Girls rule 2016
Justin Bieber transformed himself. Kanye West ruled the headlines. Shawn Mendes did well for a newbie. And Drake dominated the hit charts. But a look at how music artists fared in 2016 shows the females ruling the roost. Taylor Swift was absent. So was Katy Perry. Seemed like those girls allowed their careers to take a back seat to their love lives last year. But Adele came back and it turned out there was more than enough girl-powered talent going around to do the victory lap for the year just past.
Of course, foremost among them is Beyoncé. Mrs. Jay-Z, looking more gorgeous than ever and obviously very pampered, released an album that left fans gushing and everyone else giving admiring nods. Brave girl to use her music to take on gender issues, female empowerment and racial bias. No
wonder it keeps getting all those awards nominations.
Titled Lemonade, it comes in a two-disc pack. One disc is the audio album, while the other is made up of visuals, videos or an hour’s worth of seven very well-made films of the songs by seven directors. It is quite a collection. Not only that, there is also a booklet with 28 pages of beautiful still photographs from the videos in color and black and white. Such excess, or let’s just say, luxury is so rare in the music business these days.
Beyoncé must really sell a lot. Otherwise, her label will not allow her to spend so much on a product. And there is also the superb work that went into the audio part where she raps, coos or soars through 12 exciting cuts. No Single Ladies in here. B was on a different, profound wavelength when she did Lemonade. Standout cuts are Freedom, All Night and Sorry. Adele came back after four years with Hello and an album titled 25. The sad, soulful ballad was such a success that 25 became a rarity of the times, an album that sold better than it streamed. I was not surprised. While Beyoncé got intense listening and deep thinking going, Adele’s 25 is the sort of album that simply oozes out with beautiful melodies to dream to and lots of stories to relate to in the lyrics. It is one great cut after another that you can listen to again and again. And Adele’s singing, alternately sad, proud or sexy is always something to marvel at.
First single Hello also came with an arresting video that helped propel the song to the top. Other great cuts are When We Were Young, All I Ask and Sweetest Devotion. Another album with fantastic packaging is ANTI by Rihanna. No sense downloading this one, too, because you must have that cover art. Besides, this is also one great collection of songs that are among Rihanna’s best. ANTI was when she went into rebel mode and experimented with anti-Rihanna sounds. That means songs that are against all those she has done before or simply different from them. Think Motown, country or do-wop. But what do you know, she also turned it into a hit. Best tracks are the broken-hearted songs that she does so beautifully, Needed Me, Higher and one of her best vocals ever, the jazzy, piano-framed ballad Close To You. The big hit is the reggae-flavored Work featuring Drake. Dangerous Woman, the grown-up bid by Ariana Grande plays like singing boot camp. I recommend it for all aspiring singers because learning to sing with Ariana’s accurate notes beats regular lessons. Besides, she also tries out different music styles like reggae and dance, sexy soul, pop ballads, etc. so she can help singers find their niche with this album. Like them, Ariana is a new star who is still in the process of learning what to do with her powers but unlike everyone else, this tiny girl has a voice that sounds great no matter what she sings.
Dangerous Woman has dance in the reassuring Be Alright and in the reggae-flavored Side To Side, the fun collaboration with Nicki Minaj. She gets into a sexy romantic mood in Into You and in Let Me Love You with Lil Wayne. Greedy is a totally amazing pop ballad with a contagious beat. And then there is Leave Me Lonely where Ariana gets dark and soulful with the great Macy Gray.
For more girl power, you can also check out the albums of Lady Gaga, Joanne; Sia, This Is Acting; Alicia Keys, Here; Norah Jones, Day Breaks and because she is certainly not yet out of the game, the incomparable Barbra Streisand with Movie Partners Sing Broadway.