Short n’ Sweet (Deluxe) – Sabrina Carpenter
I’ve been putting this one off for a while, as I’ve grown to appreciate Sabrina Carpenter over the past year. Her song, 15 Minutes, on the recent deluxe, is one of my favorite ‘80s dance-pop revival songs from this past decade, and after hearing Espresso at a bar for the first time, it’s become one of my favorite pop songs from 2024. Sabrina’s Carpenters most recent music feels like the definitive vibe for the 2020’s decade.
On this album, Sabrina’s sound is polished and bold, yet doesn’t go far enough. The highlights—Juno, Espresso, and Please Please Please—overshadow the album. The other songs feel like they support the LP but aren’t energetic or fully fleshed out enough to come back to.
The deluxe adds some much-needed soul and energy that the initial release was lacking. 15 Minutes and Busy Woman are as good, if not better, than the initial highlights. She also leans into more folk territory, with Dolly Parton being on the Please Please Please remix. I wasn’t thrilled with her feature, but the other folk elements were competent enough to keep me entertained. Sabrina takes influence from a lot of genres like R&B, indie, and singer-songwriter, but the most staggering for the deluxe is ‘80s pop. The synths and production on here are amazing, and there’s so much detail packed into these 2–3-minute songs. The basslines are groovy, drums are clean and polished, and synths are addictingly punchy.
Sabrina has a beautiful voice, and her flirty and provocative lyrics coincide cheekily with her innocent and playful style. It’s evident that Sabrina can make a catchy, vibrant pop song that is easily replayable while retaining quality. Although this album mainly feels like a midpoint, the highs are high—especially on the deluxe.
★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Empathogen – WILLOW
Empathogen is the first WILLOW project I’ve thoroughly enjoyed from a technical and composition standpoint. The jazz influences on this project are staggering, complemented by WILLOW’s beautifully delivered vocals.
symptom of life and pain for fun are two examples where her pop and jazz blend dynamic really shines. The single big feelings is also a compositional feat, amplified by a professional and emotional performance from WILLOW. The lyrics didn’t impress me too much, although there were a few songs that had some memorable lines. What stands out more is her seamless delivery and vocal inflections.
The atmosphere on this album is professionally curated. The mixing and instrumentation are very lush and mellow, fitting the disjointed, almost anxious tone and theme of this album.
This is a very palatable, digestible take on jazz and art progression. The technical rhythmic elements mesh well with the melodic riffs and vocal deliveries. The track length is a little short and could have used more atmosphere-defining songs. Overall, this was an enjoyable project and a huge step for WILLOW in her music career.
★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
Vultures 2 – ¥$
There’s usually been at least one salvageable song from Kanye’s recent album run—not this time. Atrocious mixing, AI vocals, and not an ounce of effort put into this entire project. This album is a sad addition to Ye’s discography and showcases his recent dive in quality.
I never thought I’d hear some of the sloppiest production in my life come from a Kanye project. I have to wonder if this was even mixed and mastered. The composition makes no sense and makes it feel like this had zero emotion put into it. The beats on here are also vapid and boring. Fried is just a Carnival ripoff, which was already a Mo Bamba. 530 is a five-minute song with no drums and Kanye rambling, and I don’t think I have to explain why Bomb is terrible.
The features on here are the standard trap starter pack from the past decade. Young Thug and Future have decent performances, but they don’t come close to lifting this project out of the hole it’s dug for itself. As a past Yandhi fanatic, Sky City is the most disappointing song. It sounds like Kanye rapped over the leak instead of remaking the beat. The mixing is atrocious, and there was no additional tidying up of the leak before release. Ye’s verse also sounds like it was done in ten separate takes that were all left in.
Kanye has officially fallen off. His mental health has gotten so bad it has completely changed his ability to make competent music again. I would have never expected the guy who made Graduation and MBDTF to release an unmixed, visionless, and embarrassing album to this caliber. I still think he’s got one more good album left in him, and I’m holding out hope he gets help sooner than later.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