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Ghost - FULL DISCOGRAPHY REVIEW introduction

Introduction

Ghost is the brainchild of Swedish songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Tobias Forge. What first started as the concept for an “installation band” that would only play once every few years in select locations, is now one of the fastest growing hard rock and metal bands of the 21st century. Hidden behind the guise or gimmick of a Satanic cult lampooning certain aspects of organized religion, particularly Catholicism, Ghost’s music and image is certainly like no other. The following will be the first part of a FULL DISCOGRAPHY review of every studio release by Ghost up until now. (This will not include remixes, singles or the live album “Ceremony and Devotion”.) Part 1 will be “Opus Eponymous” and “Infestissumam”, Part 2 will be “If You Have Ghosts EP” and “Meliora”, Part 3 will be “Popestar EP” and “Prequelle”. 

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Anderson .Paak - “Oxnard” (2018)

Introduction

Anderson .Paak is a hip-hop and R&B artist who first really hit the scene in 2014 with his first LP under the “Anderson .Paak” moniker, “Venice”. Despite several releases under different names, .Paak stayed mostly out of the eyes of the mainstream until his XXL freshman nod, and the release of his 2016 album “Malibu” which earned him Grammy nominations for Best New Artist, and Best Urban Contemporary Album. “Oxnard” is his most recent release, and came out on November 16th, 2018. It shows a return to form for the California-based R&B artist, but that still leaves the question... How good is it?

Genre: Hip Hop/R&B

Track List

1. The Chase (Feat. Kadhja Bonet)

2. Headlow (Feat. Norelle)

3. Tints (Feat. Kendrick Lamar)

4. Who R U?

5. 6 Summers

6. Saviers Road

7. Smile/Petty (Feat. Sonyae Elise)

8. Mansa Musa (Feat. Dr. Dre and Cocoa Sarai)

9. Brother’s Keeper (Feat. Pusha T)

10. Anywhere (Feat. Snoop Dogg and The Last Artful, Dodgr)

11. Trippy (Feat. J. Cole)

12. Cheers (Feat. Q-Tip)

Analysis

First off, I’ll just say that the hype train leading up to this release was unreal for me personally. If there’s one way to make a statement in the current scene of R&B and hip-hop, its to have a Kendrick Lamar feature on your album’s lead single. “Tints” in and of itself was enough to let me know that we were in store for something worth the wait on A.P’s upcoming record and to make things short... It delivered. When “Malibu” came out in 2016, I enjoyed the record quite a bit, but my biggest problem was with A.P’s vocal delivery. Even during his XXL freshman cypher verse and freestyle, there was something about Anderson’s vocals that was just a little offputting to me. A lot of it had to go with verse structure, and that Anderson’s favorite flow was to have little to no flow at all. It seemed as though he was simply allowing the beat to accompany him, rather than playing into it and making his voice another instrument in the mix. “Oxnard” takes that problem and completely crushes it. As per usual, the instrumentals are just unreal. The bass tone in particular on this record is out of this world sexy. Accompany that with delightfully punchy drums and glitzy/glossy synthesizers, and the beats on this record are really something to be marveled at. On top of that, A.P’s vocals are better than ever on “Oxnard”, and both of these are likely due to Dr. Dre’s hand in producing this record and his frequent work with Anderson .Paak during the recording process. 

Favorite Tracks

Tints (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - The album’s lead single and an incredibly groovy anthem to tinted windows. Whether A.P and Kendrick are discussing actual tinted windows to stay hidden in the public eye or using tinted windows as a metaphor to represent hiding within yourself and being reserved for the sake of privacy... Is up to the listener. Either way, it’s a phenomenal track.

6 Summers - A scathing and well-crafted call-out to the President of the United States, Donald Trump. It covers a plethora of issues including gun violence, police brutality, racism, and the President’s affinity for starting Twitter beef. A rather simple beat on this one, but the vocals and lyrics are really what make this one worth a listen.

Brother’s Keeper (feat. Pusha T) - To be honest, I just really love a Pusha T feature. Most people know that “Daytona” is one of my favorite albums of 2018, and quite frankly he’s just a lyrical mastermind. Pair that with quite possibly one of the more epic, huge and surprisingly gritty beats on the record and you’ve got a hell of a song. 

Least Favorite Tracks

Headlow (feat. Norelle) - A sleep-inducing ode to road head, accompanied with a very pointless feature by Norelle. Punctuate it with an obnoxious blowjob skit at the end leading into “Tints” and you’ve got the worst song on the record.

Trippy (feat. J. Cole) - Just the same as I gave “Brother’s Keeper” props for a good featured artist, I will knock this song for a bad one. J. Cole is the most popular rapper ever to steal his entire shtick from another popular hip-hop artist (Kendrick Lamar). For this reason, Trippy is the song I skip most often when listening to this album now.

FINAL RATING

8.5/10

One of the best Hip-Hop/R&B records of the year without a doubt and definitely worth a listen (Or six). 

#anderson .paak #hip hop #r&b #music #music review #emeritus #november #kendrick lamar #j. cole #pusha t #norelle

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The Return!

Hello everyone!

It’s definitely been a while since my last endeavor into music reviewing and music journalism. I do apologize for this, but moving to Mansfield, Pennsylvania for college has put a damper on how much time I have to be doing this. As of recently, some things have come up that have complicated going further in my education, and I’ve decided it would be best for me to not continue my education in Mansfield. It was a very difficult decision to make, but as it goes with most things, there are pros and cons. One of the pros is that it is now possible for me to open the blog again! YAY!

For those of you that came from Blogger, where I used to be located, welcome back! After a bit of thought, I think that Tumblr will serve as a better location for my write-ups until I can purchase my own domain. Some of my more popular reviews and think pieces from Blogger may be reposted on here whenever I can’t be around to write much, or when the inevitable slow week for interesting music releases occurs. Just like last time, there will be no set schedule for releases on her. Most write-ups will come out in accordance with releases in the industry. As always the blog’s email is always open for suggestions on albums that you’d like me to look into. ([email protected])

In terms of logistics, that’s all for now. I very much look forward to continuing to share my opinions on records, singles, and shows. The first things I’ll be doing to get some content put up on this Tumblr page is a review of “Oxnard” by Anderson .Paak, and a FULL DISCOGRAPHY review for Ghost.

Thanks for reading, and I very much can’t wait to start writing more content for you all.

#return #music #emeritus #november #reviews #music reviews #anderson .paak #ghost