NEW RELEASE: DRIVE BY SINGLES

 It is time for another edition of me skimming through just dropped tracks and either loving them or roasting them with flare. We all know I can be quite mean when I want to be - but that is reserved for lazy subpar efforts! 

Nicki Minaj is back again! With...Lil Baby...again? Wait the titles ARE different so this...IS another new song...This is the week of female rap being revived. Except this is not it. I am not sure what Nicki thinks she is doing but...this isn't her kind of rap at all. And I will shamelessly admit I own Nicki Minaj albums. I have a right to say it. 

Saweetie has a collaboration with our favorite no name H.E.R. This is not an insult. Her whole stage persona is centered around being nameless.... It sounds like a wannabe "Kiss Me More" and I don't like the track I mentioned, so I naturally am not interested in this either.

Ed Sheeran has grabbed Taylor Swift for a remixed edition of "The Joker and the Queen" from Equals, and regardless of how good or bad it is we know by their names this is going to be heard for months. I personally feel Equals was a bit of a weaker work for Ed, and this song comes off a little boring alone. The duet did not exactly do it more justice. Taylor's voice to me doesn't actually fit the melody too well. I don't think they sound fantastic together, but I had similar complaints of the duet re-recorded on Red. Maybe Taylor's voice just doesn't fit that anymore.

We are bad to female rap with "Celebrity Skin". Wait this isn't rap. Or an original song. What is going on...Doja Cat is singing grunge. And she...actually did it pretty well? Given, I fully admit I don't like Hole to begin with. But if Doja Cat can sing this good for a super bowl cover I'd love to hear more.

Dove Cameron came from SOME Disney Show from somewhere and she's got a new single with "Boyfriend". The song appears to suggest she is stealing the girl from her boyfriend. I don't think the melody stands out. Without the production, her voice sounds kind of strained. At the same time it isn't awful. There's potential. 

McKenna Grace has a track called "do all my friends hate me?" which, come on, who has not asked this question at least once in their life. Okay maybe I was just an emo teen from 2005. Don't judge me. The song is an emotionally delivered ballad that makes good lyrical sense for a 15 year old learning to navigate life. I don't mean that as an insult - she is actually 15. She sings pretty damn well for it too.

Never heard Half.Alive and I add the dot because there is a weird dot. You know, gotta avoid that copyright stuff. The production falls into more of the indie band reverb, and I can barely understand the singer's vocals. I hate this production trend at this point. Say it with me, THIS DOES NOT WORK FOR EVERYONE!

Sharon Van Etten can be a bit hit or miss with me, but hearing a new single Porta was coming, I was interested. I actually love the vibe of this track. So easy to get lost in the melody. The lyrics are a little forgettable but with the delivery they seem bigger than themselves.

I enjoy Nina Nesbitt a bit, and her new single "When You Lose Someone" follows form. If you've liked her recent album "The Sun Will Come Up, the Seasons Will Change", you will like this too.

I keep seeing Mxmtoon releases and not taking a listen so I actually took the dive this time. "Mona Lisa" is actually kind of a cute song. Ukelele driven it makes me think of a female version of early NeverShoutNever. Wait, does anyone even remember who that is...?

I have liked songs by Maggie Lindemann, and Lolo is just okay. The song was kind of dependent on who it sounded more like. It sounds more like LOLO, so I am not digging this.

Kim Petras is an interesting popstar to say the least. She has suggested her new album is embracing being...a slut. She is "reclaiming" this negative term used on women in a similar way other people have reclaimed offensive terms. So the song being titled "Treat Me Like a Slut" did not even...shock me at this point. The beat is kind of addictive but I cannot stand the lyrics. Also Bea Miller kind of already...did the concept. S.L.U.T (rewording it as "sweet little unforgettable thing") and frankly I think Bea's version is a lot...better.

Now that I've walked you through some new singles, I will guide you through the universe of new albums.