‘the New Classic’ a True Classic

Courtesy of Wikipedia.com

Iggy Azalea truly dazzles in her debut album, ‘the New Classic’. Throughout the entire album Azalea takes the stage with her fiery vocals and clever lyrics. She kicks off the album with a slightly melancholy, ‘Walk the Line’, which explains Iggy’s journey from the bottom to the top, a point she makes relentlessly throughout the album.  The album was preceded by 4 singles ‘Change Your Life’, ‘Fancy’, ‘Bounce’ and her debut single, ‘Work’. ‘Fancy’, being the 5th song on the album, is the first to finally pick up the beat and gives listeners a taste of the pre-album Iggy we know and love.

‘Work’ is truly one of the best songs of the album an of Iggy’s career in general. She incorporates painfully honest lyrics of the struggles she’s overcome, while incorporating extremely catchy, dance-worthy background music.

‘Impossible is Nothing’ seeks to inspire, as Iggy throws out lines like,

“Focus, keep eyes open, victory never sleeps
My prayer for you is that you hit all them goals you trynna reach
I even hope at one point that you take it farther than me”

This song is noteworthy as Azalea switches her focus from her own successes and sings to her fans, encouraging them to try hard to achieve their own goals.

‘Black Widow’ is deliciously catchy, switching from vocals from artist, Rita Ora and clubworthy beats. This song is a great addition to any party playlist.

‘F*** Love’ is a repetitive song, yet it’s bouncy background music keeps it running through your head for hours after listening.

‘Bounce’ is probably the most commercial song on the album. While the song is certainly enjoyable, it is all to reminiscent of any other song tailored for a nightclub.

The album finishes up with ‘Just Askin’ which seems an odd pick as she sings about an old boyfriend moving on. While song is interesting, it certainly isn’t her best.

Overall, this is a great album, Iggy provides a great variety of slow raps, club beats, dance music and powerful lyrics. It’s hard to pick a favorite song from the album. personally, I’m stuck between ‘Black Widow’, ‘Walk the Line’ and ‘Imposible is Nothing’.

LDR Fans Get Ready for Ultraviolence

The time has almost come for Lana Del Rey’s third studio album, titled “Ultraviolence.” The album is set to be released in mid-june.

 

Photo courtesy of New York Daily News

While her first two album covers display a beautifully pristine, done-up portrait of Lana, the cover of “Ultraviolence” shows a rougher, perhaps a more down to earth side of Lana.

Just as the “Ultraviolence” album cover shows a less cleaned up version of Lana, her latest single “West Coast” is far grittier than any song she has released in the past. In “Born to Die” and “Paradise”, LDR’s haunting vocals are at the forefront of every song, while the accompanying music is not particularly memorable (no great piano or guitar riffs or captivating drum solos). Her latest single “West Coast”, her voice is heavily layered and echoed and paired with a deliciously catchy drum riff. Despite her vocals being buried, her new single is definitely worth a listen.

“Ultraviolence” could honestly go two ways. Either we’re going to see Lana become another artist who puts out a watered-down album that does nothing to satisfy her fans craving for her unique, old-Hollywood-esque vocals. Or we’re going to see Lana incorporate more memorable instrumental parts in her music, paired with grittier vocals, giving her fans a glimpse of LDR without the glitter, the glamour, and the sugar sweet vocals were all so used to.