Album Review: Beyoncé - Lemonade.

Hey everyone, sorry I haven't posted much but I have been super busy with final year assignments. I am finishing university in a month which is crazy so I'm working hard but I just had to review Beyoncé's new album that dropped yesterday (or was it today? I can't get my head around the time zones, sorry!)

So let's get into it!

So Beyoncé has finally blessed us with a new album after three years. 

The album, titled Lemonade, came a surprise. It was released onto Tidal right after the airing of her new HBO film of the same name. The film was an hour long and served as a visual companion to the album, telling us the story of a woman's heartbreak over a romantic betrayal with Queen B narrating throughout.

Throughout the film, there were clips of Beyoncé performing the new songs with themes of rage, heartbreak and forgiveness. Each stage of the betrayal was shown throughout, labelled: intuition, denial, anger, apathy, loss, reformation, forgiveness, resurrection, hope and redemption.

Lemonade has 12 songs, including the empowering Formation which Beyoncé debuted at the Super Bowel halftime show with Coldplay and Bruno Mars.

The tracklist:

1. Pray You Catch Me

2. Hold Up

3. Don't Hurt Yourself (feat. Jack White)

4. Sorry

5. 6 Inch (feat. The Weeknd)

6. Daddy Lessons

7. Love Drought

8. Sandcastles

9. Forward (feat. James Blake)

10. Freedom (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

11. All Night

12. Formation

This album is definitely one of her best and it came as a shock to me that it seems like Jay-Z cheated on Beyoncé, if not a few times? I mean, man, you have Beyoncé, what more could you want!? I was surprised to learn that she forgave him considering she's made a song similar to this experience.. Irreplaceable, anyone??? 

Anyway, Sorry and Sandcastles are definitely my favourites so far. Sorry is a great unapologetic I-don't-need-you anthem and the beat is just fantastic and it also had Serena Williams featuring in it, twerking and showing what she's got! Sandcastles is stunning because it is completely stripped of all the technology and beats. It's just Beyoncé and a piano, her voice is just unbelievable and blows me away every time.

The film itself was a work of art. However, I'll be honest and say that some parts were better than others. I didn't enjoy every song, perhaps I need to listen to them more for me to like them. Some parts I did not understand at all but overall the concept of the film was clear to me and was beautifully done. 

At one point, Beyoncé spoke/sang about the troubles black women have and what black people go through in general. The mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner also starred in the film, holding up photos of their beloved sons whose lives were taken away so unnecessarily. That part definitely broke my heart for sure. Other well known faces pop up throughout the film.. Zendaya, Serena Williams, Jay-Z and little Blue Ivy just to name a few.

This film and album was unique and thought-provoking. It is definitely something new and refreshing from Beyoncé even it is about Jay-Z's infidelity and her heartbreak. I feel like her style of music has definitely changed but she is still way ahead of the game by bringing attention to the problems black people face and being honest that her marriage isn't 100% perfect. She is still showing everyone why she is the Queen and her creativity is just a testament to how hard she works to bring us something new and awe-inspiring.    

I would love to read what you thought of her new album and how you interpreted the film!
Let me know what you thought in the comments below.
Thankyou for reading.
Laura.

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Albums That Changed My Life!

Hello! 

This post is about the albums that have changed my life. I don't mean the ones I just like to listen to but the ones that really mean something to me. I was inspired to do this because of Emma Blackery's video which you can watch here. We have a similar music taste and I realised I've never really sat down and thought about what albums meant something to me. So, let's get into it!

Blink 182 - Blink 182 (self-titled)

Blink 182 was probably the first rock band I got into, thanks to my best friend. My teens just consisted of me listening to rock music and being a moody goth. These guys just seemed so cool and unique compared to everyone else and I loved Tom Delonge's vocals on every song he performed. They are probably the reason why I fancied skater boys (and still do!) so much. My favourite songs on this are: I Miss You, I'm Lost Without You and Feeling This.

Avril Lavigne - Let Go

I loved Avril so much! She seemed like such a cool girl and made me feel like girls can be rockstars as well. My brother got me into her and we'd spend hours singing our hearts out to her album in his room. Sk8er Boi was the first song I heard from her and I instantly loved it and it still gets me dancing like a crazy person in my room to this day. My favourite songs on this are: Complicated, Things I'll Never Say and of course, Sk8er Boi.

