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Future, Young Thug, Yebba, 21 Savage, Project Pat, Tems, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Kid Cudi. So, how did I feel about this? Let’s get into it. Outside of full-on Drake stans, opinions on this have been pretty mixed overall. While I do agree with the notion that this is just another Drake album ...

No intro joke. It’s finally here. Well, it’s been a pretty wild ride. For many different reasons, good or bad, Kanye West doesn’t need any introduction whatsoever. Announced back in July 2020 as God’s Country , Mr. West has been in a rough patch of his life for the past few years. It’s been pretty clear that since the sudden passing of his mother, Donda West, in 2007, Ye has been on a downward spiral. While some of his best music has come from this period, arguably his worst has come from it too. His last full-length album, Jesus is King, was his tipping point. Even if the music was good (it wasn’t), Jesus is King was a manic episode. No one really knows if he’s been taking care of himself since then, but then again, you’re never gonna know with Kanye. After three eventful listening parties, Kanye West’s tenth studio album Donda dropped out of the blue last Sunday to much fanfare. Also, the features on here are certainly eye-grabbing: Jay-Z, Francis & The Lights, Marilyn Manson, V...

Gonna be flexing some religious/Renaissance painting knowledge here. Halsey has been an artist that’s been incredibly hit or miss for me. Her first couple albums really didn’t do too much for me, if I’m being honest, but her last album, 2020’s Manic , really caught me. Unlike the title, that album seems very refined and ended up really intriguing me to see if Halsey was going to progress as an artist. Right as this album was announced, though, I felt that there was something new happening. I mean, that’s with most albums, but this was special. Before any other details came out about this album, it was revealed that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from Nine Inch Nails would be producing the entire album. Then, the title got revealed to be If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power , and with that, I was pretty excited about this. There’s even an IMAX short film, but I personally haven’t seen it yet. There really weren’t any expectations for this since there weren’t any singles released before it,...

I seriously cannot believe that A Boogie wit da Hoodie is on a Nas album. Look, if you know anything about rap, you know that Nas doesn’t need any kind of introduction. One of the most legendary figures to ever be on the mic, he’s also one of the most hard-hitting writers in the mainstream as well. This album here is the sequel to last year’s Grammy-winning project King’s Disease , but I think it’s a hot take when I say that this album didn’t do much for me. Yeah, it’s good and a fun listen, but that’s all it was to me. Whether I like it or not, we now have King’s Disease II . Just like the last one, it’s entirely produced by Hit-Boy and it includes features from Eminem, Ms. Lauryn Hill, EPMD, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, YG, Charlie Wilson, and Blxst. New Nas always gets me excited, so let’s get right into it. I’m a sucker for some good jazz rap beats, and there’s a crazy amount of them here. Hell, I’d say that this includes some of the best jazz rap of the year so far. My favorite song of...

The art department could’ve at least photoshopped out the chair smh. Whether you like it or not, Billie Eilish is one of the biggest stars on the planet right now. Regardless of whatever press she’s getting as a person at the moment, she knows how to make a good song. When Happier Than Ever was officially announced, I was worried mainly because it was April. I may be on the younger side, but that’s quite a while for an album to drop. Either way, the singles didn’t stand out to me either. The only single I genuinely liked from it was “Lost Cause,” which has a whole different thing happening but we don’t have to talk about that now. Now, that album is here, one of the most anticipated albums of the year at that. There’s a lot of hype and industry backing here, and don’t get me wrong, I’m nervous about this album. So, let’s not waste any more time and get into Happier Than Ever . I just gotta say this in both a positive and a negative way: This is a mess. There’s a lot happening here wit...

Who puts out a damn-near 30 song album that isn’t for trying to hit that number one spot? Like, seriously. Ah, yes. The Kid LAROI. He happens to be one of the biggest artists in the world and I haven’t heard a single song from him. Funny enough, he’s a big name and I had no clue. I looked at the landing page for this album, FUCK LOVE 3: OVER YOU , on Apple Music and I saw something genuinely horrifying: This is 29 songs. After listening to it, I learned that this was his other two EPs combined with a brand new album. So, I might as well try to review all three of the FUCK LOVE entries while I’m at it. So, how does FUCK LOVE 3 stand? Let’s find out. Let me just say right off the bat that this is an awful way to release an album. I’ve done my research on this. Some outlets are calling this a deluxe with 15 whole new songs. Some are calling this a new album with his other EPs tacked onto it. Some are just even calling it a new ‘project.’ Whatever this is, it’s a horrible attempt to capi...

