“Rouge”, Yuna’s latest studio album, shifts away from her previous discography and focuses on more upbeat tunes instead of ballads. “Rouge” is a melting pot of international cultures and genres. It envelopes catchy choruses with elements of funk, disco, and jazz. Some may think of pop music as being formulaic, but “Rogue” is the opposite. Yuna has described “Rouge” as coming from an honest place. In a magazine interview she said, “I didn’t have a theme in mind when I wrote “Rouge”. I simply asked myself: What have you always wanted to write about, but you’ve always been scared to say it in your songs?”

Each song focuses on the universal themes of identity, love, and culture with brand new eyes. “Likes”, for example, tackles love in the social media age. “Teenage Heartbreak” finds strength in the mistakes she has made during past relationships. On “Pink Youth”, Yuna collaborates with British rapper Little Simz to create a girl-power anthem that feels nostalgic, yet fresh to the listener’s ear. Much of the album’s production is inspired by funk. “Blank Marquee” utilizes this inspiration perfectly. Underneath Yuna’s smooth vocals is a mixture of groovy bass guitar, synthesizers, and captivating horns. “Castaway” offers the same exuberant, party-ready energy. These upbeat songs offer an ambience that’s reminiscent of legendary Motown era artists like The Supremes and The Temptations.

The international appeal of “Rouge” is also shown through the album’s many features. American rappers Tyler The Creator, G-Eazy, and Kyle hold their own on the album. International acts including Japanese guitarist Miyavi and Korean singer Jay Park weave their unique artistry seamlessly into the respective songs. Even though Yuna is accompanied by a featured artist on most songs, she is never overshadowed. Her ethereal voice ties the album together and is one of the many reasons that “Rouge” maintains its high quality from start to finish.

On “Forget About You”, the album reveals its jazz-inspired, brooding alter ego. Yuna tells the tale of a lost love that lingers in her mind like a ghost in the night. “Amy” follows the same tone. Assisted by saxophonist Masego, Yuna croons about a childhood friend that she grew apart from. The album ends on a somber and emotionally-striking note with a song in her native language that simply brings together piano, endless rainfall, and Yuna’s voice. The track solidifies her standing as a modern pop star who refuses to stick within the molds of the genre.

Affected by the music industry, an image may be ingrained in your brain of who you perceive as a pop star. Yuna shatters those expectations on “Rouge” by combining the universal relatability of traditional pop music with funk-inspired production and an unshakable footing within her own identity.

 
Written by Nia Simone McLeod

Nia Simone is a writer, content creator, video editor, and pop culture enthusiast from Richmond, Virginia. When she’s not tapping away at her laptop, she’s either curating her next great Spotify playlist or stuffing her face at the local pho shop. To read about Nia’s endless adventures through nostalgic music, video games, and fashion, visit loveniasimone.com or follow her on social media @loveniasimone

Photo by Steven Taylor

There is an impression that Blunt, now 45, isn’t taking anything for granted. He released the first single, “Cold”, at the end of August. The music video for “Cold” has Blunt coming out of the water in the clothes he wore in the 2005 video for his ubiquitous hit, “You’re Beautiful”, a song and video that singlehandedly made him a household name and served as the lynchpin of his musical legacy. Yet here we are, in 2019, with a release that is agile and adaptable, playful and insightful and full of refreshing vulnerability.

Blunt released both “Champions” and “Monsters” in October. I had listened to both songs over the last week, with “Monsters” standing out as exceptionally emotional, a father/son composition that touches on mortality and grief. These early tracks, the impact somewhat tempered from my previous listening, didn’t prepare me for the musical impact of the full album that followed. Blunt became a father in 2016, and it’s evident that this passage in life has provided the breadth to the songs, “I Told You” and “The Greatest”. Blunt, as a father, dreaming of a bright future for his son in the juxtaposition of his father’s departure.