Paramore - Riot!

Again, I have my best friend to thank for getting me into this band. I was obsessed with Paramore for a long time and longed to look like Hayley Williams every single day of my teens. Like Avril, she taught me that girls can be badass and cool too. My favourites on this are: Misery Business, crushcrushcrush and That's What You Get.

P!nk - I'm Not Dead

This lady has always been my favourite female singer. I loved her earlier albums but this album was just incredible. She was just a completely different artist compared to everyone else and she was kickass! She can rock out and also perform beautiful ballads. My favourites on this are: Stupid Girls, Leave Me Alone (I'm Lonely), Who Knew and Dear Mr President. 

 The Script - Science & Faith

The Script are my all time band and I have seen them live three times so far! Although I did love their first album, their second album changed my life for sure. I love every single song on it and it has my favourite song by them on it; Science and Faith. They make me feel all of the emotions and find the right words for my feelings when I can't. They've done alot for me and they are severely underrated. My favourites on this are: Science and Faith, If You Ever Come Back, Nothing and For The First Time.

Beyoncé - 4

Of course, the Queen would make it onto this list. Beyoncé is one of my favourite singers of all time, she is just an incredible artist. She is a stunning woman and is the perfect person to listen to when you feel like a badass diva. My favourites on this are: Countdown, Run The World (Girls) and Love On Top. 

Twenty One Pilots - Vessel & Blurryface

Twenty one pilots came into my life sometime last year and I am so glad I got into them. I did a post dedicated to them a while ago. I haven't been this obsessed with an album (or two, in this case) in years until now. Tyler Joseph is an incredible singer and uses his insecurities and depression to help others through his songs. The lyrics are incredible and if you've experienced depression in your life before, they'll mean everything. My favourites on Vessel are: Holding Onto You and Guns For Hands. My favourites on Blurryface are: Ride, Stressed Out, Tear In My Heart, Lane Boy and Doubt.

So there you go, those are the albums that changed my life!

Hope you liked this, it's a bit different to what I normally post.

Do you like any of these albums? Let me know!

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Album Review: Adele - 25.

Hey everyone, hope you're having a good week so far. I haven't done an album review in over a year! That is madness. But today I am reviewing a very exciting new album by Adele! I have waited for a few years to hear new material from her and she did not disappoint. I will review each track as we go along. 

I instantly pre-ordered the album once I heard her new single Hello, which is out now, and it arrived on the 20th of November. I said on Instagram that I will review it sometime this week because I don't feel like you can review an album the day it's come out because it doesn't give you time to really enjoy the songs or understand the lyrics/message. So I listened to it repeatedly over the weekend and I completely love it like I knew I would. It takes somebody extraordinary to follow up an album like 21!

25 is different to 21 as Adele calls it a 'make-up record' to her old self and she becomes nostalgic and melancholy about time passing as well as incorporating themes of regret and being a mother. It's a stark contrast to Adele's previous work as the music is different with electronic beats and creative rhythm with 1980's R&B and organs. She collaborated with a whole host of writers including producer Paul Epworth, Ryan Tedder (singer of Onerepublic) and Bruno Mars himself. These collaborations completely work making her album sell more copies than any other album in history in its first week!

Reviewing The Album: Track by Track

Hello

Never has someone just saying 'Hello, it's me' rocked the world like Adele did. This song was an instant hit, gaining millions of views within days and topped the charts in 28 countries as well as becoming the first single to ever sell one million downloads in a release week. Her vocals on this are impeccable and hearing her sing this live is even better. The soaring chorus reminds you why Adele deserves that number one spot.

Send My Love (To Your New Lover)

I think this my favourite track on the album actually. It's always great to hear Adele doing a pop song and this one is a nice surprise. She teamed up with Britney Spears hitmaker Max Martin for this one and it has some elements of Taylor Swift in it with the plucky rhythm of the guitar and upbeat clapping. Adele describes it as a 'happy you're gone' song referring to an ex. It's weirdly upbeat for an Adele album but it's a great one to listen to.. preferably with a glass of wine in your hand, chanting this to an ex lover of your own! 

