CD reviews
BEYONCE & JAY-Z Everything Is Love
IT was bound to happen. When Everything Is Love surprise-released last weekend, no one could say they were surprised. After Beyonce’s take-down of her cheating husband on Lemonade, followed by his apology on 4:44, how could this power couple resist rounding out the story with a third album, one in which they perform together as a semi-happily reunited couple? And on a weekend that was supposed to belong to former friend Kanye and former foe Nas? Whoa, that’s delicious. I say “semi-happily’’ because a few things are clear. This is a Beyonce album and she was kind enough to allow her husband to appear on it. She sings her butt off, as usual. She raps like she is the fourth member of the Migos on Apeshit, and raps circles around Jay-Z too. She takes the lead on most of the songs and allows him to appear occasionally. On Lovehappy she alluded to having to “get remarried”, and speaks of wanting to kill Jay-Z for his indiscretions. However, this is not Lemonade 2.0. Often they sound like a couple who are completely in synch with one another. The languid, sexy, ballad Summer is a prime example. Beyonce is the heartbeat of this album. She propels Everything Is Love. She gives it life. If we are honest, it’s probably not going to rank highly against the best material from either of their catalogues. It’s doubtful that this album will still be in our iTunes by year’s end. But it has put a bookend on this story. She will come out the other side as, still, the world’s biggest pop star. Jay-Z? I’m not sure what happens next for him.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA Liberation
POP singer Christina Aguilera is like pizza, she is always fantastic. Her powerful voice is so brassy, sassy and awesome that even when the music producers on Liberation let her down a little, these tunes are still better than most 2018 pop songs. A surprise to me was how comfortably Aguilera’s voice sits in a reggaeinfluenced song such as Right Moves. This song hits mid-album, but it would have been a cool way to lead off as the album’s first tune, like, “you think you know me, but I can do more than you realise”. Her extravagant vocal flourishes are her bread and butter. However, on a song such as Right Moves or Accelerate she shows an ability to speak on love, lust, obsession and pain without the wild tricks. Aguilera can and does show off her vocal trickery, jumping through hoops, doing aerobics. It is so easy for her it’s laughable. Every emotive tick, every emotional peak or valley, every sultry purr, they all hit the target smack in the middle. It’s just pop music, but she is so-o-o good at it.