Todd Gilchrist
On ‘Certified Lover Boy,’ Drake Continues to Complain About His Endless Success
Album Reviews • Published on September 2021
Is it better to be boring or uneven? Both are admittedly reductive characterizations of the music of Drake and Kanye West, but in this week of long-delayed, extremely high profile album releases,…
Kanye West’s Sprawling ‘Donda’ Encapsulates His Greatest Love — for Himself
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
It’s impossible to evaluate Kanye West’s new music without considering everything that comes with it. Not just the unfocused pageantry leading up to the release of his long-delayed 10th album “Donda”…
Halsey Gives Birth to Greatness With ‘If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power’
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
Halsey has emerged among the young pop stars of their generation as an artist both with something to say, and the maturity to say it meaningfully. Maybe such declarations are premature —…
‘Solar Power’: Lorde Embraces Her Inner Hippie — and Makes Fun of Her at the Same Time
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
It can be a double-edged sword when artists slavishly explain their motive and inspirations for songs: the explanations simultaneously provide helpful context for something that may be misinterpreted, but they also remove all…
The Killers Pay Tribute to Small Town Despair on Dust Bowl Odyssey ‘Pressure Machine’
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
At a time when rock ‘n’ roll is more out of vogue than ever before, you have to hand it to the Killers: they found a way to absorb lots of different…
Tinashe Juggles Heartbreak and Hedonism on Catchy, Conventional ‘333’
333 • Published on August 2021
At 28, Tinashe has produced a body of work that rivals artists two or three times her age: “333” is her fifth studio album, but her tenth overall project, and that…
Nas Continues His Grammy-Winning Collaboration With Hit-Boy on ‘King’s Disease II’
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
It’s hard not to look at Nas’ Grammy win last year for “King’s Disease” as a career win rather than individual recognition of what is a very good record, the musical equivalent…
Billie Eilish Laments Her Celebrity Status With Languid, Whispery ‘Happier Than Ever’
Album Reviews • Published on August 2021
Billie Eilish has become one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and it seems like it might be the worst possible thing, that’s exactly what she wanted. It is more…
‘Welcome 2 America’: Previously Unreleased Prince Album Offers Timely Outrage, Empowerment
Album Reviews • Published on July 2021
Being a Prince fan means you have an obligation to feel a little bit conflicted every time his estate releases new material. The notorious perfectionist controlled every aspect of his vast library…
Leon Bridges’ Retro Soul Style Gets a Modern Makeover on ‘Gold-Diggers Sound’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2021
It’s always a challenge for an artist working on the periphery of a genre to cultivate a strong commercial following while retaining their unique personality — and to not be too well-defined by…
Willow Goes Pop-Punk For Petulant, Powerful ‘Lately I Feel Everything’
Album Reviews • Published on July 2021
Pop-punk captures the mercurial, petulant mindset of teenagers better than any other genre. The fact that almost nobody except teenagers listens to it — at least after entering their twenties and beyond —…
John Mayer’s ‘Sob Rock’ Evokes ‘80s Era Don Henley and Steve Winwood
Album Reviews • Published on July 2021
John Mayer emerged fully formed as an artist from an era that was almost bygone when he debuted — one of muscular, catchy, unthreatening pop rock — so to hear him tap…
On His Fourth Album, Vince Staples Offers Authenticity but Little Variety
Album Reviews • Published on July 2021
At 22 minutes, Vince Staples’ new self-titled album runs barely long enough to qualify as an EP. But in an era frequently defined by maximum output, minimum effort, the three-year wait…
Sault Returns With ‘Nine,’ the Mysterious British Collective’s Fifth Thought-Provoking Album in Two Years
Album Reviews • Published on June 2021
Unknown quantities no longer exist in popular music, but Sault is probably the closest — and best — thing to one in a media landscape inundated in promotion (and self-promotion). In a…
On ‘Call Me If You Get Lost,’ Tyler, the Creator Taps Into Hip-Hop’s Past to Chart a Path to Its Future
Album Reviews • Published on June 2021
In the age of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), sampling is a lost art form, but you wouldn’t know it from “Call Me If You Get Lost.” Not only does…
H.E.R. Releases Masterful but Overlong Debut Album ‘Back of My Mind’
Album Reviews • Published on June 2021
Based on at least five good years of wall-to-wall coverage of H.E.R., leading to numerous chart appearances, collaborations, guest spots, ten Grammy nominations, four wins, and an Oscar, it seems impossible that…
‘Jordi:’ Maroon 5 Swap Guest Stars but Retain Every Generic Note of Their Sound
Adam Levine • Published on June 2021
Maroon 5 may have seemed like a flash in the pan when they released “Songs About Jane” back in 2003, but it shouldn’t surprise anyone that they’ve endured, and flourished, since then.
Liz Phair Turns Elder Stateswoman on the Insightful, Elegant ‘Soberish’
Album Reviews • Published on June 2021
“Soberish” marks Liz Phair’s first album in eleven years, one that finds her centered in a way that she seldom has been throughout her 30 years in the spotlight. Reunited with Brad…
On ‘When Smoke Rises,’ Mustafa Rekindles Art as Activism
Album Reviews • Published on June 2021
Folk music history may not be as rich or storied with Black singers and songwriters as it should, but Canadian poet and musician Mustafa is trying to change that. Working with the…
DMX’s Would-Be Comeback Album ‘Exodus’ Offers a Final Look at the Late Rapper’s Legacy
Album Reviews • Published on May 2021
DMX was a singular artist. After a handful of iconic guest verses, including the explosive LL Cool J posse cut “4, 3, 2, 1,” the late Earl Simmons came roaring out of…