Oddly enough, I was listening to Kanye’s “Gold Digger” when I saw that this was announced. Leon Bridges is an enigma in music right now. He’s popular with fans and critics alike. Even most casual music listeners know who he is and enjoy his music. His debut album, Coming Home , is honestly one of my favorite R&B albums of the decade. For better or for worse, it feels like a love letter to the sounds of the 60s and 70s. Some have been pretty adamant that he relies on this sound a little too much, and granted, his voice is very reminiscent of an Otis Redding, but I’m a fan of that sound so it doesn’t bother me too much. On his newest album, Gold-Diggers Sound , Bridges’s sound palette changes from the psychedelic 60s soul to a more traditional pop-soul sound. How does it stand? Let’s find out. Starting off with the lyrics, I guess they’re a little typical for pop-soul in this vein. The main goal for the lyrics on here is to back up Bridges’s vocals and they certainly do that job. Spe...

A violet sky actually sounds really cool. A good chunk of newer R&B artists hasn’t really clicked for me lately. I’m actually reviewing this artist, Snoh Aalegra, and her new album because of a suggestion by a friend. I haven’t really heard of her before, but with a James Fauntleroy feature and multiple Tyler, the Creator features, I’m going into this with good expectations. Let’s not waste any more time and get into Temporary Highs in the Violet Skies . I’m not sure what the main single was off this album, but “Lost You” certainly would make a great single for it. She reminded me of Sade a lot, and that’s not a comparison I make lightly. It’s a good thing, though. I do believe Tyler had some pretty good contributions here and he makes a good duo with Aalegra. I’d love to see what she could do with someone like André 3000, though. As much as I like James Fauntleroy, I do think his feature was a little disappointing, but nobody’s perfect and I think I’d listen if they collaborated a...

Shoutout to Brainfeeder and Flying Lotus for signing these guys, good lord. If you’re a hip-hop fan, you’ve definitely heard a Hiatus Kaiyote song. They only have three albums to their name, including this one here, and during that time, their songs have been sampled by Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Anderson .Paak, and Chance the Rapper, among many other artists. After a few roadblocks since the six years that came after their last album, Choose Your Weapon , the neo-soul group is finally back with Mood Valiant , jumping labels from Sony to Brainfeeder. Is Mood Valiant the massive comeback the group was needing? Let’s find out. Let me get a little detailed first, though. It’s tough to combine the layered nature of jazz and the openness of soul for any artist. I hope you get what I mean by that because it’ll be tough for me to explain that. Hiatus Kaiyote has done that very well in the past, and it’s no different here. I personally feel that this sounds a lot better than Choos...

(AUTHOR'S NOTE: Not me accidentally dropping this review early.) My most popular YouTube upload is my bite-size review of Hot Pink , so who knows if this is gonna do well or not. I’ve always kinda liked Doja Cat as an artist. She’s in this R&B/pop lane that I don’t listen to that often, but whenever I’ve heard a song of her’s, it’s been alright. I don’t think she’s that much of an album artist, though. Her past two albums, Amala and Hot Pink , aren’t the best R&B/pop albums out there, but as I’ve said earlier, they’re alright. When the first single “Kiss Me More” with SZA dropped, it got me pretty excited for it, honestly. It’s one of the better singles of the year, and along with that, it’s just an earworm. Maybe that’s why I like “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John so much too, but that’s beside the point. The collaborators on Planet Her are also pretty exciting. We have the artists that she’s worked with before like Ariana Grande and The Weeknd, but we also have some new ...

I wrote a college paper on the concept of IGOR , and I got an A-. I think I’m pretty qualified for this. If you know me, you probably know that Tyler, the Creator is one of my favorite artists of all time. Even if his earlier work doesn’t resonate with me as much as I’d like it to, his talents go beyond what I think anyone expected from Goblin or even Wolf to an extent. Flower Boy and IGOR are some of my favorite albums of all time, and no matter what he was going to do next, I’m pretty sure that I was at least going to like it. Once the promotion started with these billboards and a phone number to call to hear an interlude from this album, CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST , I was immediately hooked. The first single that dropped, “LUMBERJACK,” was a very interesting lead-up for the album. It told me that this was gonna be a full-on rap album from him, which was something I’ve been waiting on, as much as I love IGOR . Also, I loved the DJ Drama inclusion on it, he gave the song so much ener...

I mean, I can’t wait for this to sweep the Grammys next year. H.E.R. is an artist that I’ve always been championing casually. She’s a genuinely talented artist that seemingly came out of nowhere. The first song I heard of hers was “Best Part” with Daniel Caesar, where I had actually heard him first too. She reminded me quite a bit of Alicia Keys in the best way possible, and on top that, she is a fucking incredible guitarist. When her full-length debut, Back of My Mind , was officially announced, I was really excited for it. As the details came out about it, though, the music nerd that you usually see write on this site was a little concerned. This thing is 21 tracks, and while it is an R&B album and a little easier to digest, it’s still very long. The features, while there are a few interesting ones here, I would’ve loved to see at least one female collab on here. Ty Dolla $ign, Cordae, Lil Baby, Thundercat, Chris Brown, Yung Bleu, Bryson Tiller, and YG is a pretty stacked list, b...