I Miss You

Adele reunites with 21 producer Paul Epworth on this and it is a song with a certain mood, desire and love. Her voice echoes over the beats and an great organ but it lacks a little bit of oomph. I don't really know how to explain it but the music makes you feel like it's building up to a climax that'd be amazing but it ends up not really going anywhere else. But still good to listen to!

When We Were Young

Although Adele is only 27, this is a fantastic song where she reflects on moments that have come and gone that she'll look back on in years to come. Her lyrics "you look like a movie, you sound like a song, my god this reminds me of when we were young" are simply stunning and have you reflecting on your own past. There's one high note that she hits in this towards the end and it gives me goosebumps all over (4:32 in the video). 

Remedy

 Teaming up with Onerepublic singer, Ryan Tedder, this wonderful song captures the love she has for her child perfectly as well as for her best friend, grandparents and her boyfriend. But over a simple piano melody, she makes you understand what it is like being a mother. Sweet lyrics like "I will be your remedy" remind us how strong a mother's love and protectiveness can be.

Water Under The Bridge

Adele and Greg Kurstin make this a disco-pop song featuring an electro-drum beat and a tropical riff. Her vocals over this melody is fantastic and her lyrics are really perceptive making it completely her own.

River Lea

This song is basically a dedication to an east London river but with a deeper meaning to it. Adele has said time and time again that fame will never change her and her songs are based on things that happen in everyday life rather than focusing on the fame. With a bluesy melody, she sings "it's in my roots, it's in my veins, in my blood" proving that you can take the girl out of Tottenham and have her win Oscars, Grammys and more but you can't take Tottenham out of the girl.

Love In The Dark

Adele singing ballads is definitely her speciality but this one is a little different. This time she is the one breaking hearts rather than being the one heartbroken. An emotive piano melody and strings really amp up the emotional impact of the song and Adele's voice runs up and down the scale perfectly.

Million Years Ago

This is a bittersweet song and it really hits home about the reality of growing up and missing moments of your past. This acoustic moment is beautiful as Adele croons about missing her mother, her friends and the parties. It leaves you reaching for a tissue and remembering your own childhood.

All I Ask

Now when Adele teamed up with Bruno Mars, I did expect a funky tune like Uptown Funk or Teasure. Instead, they both created a beautiful piano-led ballad that'll have you bawling. If you're not bawling, you're grabbing a hairbush to sing this one out with all your might.

Sweetest Devotion

This is another song dedicated to her child and it is a glorious finale to the album. Influenced by Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light, Adele sings for her child over a country guitar and a wistful melody. It's lovely and tender with the final note of uplifting love and adoration that is a stark contrast to the heartbreaking Someone Like You on 21. A wonderful end to a wonderful album. 

You can buy it here for £9.99

Have you listened to this album yet? What did you think of it?

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

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Album Review: Betty Who - Take Me When You Go.

 

I am completely in love with Betty Who. The singer-songwriter from Australia has created various amazing EPs for the last five and a half years and now she's finally released a full length album called Take Me When You Go and as expected, it didn't disappoint.

Working with long time producer Peter Thomas, Betty's (real name Jessica Newham!) album is 13 tracks long and full of wonderful, crazy dance beats especially from the fabulous Somebody Loves You which went viral after being used for a gay couple's proposal. As well as the upbeat songs, there are ballads that slow things down and shows off her vocal talent perfectly.

This was hard but these are my four favourites:

Heartbreak Dream
I first heard this great song from a Youtuber named Tyler Oakley after he used this song for one of his videos. I was instantly in love with it and had it on repeat every single day for about two weeks, I think I even talked about it on my old series of posts called Song Of The Day. I can't emphasise how moving the lyrics are while being paired with a fabulous dance beat.

All Of You
This song is ridiculously good too. It's one of those you listen to as you get to ready to go out and party. Betty explains that this song is about 'loving someone with your whole heart and then despising them with every other part of your body.' This juxtaposition is extraordinary and you really feel her passion about hating that person but still wanting to be with them badly while perhaps also comparing your own experiences.

Somebody Loves You
This was the first single from the album and it came out quite a while ago but it never really took off like it should have. The beat and again, the lyrics really force you to just dance around your room and express your love for whoever however you want to. And it doesn't necessarily mean being in love with a guy or girl, it can mean loving anyone who makes you happy; your parents, your pet, your best friend, whoever you want it to be about.

