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Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers<\/a> by Kendrick Lamar Renaissance<\/a> by Beyonce <COPINGMECHANISM<\/a>> by Willow
\nRegarded as Lamar’s most confessional body of work, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers is a concept album that analyzes and reflects on his life experiences during his therapy journey. Its lyrics touches on a variety of personal themes, including childhood and generational trauma, infidelity, and celebrity worship. Primarily a conscious hip hop record, the album experiments with minimalist production while incorporating elements of jazz, R&B, trap, and soul.<\/p>\n
\nRenaissance is inherently about bodies undulating in the dark, under strobes; sexual agency; and the Black queer and trans women who are both politicized and the most endangered people among us. As physical movement was necessarily constrained during pandemic isolation, the dissociative effects of being unseen became both detrimental and liberating. Renaissance is a commanding prescription to be perceived again, without judgment. Listening to the album, you can feel the synapses coming back together one by one, basking in the unfamiliar sensation of feeling good, if only for its hour-long duration.<\/p>\n
\nOn Coping Mechanism, Willow\u2019s idiosyncratic songwriting is paired with arena-headliner production, and the results often add up to a thrill ride, with the high drama of her lyrics and vocal performances equivalent to the tumultuous music surrounding her. Willow\u2019s wail sounds disarmingly sturdy on first listen, revealing vulnerability around its fraying edges with each listen; her fifth album shows not only that the wild oscillations of her voice correspond to the turbulent emotions she sings about but also that her voice can hold its own amidst thundering drums and squalling riffs.<\/p>\n