Length: 65:12
Synopsis: London rap with erratically beautiful production
Recommendation rating: 5/5
What I like about it: the music, the production, the lyrics, the flow, the cover art
What I don’t like about it: no I think everything is listed above
Review:
Deserving to win the Mercury Prize for best British album next month, this album takes hip-hop and R&B to operatic heights, with choral and orchestral elements and themed intervals connecting the songs. The artistic confidence shown throughout the production is laudable, as is the vulnerability on display as Simz gets to grips with feelings about her absentee father (I Love You, I Hate You) and her empathy for the man who stabbed her (Little Q, Pt. 2). Introversion is of course a common theme (Introvert and Protect My Energy) but so is pride and confidence in her communities (Woman, Point and Kill). This has one of my favourite features an album can have: it’s hard to pick favourite tracks and feels like the album must be heard in full.
Content notes (may contain spoilers):