LATE NIGHT. REVIEWS. FILM. MUSIC. TV.
Ariana Grande, aka the Human Cupcake, is quite firmly America’s Popstar at the moment. But sometimes – especially with her latest singles – it’s been hard to tell whether she wants to be Disney-dream-girl or radio hit-chaser. If you thought of her as either, you’ll probably be pleasantly surprised by Sweetener. With a huge helping hand from Pharrell Williams, she’s crafted a sugary-sweet, constantly-exciting album that makes her sound like some sort of new-age Aaliyah.
Aminé’s debut album Good For You was surprising only for how great it was last year. In a rap world full of rage, despair and mystery, he was surprisingly cheery and honest. His new album/mixtape/EP OnePointFive proves it wasn’t a fluke. It’s full of all that goofy energy that made him interesting in the first place, and a couple moments that show he’ll probably be a star sooner rather than later.
YG has flown the gangsta-rap flag high since his out-of-nowhere breakthrough album My Krazy Life. On that LP, he burst into the mainstream with a huge help from the chunky, house-y synths of DJ Mustard. He ditched his right-hand man after a feud and came up with Still Brazy, a more ambitious effort steeped in all-eyes-on-me paranoia. It’s hard to not feel like Stay Dangerous is a step back. It’s not weird enough to feel exciting, but more importantly, it’s sorely lacking the urgency that put YG on the map in the first place.
THE MIDNIGHT SPECIAL 