California Rain
This track really surprised me! After being used to the dance beats pumping through the album, this was astoundingly soulful and poignant. As well as creating flawless metaphors for songs about your crush, she shows us that she still has incredible vocals. Take away the dancing and party beats, she evokes all sorts of emotions through this touching song.

Betty Who has said in the past that she's been heavily influenced by '90s pop stars like Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys and she definitely channels them throughout this album while also giving the genre a new, fresh look. Not only that, she is going to be Katy Perry's opening act on her Australian tour! With this album, she is sure to blow minds. She may not be on our radios right now but she sure is one to watch!

Here's a few songs from the album to listen to if you want to:

 

Have you listened to this album? What did you think?

Please let me know what you think in the comments below!

Thankyou for reading.

Laura.

Album Review: The Script - No Sound Without Silence.

You have no idea how long I've waited for new music from The Script and once again they did not disappoint.

After a long list of sold out concerts, hit singles and multi-platinum albums, The Script have released their much-anticipated fourth album No Sound Without Silence at last and it is magical. Their other albums The Script (2008), Science and Faith (2014) and #3 (2012) were all top selling and I don't doubt this album will be the same. I love everything about this from its gorgeous artwork right down to the rich melodies from the three lads themselves.

Their beautiful song-writing and stunning melodies shine through yet again. Danny O'Donoghue's voice croons and powers through brilliantly as he plays the lead vocalist while Mark Sheehan plays guitar and Glen Power beats the drums, both providing wonderful harmonies. Every song is a masterpiece from the fist pumping anthems of It's Not Right For You, the hit single Superheroes and Paint The Town Green which maintains their unique rock sound before changing into the haunting, melancholy sounds of the piano in Flares and the poignant messages in Without Those Songs which leaves you swaying and singing from the heart.

I couldn't tell you which songs are my favourites because I love each song for a different reason but here's a few for you to listen to so you can enjoy it as much as me!

No Good In Goodbye


Paint The Town Green


Flares

  

Have you listened to the album yet? What do you think?

Please leave any of your thoughts in the comments below.

Thankyou for reading.
Laura.

Album Review: Ed Sheeran, X

So as I have mentioned before Ed Sheeran is one of my favourite artists and I literally have every song he's ever made, including covers of other songs, some of which completely throw the original out of the window. The English singer-songwriter has finally dropped another album, x (pronounced 'multiply') and I just.. love it. I have listened to nothing else but this. It was released on the 20th of June for Australia and New Zealand before coming out worldwide on the 23rd of June. His song Sing (which I am obsessed with!) was the lead single from the album and it was his first UK number 1!

As many people know Ed Sheeran is very talented young man.. he can rap, play guitar and make you swoon with ballads because of that beautiful, calming voice. Raised on folk, R&B, hip-hop and rock, Sheeran incorporates all of these genres in all of his albums. In 2012, he went multi-platinum with his album + and singles like The A Team and Lego House were international hits. This album takes him away a little from the simple genre of acoustic pop-rock, his love songs and sees him in the waters of hip-hop with the help of a plethora of well known producers like Rick Rubin and Pharrell for some of the tracks. Pharrell even stars in the leading single Sing's video.

Pharrell Williams, the man everyone is talking about right now, fresh from an album of his own, after two mega hits Get Lucky with Daft Punk and Blurred Lines with Robin Thicke; he co-produced Runaway and Sing. I love these two songs in particular because Sheeran and Pharrell work so well together as the beat from Pharrell, the shredding of Ed's guitar interlace and shine flawlessly.

Some of my favourite songs from the album are Photograph; written with Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid, I'm A Mess, One, Take It Back, Tenerife Sea and many more. I just love each song in a different way whether it'd be for his sublime rapping, his heart melting love songs or his guitar shredding anthems.. it's probably topped + in my eyes but I love anything this man sings.

Here are some of the songs that should hopefully get you listening to the rest of the album!

I hope you liked my review and the album too! 

Please leave a comment on what you thought of the album yourself, was it good? Was it better? Worse? Or maybe leave a comment on what you thought of my review.

Thankyou for reading.
Laura.