Welcome back to Sound Bite! This week we will be covering Lady Gaga, JENNIE, Doechii and Wu-Tang Clan in a classic return to format for Sound Bite. I had a ton of fun listening to the music this week, so let’s dive right into these reviews!
Starting off with a banger, Lady Gaga’s “MAYHEM” is the ultimate dance pop album, and at the same time, it’s kind of all the same. Listening to this album I think it’s full of potential hits, but there were also many points throughout the album where I found myself almost tuning out and missing song transitions because of the very universal sound throughout. At the same time, it’s the closest we’ve come to classic Lady Gaga in years, and while I do love her newer music, I really do believe that her classic sound is unmatched. Overall, this project was fun, and a great entry into her already all time great catalog.
JENNIE also released a new album this week, and honestly I was surprised by its quality. “Ruby” is only 41 minutes long, but it’s full of really catchy tracks and the shorter nature of the album really left me wanting more. There really weren’t any misses on this album, and all of the features really worked for me. This blending of cultures and genres into what is simply a hit of an album is fairly impressive, especially considering JENNIE’s entry onto the scene. If you haven’t heard much of her work, I think this is a great jumping in point and easily contains some of her strongest songs yet.
Ironically, Doechii also released a single leaving that combo JENNIE Doechii review I did just a few Sound Bites ago in the dust. The single, entitled “Anxiety,” is not a new song but instead a remaster of a single she previewed years ago. The sample is probably the most notable part of the song, being a flip up of Goyte’s “Somebody That I Used to Know.” I loved this single, and while I definitely do think Doechii has evolved both as a lyricist and performer since she wrote it years ago, I think the fact that it’s blowing up as big as it has is just a testament to her long time talent.
Lastly we have a new release by one of Hip-Hops all time greats, the Wu-Tang Clan. This single, entitled “Mandingo”, was most likely released in anticipation of their upcoming “final” reunion tour. I loved this single, and it’s amazing to see Wu-Tang Clan back and at it. To me this single still hits just as hard as their older works, and all it did was make me even more eager to try and get tickets to their tour. I would argue there is no group as iconic as Wu-Tang Clan in this genre, and watching them make one final hurrah is everything I ever dreamed of. All I can say, listen to this song.