Electronic beats set the tempo for both, “Youngster” and “5 Miles”. “I’m not getting any younger, some new kid’s trying to steal my thunder” is the opening chorus line to “Youngster”. Yet the real message is that Blunt still has songs to sing and is committed to showing up with only his best. In the catchphrase of “5 Miles”, there appears to be a nod to another aging but still relevant performer, Madonna, with the backing vocalist preening, “I’ll take you there” throughout the song.

There are no throwaway songs on this album. I find myself replaying, for the umpteenth time, the upbeat, “Halfway”. For what it’s worth, I think this is the catchiest chorus on the whole album, “cause it’s there or it’s not, it’s heartbreak or it’s love, there’s no such thing as halfway.” The easy road would’ve been for Blunt to sit on the laurels of “Back To Bedlam”, an album that has sold over 11 million units worldwide. Instead he’s charted a new path that more of us could learn from when forging our own way: practice self-respect, learn from our elders, be a bit more vulnerable, look at age as motivation to putting our best work forward because “there’s no such thing as halfway”.

 
Written by Lynette Diaz

Lynette has championed women in music since the mid-2000s, starting with the founding of the New Zealand Women’s Acoustic Collective and Femacoustica Radio Show. She is the current host of The Creative Spear podcast. She enjoys performing her own music and exploring nature and photography in the coastal areas near Wellington, New Zealand. More on Lynette at lynettediaz.com

 
Author’s rating for Once Upon A Mind

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Once Upon A Mind

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure

Compared to “Our Version Of Events” and its high-energy production with rolling hi-hats and plucky synths, the production of Sande’s latest album, “Real Life”, is stripped back. Often, the only instrumentation accompanying her voice is a cascading piano riff, steady drums, and background vocals. Although Sande’s sound has shifted over the years, her passionate vocals and powerful lyrical content remains constant. On “Real Life”, Sande proves that she doesn’t need to rely on production that utilizes everything but the kitchen sink. Her vocals are the star of the show. They are strong and full-bodied, yet controlled. “Real Life” is a breath of fresh air among the heavy-handed production of today’s mainstream music.

Throughout “Real Life”, and her entire discography, Sande offers a beacon of inspiration to her listeners. An overall theme of loving yourself despite hardships rings true throughout the entirety of “Real Life”. “You Are Not Alone” speaks to the anxiety-ridden, frustrated individual who is constantly bombarded by the depressing news of the world. Many of us are just looking to be heard, and Sande offers a compassionate, listening ear. “Sparrow” is a tale of resilience, a hopeful voice from the other side of darkness. “Shine” encourages the listener to let love lead. Many of us look towards the world for happiness and reassurance, while Sande suggests the listener looks internally. Although each song focuses on the overall theme from a separate angle, they all offer a similar positive vibe.

On “Real Life”, Sande provides varying levels of energy that make listening to the album enticing from start to finish. As a song begins, she will often sing with just one instrument to accompany her voice. Listening to Sande feels like a jazz night at a local coffee shop. Toward the end of a track, the instrumentation becomes more complex and the background vocals add a powerful gospel vibe to the song. The once modest jazz cafe night evolves into a stadium-sized concert event. But even though the energy grows as you listen, Sande’s voice doesn’t become muddled.

The gospel influence on “Real Life” is yet another thread that ties the project together. Although Sande’s voice is powerful on its own, the addition of a gospel choir places the emotional power of the album onto another level. Throughout her discography, the artist has portrayed a clear image of resilience. Sande’s music radiates infectious positivity, yet doesn’t view life through rose-colored glasses. “Real Life” isn’t without hardship, turmoil, or pain. Throughout the album, Sande reassures the listener there is light on the other side of darkness. And often, that’s all the encouragement we need.

