These lyrical themes are evident from the first track on the album, “For My Pethis track, Joey raps about how difficult it can be growing up black in America. It’s a great opening track, and its calming, yet upbeat production draws the listener in with soft synthesizers and horns behind a groovy drum rhythm. His lyrics also seem to summarize the purpose of the album. “Music is a form of expression,” Joey raps. “Imma use mine just to teach you a lesson.”
Blunt steps out of his comfort zone in an attempt to serenade us with a more bubble-gum pop sound that, while not perfectly suitable for his voice, does let you explore a side to Blunt you’d never think you’d see.
Sheeran dropped his highly anticipated album on March 3, and he did not disappoint. Although his other albums were amazing, Sheeran outdid himself with his most recent album, “Divide.” He branched out of his comfort zone and experimented with new instruments and sounds, including two very Irish sounding songs, “Galway Girl” and “Nancy Mulligan.”
Although Mercer has not lost his talent for quirky lyrics and catchy musical arrangements, he has abandoned much of the edgier indie rock inspirations of The Shins’s first few albums. “Heartworms,” in contrast, has more of a pop-influenced sound with some psychedelic and electronic elements that take some minor risks with the band’s tried-and-true sound.
This album’s intricate harmonies and passionate lyrics seem to be a trend, as they are in Little Big Town’s other albums. Although there are a couple of stragglers in “The Breaker,” the album is worth a listen.
Unlike Cole’s past albums “4 Your Eyez Only” is one continuous narrative that can only be understood by listening from the beginning to end. Not only does he paint the story of his personal life, he also tells stories about his friends’ experiences and their impact on his life.
The themes of self-doubt and fragility found on previous albums are explored deeper in the third album. The album is so good that despite its sad undertones, it truly illustrates the band’s growth since its debut.