 
Written by Nia Simone McLeod

Nia Simone is a writer, content creator, video editor, and pop culture enthusiast from Richmond, Virginia. When she’s not tapping away at her laptop, she’s either curating her next great Spotify playlist or stuffing her face at the local pho shop. To read about Nia’s endless adventures through nostalgic music, video games, and fashion, visit loveniasimone.com or follow her on social media @loveniasimone

Asa’s music has always been introspective and personal for the most part, but “Lucid” just might be her deepest and most heartfelt album to date. On “Lucid”, she opens up like never before. The songs on the album sound like the deep thoughts of a heartbroken person with very well-articulated words, perfectly expressing her feelings. “Falling in love and falling out of love, that’s completely new to me. Because I always worked and from a very early age I had to be very focused on work. So this time I took the time to relax. And that experience is what I brought in ‘Lucid’”, Asa said in a recent TV interview. And in fact, “Lucid” feels just like that. A musical picture painted right after falling out of love. The album starts pretty heavy on the emotions with “Murder In The USA”, where Asa tells a tragic story about a woman who kills her lover and flees. The song was inspired by an episode of a Piers Morgan documentary on women who kill. Only Asa can write a song based on people she doesn’t know and still make you feel like she is telling a personal story.

The album’s lead single, titled “The Beginning”, marks the starting efforts of a lover calling on the other to work things out and keep the love alive. “Good Thing” almost does the same thing but with a different vibe this time. She realizes she is better than the situation she finds herself in and decides to walk away. The song captures the loss of her lover, pointing out how much they have lost by letting her go. “Stay Tonight”, however, takes a different turn as she asks her lover to stay and preserve what they had. We see a vengeful and vindictive side of Asa on “Torn” as she sings, “I am torn between evil and hurting you”. We get our first taste of optimism on this album with “Happy People”. This is also the first time we hear Asa sing in English and Yoruba on this record and she does this perfectly.

“You And Me” is the happiest song on the album. Its uptempo drum beat and happy guitar strumming, coupled with Asa’s excited singing, makes it sound like the song you play in the car on a road trip to nowhere, with your lover smiling in the passenger seat. It is the highest point of the rollercoaster ride which this album is. The record then takes an emotional nosedive with “Femi Mo”, where Asa seems to be calling her lovers’ attention to the sweet memories they once shared. Singing in her Yoruba tongue on this song gives it much more weight, if you ask me. On “Makes No Sense”, Asa has had enough of her hopeless love situation and decides it’s time to walk away – again. She spells out what it takes and the sacrifice required to making love work on “365”. On “Until We Try (This Lo’)”, she gives her lover an ultimatum, an opportunity to try and resurrect their love or lose it forever.

“9 Lives” sounds like a message from Asa to her former lover on the strength of her character and how tall she stands above the emotional turmoil she’s been through. You would expect “9 Lives” to be the perfect resolution to an emotional experience, the final stop on a rollercoaster ride where you get off, but no! Asa makes a U-turn on “Don’t Let Me Go”. She calls on her lover once again to stay and be with her. Asa makes her final cry to her beloved on “My Dear”. She cries out, asking if he will ever come back. Even though “My Dear” is not the cathartic release or happy ending I was hoping for, I think there is beauty in the reality presented by Asa at the end of the album.

Life is not a romantic comedy and sometimes we’re left with an ending that doesn’t sit right in our hearts, yet we have to live with it and find a way to make something positive out of it, as Asa has done with this album. “Lucid” is a masterpiece and personal diary for anyone dealing with a broken heart. But it’s not only for the broken-hearted. Asa’s soothing vocals, the flawless instrumentation and impeccable lyrical delivery will give you the imaginative powers to transport yourself to another place. Asa fans had to wait five years to get an album of pure genius, and I must say, it was absolutely worth the wait.

 
Written by Leslie Addo

Leslie is a writer, guitarist, and music producer from Accra, Ghana, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics, and a very unimpressive track record of making terrible smoothies. You can find him on Instagram @_lesplay, where he is either trying too hard to look cool with his guitar or posting videos of himself making bad smoothies and tasting them with a frown.

 
Author’s rating for Lucid

Pop Magazine’s official rating for Lucid

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure