REVIEW: CITY & COLOUR - THE LOVE STILL HELD ME NEAR

4/5

Dallas Maverick.

Colour me impressed, my near and dear. Green with envy. Dallas is back like J.R. out the shower, and it's his best shot yet. Dallas (City) Green (and Colour) means so much to me and my friends. The Canadian singer/songwriter 'Coming Home' has had his baseball tour tees passed amongst friends, plate to plate. The stellar 'Sometimes' debut of this "simple man" from Alexisonfire who felt "uneasy" putting out solo work under the name Dallas Green (hence the moniker City & Colour) and its amazing album artwork is even inked on my good friend's arm. Permanent like it was 'Meant To Be'. And it all is on the grand opening to 'The Love Still Held Me Near', Green's seventh seal and first album since 2019's pre-pandemic 'A Pill For Loneliness' recovery. It's clear to hear, the love never left. Still for the city like a Mavs away jersey, live in living colour. 

Going 'Underground' with a big beard and hair to match that Lebowski cardigan. To begin the refreshing showers of April after the madness of March, Dallas' album really ties a New Music Friday together that features new albums from the Boygenius ('The Record') supergroup of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus and an 'Estate Sale' of the great Tyler The Creator's Grammy award-winning LP, 'Call Me If You Get Lost'. Without the city and minus his colour, we may not have amazing acts like Justin Vernon's Bon Iver and all that skinny love. Heavenly father, that would be a shame. Now Green's day is one of heavenly feeling like lying in your lover's arms at night, or Tyler creating new jams ('Heaven To Me') based on John Legend classics. He talks about how he 'F##### It Up' on a break-up ballad. But his music does nothing but make you love again in this woeful world. 

"Awake, awake, my darling/The moon is down/The waves, the waves, they are crashing all around/What would you do?/What would you say, if I was gone?/Losing your breath/Toil and sweat/Just hold on", he sings on 'TLSHMN's' titanic title-track. There's beauty in his poetry. Here's hoping my friend has room on his other arm. I want my t-shirt back! Show 'A Little Mercy' like the standout track and mercy, mercy, me like The Strokes covering the greatest of Marvin, lord knows this is one of or generation's greats at his most highest point. "'Cause we don't need this pain and this suffering, no/We don't need this pain and this suffering, no/Just a little mercy/No/No, no." Sing it again like a prayer in congregation. All until we no longer have to. 

This Maverick goes hard for the' Things We Choose To Care About' and 'After Disaster' he brings healing. And 'Without Warning' he soldiers on like a chorus of an army. "But darling, you know I ain't got the answers/But I sure as hell won't surrender/It's gonna be you and me 'til the end of time/Though we lost it all without warning/After dark always comes morning/You know we can make it one more night." This is the kind of love that lasts, not those who too shall come to pass when what they hold near, just isn't as dear. Dallas Green already had a definitive discography. But now with this, City & Colour can act up alongside Alex's fire. Dominant like Doncic, it's a 'Hard, Hard Time' for the man who puts on his hard hat for his city (actually the maple red of Saint Catharines, up north in Ontario). Reminding us of the boss Springsteen time when songwriters worked with bootstraps and little more than some lyrics to go in the back pockets of the blue jeans Lana once sang about. 

We had Del Rey ('Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd'), the future of BTS Jimin's 'Face' (EP), and Fall Out Boy ('So Much (For) Stardust') for your early 2000s, Fuelled By Ramen, last week. But this 'Love' is the ultimate, nuanced nostalgia. One of biblical proportions on the epic 'The Water Is Coming' that comes in like Noah's tide. "The water is coming/Will we hold back the rising tide?/The water is coming/Can we survive mankind?/Pray for redemption/Gnash your teeth and gnaw it off at the bone/You keep on knocking/Turn your back, there ain't no one home." Two by, or two-for-two, there is nothing bigger or better in this set. Even when our man 'Bows Down To Love' like getting down on one knee on the penultimate track's precursor of things to come in matrimony. 

Getting to grips with grief and turning pain into power Dallas Green learns to 'Begin Again' like we all must do someday on the last word of this weary but wonderful record. "They say joy will come along with the morning sun/But it's starless tonight, and this grief it weighs a ton/And I know this world was more than you could bare/So save me a seat at your table, I will meet you there." Music like this will make you shed a tear in concert with being the perfect score to soundtrack movies. But this is much more potent and profound than that. The latest City & Colour album is Dallas Green at his most personal and perhaps most powerful yet. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'A Little Mercy', 'The Water Is Coming', 'Begin Again'. 

REVIEW: BOYGENIUS - THE RECORD

4/5

The Review.

Genius loves company, boy, and like Ray Charles, 'The Record' has plenty. Hands up to the California sunshine from the Pacific Coast. The supergroup is here on the cover of Rolling Stone, dressed like a Nirvana shoot. Heaven sent, pointing to each other like a Spider-Man meme made Multiverse reality. Your heroes, Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus. Gods not angels. The best big-three and women in music since the sisterhood of Haim. Here to end March and begin the Spring of April with 'The Record' of the year following their E.P. named after their group's collective name, Boygenius. 

Named after the fact that most men get more credit than they deserve like "bro Einstein's", it's time for those who run the world to be seen for their smarts. Can't mansplain your way out of this one. And it's not for a writer (waiter) like me to judge, but this album is well worth the wait and the Tokyo tease seeing 'The Punisher' Phoebe Bridgers bare her acoustic bones in Zepp DiverCity last month. To begin this album's conclusion ('Letter To An Old Poet') she sings, "I said, "I think that you're special"/You told me once that I'm selfish/And I kissed you hard/In the dark, in the closet/You said my music is mellow/Maybe I'm just exhausted/You think you're a good person/Because you won't punch me in the stomach," before her spiritual sister join in harmony. You think this music mellow, man? Really it's a masterwork from one of the genre's greatest. Make that three of the biggest and best. 

You can hear it in the harmonies of the 'Without You Without Them' a cappella intro for this Interscope record to sing along. A week after the great Lana Del Rey asked us 'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd' and a month after Miley Cyrus contended for the calendar with her 'Endless Summer Vacation', we now have three voices in the land where the sun always rises. And this time, we ain't talking about Japan. Recorded at Rick Rubin's Shangri-la study in Malibu like many a classic, Chili or Beastie. Following 'The Punisher' in 2020, 2021 saw Baker bake up 'Little Oblivions' and Dacus delve into her 'Home Video'. But this January 2023 we were treated to a trio of singles from this Holy Trinity. Not to mention a Coachella line-up announcement. '$20' which this album is well worth, affording more. The standout single 'Emily I'm Sorry'. And the beautiful like Joni Mitchell 'True Blue'. 

Now we have 'Not Strong Enough' for your radio play on this dozen from Baker, Bridgers and Dacus. But it actually is tough enough with lyrics like "The way I am/Not strong enough to be your man/I tried, I can't/Stop staring at the ceiling fan and/Spinning out about things that haven't happened/Breathing in and out." Singing "always an angel, never a God" on a big wheel like a Bueller day off. And if that wasn't enough of a California dreaming like music video for your mamas and papas, then how about 'The Film' to go with 'The Record'? Directed by 'Personal Shopper' and 'Spencer' star Kristen Stewart showing her career of the future like when 'Don't Worry, Darling' and 'Booksmart' director hit with the Red Hot 'Dark Necessities'. Hollywood hits for a hallmark Los Angeles act by way of Pasadena, Virginia and Tennessee. 

'Leonard Cohen' is here too and the sampling of the late, great's 'Anthem' like the "do, do, do's" of a Lou Reed 'Summer Girl'. Paul Simon is credited as inspiration on the instant vintage familiarity of 'Cool About It'. And this Traveling Wilbury like epic ensemble also has fun with you Beatles boys on 'Revolution 0'. But it's on 'Satanist' where there is really hell to pay like fury and scorn, but no tired cliché or stereotype. Dacus delights, "Will you be a satanist with me?/Mortgage off your soul to buy your dream/Vacation home in Florida/The collateral, the devil's repossessin' from me/Tryin' to score some off brand ecstasy/Will you be an anarchist with me?/Sleep in cars and kill the bourgeoisie/At least until you find out what a fake I am/Spray paint my initials on an ATM/I burn my cash and smash my old TV." All hail. 

'We're In Love', and you will be too when Lucy Dacus makes art in the notebook. "You could absolutely break my heart/That's how I know that we're in love/I don't need the symbol of a scar/So put down the knife, we're not swapping blood/Isn't it enough that we stripped down to our skin?/Cold and porcelain, like bathers in a painting/And I told you of your past lives, every man you've ever been/It wasn't flattering, but you listened like it mattered." And if you're not convinced by then, the 'Anti-Curse' of Baker will heal you like, "There we were/Was anyone ever so young?/Breakin' curfew with illegal fireworks/Unpackin' God in the suburbs." We haven't had lines like this since her last album. Legacy making legend for her story and musical muse history. Boys beware, "you don't have to make it bad, just 'cause you know how", this isn't an album against you. But genius, know this if you think this putting three heads together, meeting of the minds can't compare with what you have to say, then it's high time you kept it lipped and listened up. For 'The Record', this goes harder and smarter. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Emily I'm Sorry', 'Cool About It', 'Leonard Cohen'. 

REVIEW: TYLER THE CREATOR - CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST (THE ESTATE SALE)

4/5

Real Estate. 

Lost? Then never fear. You can call on Tyler, back with more creations. A year after he won the Grammy for the best rap album of 2021, 'Call Me If You Get Lost', he's back with the expanded edition of 'The Estate Sale'. Real talk with DJ Drama talking his s### over it like the Gangster Grillz of Jeezy. And 'Everything Must Go' like thanking the "arenas around the world" on this deluxe intro. Packing his animated bags and making sure his ODB like I.D. is in his back pocket for this itinerary of more Wu-Tang like iconic sounds. Stunting with Vince Staples on 'Stuntman' like a 'John Wick' director. Killing this chapter with a pencil to the scribes of, "I got a jelly bean, kelly green Rolls/And the guts off-white like a jalapeño/Leather hot in here, s### make Nelly sing songs/Big pearls on the belt make my belly seem swole/I'm watchin' Queen Gambit, lookin' like an extra/Different color chess pieces hangin' from my necklace (Bleh)/Stones too heavy, give me red neck, Texas/I cover it with scarves in the closet like my exes/Fiat 151, b####, this ain't a Lexus." Damn the automobile industry hasn't had it this bad since Kanye pushed and ran a Rav4 right out of this town. 

'What A Day' in hip-hop like the beautiful beat and soulful sample of said song. On 'Wharf Talk' with A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator wonders what it would be like if "God was here today", yearning to "get lost (together) " on a beautiful, instant classic ode of hope for H.E.R. Singing whilst he's winning, the genius of this genre great, expanding his classic doesn't just have banging bars for the record, but beautiful broods too for you and your boo. But for all these classic farms, it's the single 'Dogtooth' that really has bite. Liking it rough and raw like Ol' Dirty. Shimmying to lyrics like, "She could ride my face, I don't want nothin' in return (Woo)/Because if she get off, then I get off, that's my concern (Oh, man)/I'm tryna buy my neighbor house and turn it to a yard (Yeah, yeah, turn up that s###)/If you don't know my grandma name, then we ain't really dogs." You can tell DJ Khaled ain't backing this one. 

Another one comes in the form of 'Heaven To Me' sampling the legendary 'Heaven' by John Legend. Packing the travel trunk with hits after the surprise single. "The lake water gettin' warmer from the radiant sun/My baby mama and my daughter gettin' chased by my son/The water gun is in his arms, that lil' n#### could run/He get it from his daddy side, you know, them Nigerians/My mama pulled up in a helicopter/Sister in the kitchen, kickin' Jackson, mixin' vodka/After dinner, I'll convince them they should babysit 'em/Me and wifey gettin' ready to go see an opera (Sydney)." Poetry in motion. All the way to a harbour in Australia. Chef's kiss. Bliss. Before the 2020 Demo of 'Boyfriend, Girlfriend' with YG keeps you moving like Blackstreet and Janet Jackson on the telephone with Eve and Ja Rule for a Def Jam of the futuristic early new millennium, twenty years ago. 

The Creator has more hits than he has hats. But putting his hard one on he goes in 'Sorry Not Sorry' in all caps. This Boygenius dropping knowledge on the record on the same day as the Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus supergroup. Turning it up taking on those who may call him pretentious and ignorant with his passion and influence. Ending it with two words like Mos, Kanye and Free, none more than they deserve. All to Drama's sign-off as legendary as a Russell Simmons one at a Def Comedy Jam. Saying goodnight after thanking you for coming out. And then, just like tha... TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'What A Day', 'Dogtooth', 'Heaven To Me' 

REVIEW: JIMIN - FACE E.P.

4/5

Face Of The Future. 

Last Summer gave us 'Proof' of BTS' hiatus. And the direction(s) one of the biggest groups on the face of the planet since the juggernaut mania of The Beatles would be going in. Whether mandatory military service (good luck Jin), or anthems for the World Cup (Jung Kook's delightful 'Dreamers'). Leader RM has already gone in with 'Indigo', featuring the likes of Erykah Badu. And the joy and enthusiasm of J-Hope went in a completely different direction too. Opening up like Pandora for 'Jack In The Box'. After their 'Permission To Dance' concert film, Disney + recently went further into the crates with the 'J-Hope In The Box' doc also. Which really showed just how much of a friend Jimin is to Hope. Arguably the third most famous face on the most recognizable group on the planet, now it's Jimin's turn. And with his 'Face' EP he looks towards the future and the facts of that life. 

Opening like John Travolta and Nicolas Cage, Jimin goes hard on 'Face-Off'. It's a whole new music freaky Friday the way he embodies a brand-new persona for a whole new world. Rapping, "All right/I guess the blame is on me/Look at me right now/Living like stupid, hmm, uh-huh/Believing in people/It's the beginning of this terrible nightmare, mhmm/Gave you all the money/Gave you all my heart/Your masquerade party I was f#####g drunk, oh/Even these damn days/It's over now." As an ARMY of fans behind him ask who hurt him. And you know they come for people. Ain't that right, Donald? Lend your ears to a rallying real audience and movement of the masses, all in perfect time.

Now he's 'Set Free' again, 'Part 2' sounds so much better. It's the biggest BTS banger since the boys dropped mics with the cake throwing Steve Aoki on the wheels of steel. As this extended play album's pre-single moves to the leather and monochrome greyscale style of BTS' last release. "I got feel low/Still 난 미로/But I got no time to break soul/Just let me flow/Hey fool, just get out of my way/Shut up, f### off/I'm on my way." From Seoul to Hollywood, if you thought this born star was locked out the game, think again. Jimin is jimmying the locks. Opening up his broadest and best work to date. I hope you marked your calendars for this week and one of the best releases of the year. Even if it's only Spring and this play just an extended one.

From the deep 'Dive' inspired interlude to the loneliness of the COVID-19 pandemic it evokes, 'Face' fronts and hides nothing behind a mask. 'Alone' takes us through all that pain, by our side. Singing, "The same day (The same day)/It flows again (It flows again)/How long do I have to endure it?/Can I go back to where I am from?/This cold and lonely night/Without thinking/I walk in my dark room alone," for all our quarantined and collective pain, no shame. Isolation was a bitter pill to swallow during lockdown. But it allowed us to set free our creativity and provided us all with a voice of experience, even behind shut doors. Jimin's 'Alone' time recognizes this and shows you he hasn't forgotten in this all too easy to world of new woe. Smashing and overcoming it all, this melancholy is no infinite sadness. This isn't the Pumpkins' '1979' generation of Zero's, but that of Idol's practising self-love that unites us all across the nations as one.

But to the 'Letter' of the physical release hidden track with Jungkook (we feel like this is a spoiler, sorry) that brings it all back to the good old days when albums sprung don't eject yet surprises like twists in movies, it's 'Like Crazy' and it's English translation that will set crowds across the globe wild. No empty space. "I'd rather be/Lost in the lights/Lost in the lights/I'm outta my mind/이 밤의 끝을 잡아줘/매일 밤/You spin me up high/너를 품은 달/Let me have a taste", everyone will soon be singing along in concert like Jimin supporting his friend in Chicago's Lollapalooza. The taste of things to come. After J-Hope showed he can really rap like this squad and RM continued that 'mono' music across the soundscape, Jimin is the perfect bridge and pop/rap landscape that covers both territories. 'Face' it. BTS may have called it a day or two. But this is no comeback. They'll be here for years like a battalion of fans behind this band that put it all on the line. Turning a page, but not the other cheek. This is the perfect portrait of things gone and others yet to come. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Face-Off', 'Like Crazy', 'Alone'. 

REVIEW: FALL OUT BOY - SO MUCH (FOR) STARDUST

4/5

City Of Stardust. 

Is it 2003 again? In the same first quarter of 2023 that has seen the 'TRUSTFALL' of early 2000s icon P!nk release a new album with exclamation, epic emo-era act Fall Out Boy are back to make a point in the madness of March with the brackets of 'So Much (For) Stardust'. So much for, or so much? You be the judge. The Chicago bulls are back in the pen with producer Neal Avron for the first time since 2008's 'Folie à Deux' like a Gaga 'Joker' sequel with Joaquin. So much for stardust. Or hell freezing over Eagles. After the 'Mania' of 2018 they're back on their old label Fuelled By Ramen like trying to get the sticky tab off. Full circle, this is all poetic and meant. 

But how's this for a coincidence? On the same New Music Friday that Lana Del Rey releases and asks 'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean BLVD', featuring a track about the crack to gold honour repair of the Japanese art of 'Kintsugi', Fall Out Boy release a new album featuring a track called 'The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)'. Overcoming all the pain that almost broke these American sweethearts. "Passed my old street, the house I grew up in/It breaks your heart, but four of the Ramones are dead/I felt you at the beginning, but needed you at the end/We're going low, low, low, low", Patrick Stump sings from the liquor and the "chemical haze." 

More than a decade. More like twenty years since F.O.B. and ramen took this to their grave. But noodling more mood music for the aggravated angst in modern malaise, the band are back like the 'Big Hero 6', 'Immortal' days of 2015's 'American Beauty/American Psycho' moviemaker, or when bassist Pete Wentz was one of the most famous faces in the world, let alone his band of brothers. Spearheaded by two signature singles ('Love From The Outside' and 'Heartbreak Feels So Good') it all feels like the good old days...even if we were a little too emotional. The latest single 'Hold Me Like A Grudge' keeps that notion tight. And it also gets cinematic like Lana thanks to 'Dead Poets Society' legend Ethan Hawke's 'The Pink Seashell' interlude (from 'Reality Bites') even more inspired than his TED talk. That's Maya's Dad for you 'Stranger Things' kids who aren't really 80s babies, running up that hill. 

There are plenty of favourite records here to keep Vecna at bay, making you levitate. Getting back to the way they used to do things, ramen at the ready, there's no 'Fake Out' here singing, "Take a knife and cut through the darkness/Castle-temp red wine/But I make no plans and none can be broken/No plans and none can be broken/Remember us just like this forever/But this can't last, won't last/So, make no plans and none can be broken/No plans and none can be broken." Finding 'Heaven' in 'Iowa' it all feels 'So Good Right Now' to the tune of Robert Byrd's co-wrote, "And all of our wildest dreams/They just end up with you and me/So, let's drive until thе engine just gives out." Barking at bubbles, boss born to run again until this album gives out at the title track, you'll be screaming 'What A Time To Be Alive' like Drake and Future in precursor. 

"You are what you love, not who loves you", Stump once sang with Elton John as they went back and forth to 'Save Rock and Roll'. And now in this pop/punk realm he holds up a mirror of affirmation for you to sing 'I Am My Own Muse' along. It's an acclaimed album of finding exactly that in yourself, even if you have to go back and 'Baby', it's 'Annihilation' for the competition like, "An alligator prince with crocodile tears, too many to count/Permanent head-cold dreams awash in your love, fallin' in and out/Time is luck, and I wish ours overlapped more or for longer/Orange leaves bore the ones falling off trees/The first time I took the mask off, just had another one on underneath/I'm just melted wax on a birthday cake, another year fades away/Charcoal crushed, pixie fever, angel dust," as Wentz becomes a spoken-word star with this moving monologue. 

Yet for these Windy City GOAT's, it's the 'Flu Game' that takes it personally like MJ (no, not the one they covered with John Mayer for 'Beat It', but 'The Last Dance' one)." One day, every candle's gotta run out of wax/One day, no one will remember when they look back/I can't stop, can't stop 'till we catch all your ears though/Somewhere between Mike Tyson and Van Gogh." DAMN! Boxing clever, fall out. The boys are back in town. Somewhere between art and a knock-out punch. Sunflowers on the canvas. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Flu Game', 'The Pink Seashell (Feat. Ethan Hake)', 'The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)'. 

REVIEW: LANA DEL REY - DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE'S A TUNNEL UNDER OCEAN BLVD

4/5

Ocean Drive. 

Seemingly sidelined by cancel culture for comments, Lizzy Grant AKA, Lana Del Rey has been quietly working away on her own great American songbook, from lockdown to a new normal. One where ever since 2019's 'The Greatest', 'Norman F###### Rockwell', the 'Born To Die' singer has become even more of an accomplished artist than she already was. Life ain't the same since the pandemic and it seems more like two weeks than two years since Del Ray slid down the sultry and smoky 'Blue Banisters'. That LP itself coming hot off the heels of 'Chemtrails Over The Country Club'. Her second album of that year. 

Now with three albums over almost that many years that can match the holy trinity that followed 'BTD' in, 'Ultraviolence', 'Honeymoon' and a 'Lust For Life' (not forgetting Norman), this may well be the stage name self-titled debut star's new prime time as she searches for her story history like the legacy making lyrics of a Dylan, Springsteen, or of course a, "gangster Nancy Sinatra" with this bold and beautiful body of young work. The cinematic sound of the subtle screen siren and 'Young and Beautiful' ('The Great Gatsby') and 'Once Upon A Dream' ('Maleficent') singer is back with this ninth wonder of an album like a hip-hop producer and Duke professor. As are the once upon a time in movie making album names. 

'Did You Know That There's A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd'? Well, if you don't know, now you know. Listening to the Chilli Peppers under the bridge and soulfully singing along to the new single 'The Grants' with Lizzy herself to open things up like paying a tunnel toll with the top down. There's no spare change or quarters with this dime dropping jewel case sound. Reminding you of the time albums where albums following 'Don't Call Me Baby', 'Charlie's Angels' co-signer Miley Cyrus' early album of the year contender ('Endless Summer Vacation') a fortnight back with what may be the most definitive of her own discography. 

Classic like the black and white old portrait of album artwork with the tracks to match like when movies used to play all the credits in the opening. This is far from the end for a singer/songwriter who is on the form of her formidable, storytelling career as one of this generation's greats. Remember when she had to change the words on her signature hit to "kiss me hard in the pouring rain" so you could hear her on the radio? Well, did you know that's not a problem any more on 'Tunnel's vision and the title track that demands in desire, "open me up, tell me you like it/F### me to death, love me until I love myself?" Nothing this explicit has ever sounded this romantic since Murakami, blind Willow, sleeping woman. 

Tower Records, Tokyo. Here in Japan, along with the release of Babymetal's new album, we're celebrating two releases from American artists on the same day. Lana and the emo era epic 'Fall Out Boy' ('So Much (For) Stardust'). And coincidentally they both have songs about 'Kintsugi' (F.O.B.'s 'The Kintsugi Kid (Ten Years)') on their sets too. The Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold to pay homage to the cracks. Honour what doesn't kill us making us stronger like Japanese G.O.A.T. Shohei Ohtani wearing the Czech Republic's cap out of respect, arriving in Miami for the World Baseball Classic (sportsmanship is beautiful). 

"I've had to let it break a little more/'Cause they say that's what it's for/That's how the light gets in/That's how the light gets in." Say it again. In this world that wants to crucify you for mistakes made, or even the way you act, look and feel, all whilst parading it on social media for likes, be proud of where you come from and what you've overcome. Even when they think they know you or can manifest your narrative to their opinionated doing. These are things not to be shamed, but adorned like a badge of honour. 

'Candy Necklace' is the latest 'Sweet' single you can wear around your neck with pride. Jack Antonoff mans the prolific production boards again. But everything, everywhere, all at once, this best picture features many supporting actors for Del Rey who recently burnt the 'Midnights' oil with Taylor Swift ('Snow On The Beach'). Oscar winner Jon Batiste and his Basquiat artists sound to this Warhol's pop art shows up on the aforementioned single and his own inspired interlude (Judah Smith has an important and informative one too). Whilst SYML stamp their passports in the 'Paris, Texas' standout for your movie moments. Riopy joins in on the epic and engrossing 'Grandfather Please Stand On The Shoulders Of My Father Whilst He's Deep-Sea Fishing'. 

Rey reels in the Bleachers for 'Margaret' (inspired by 'Once Upon A Time...In Hollywood' actress Margaret Qualley. Antonoff's fiancé) and Tommy Genesis for the red-hot 'Peppers', doing the Angelina Jolie. But it's the continuing Kintsugi theme on 'Let The Light In' with Father John Misty that really resonates like the gig of a scene-setting night for this big score. "Put the Beatles on, light the candles, go back to bed/'Cause I wanna, wanna, wanna want you/I need to, need to, need to need you/Put the TV on, the flowers in a vase, lie your head." And leave your porch light for the one who always comes back. Moth to a flame. 

World-building in a Rockwell way, 'Tunnel Under Ocean BLVD' features big numbers that segue into interludes that serve as songs like a Ginuwine 'Bachelor'. Tracks that feel as big as trilogies themselves (the standout 'A&W' single for you Abercrombie Americans in your apparel) and even a sample of her own sound ('Venice Bitch') on the closer 'Taco Truck x VB' after another classic cut that 'Fishtails' through all this outstanding ocean of talent like South Beach to California, to be frank. Del Rey is still a pop queen in her own time like a prayer. No matter what the people say. Remember they came and still do for Madonna, like a virgin. 

Touch upon the "innermost thoughts" of this amazing artist who was originally going to appear on this album cover naked and reveal all that "let(s) the music do the talking." Just like an 'Interview' with the greatest in the game Billie Eilish (certainly taking cues from Lana's legacy) for said Andy Warhol crafted magazine. Or just let the 'Fingertips' touch and tell you over ten epic verses. "Let it crash over me/Like the waves in the sea/Call me Aphrodite, as they bow down to me/Sunbather, moon chaser, queen of empathy/I give myself two seconds to breathe/And go back to being a serene queen/I just needed two seconds to be me." You got it. This is a boulevard of no more broken dreams. Know this. The light at the end of the tunnel has more depth. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'A&W', 'Kintsugi', 'Paris, Texas (Feat. SYML)'. 

REVIEW: T-PAIN - ON TOP OF THE COVERS

3.5/5

Life After D.O.A.

It's been a different New Music Friday this week. Huge artists who have had humongous hits and so much superstar shine when they had their time in the sun have made interesting new releases. They've all come correct, but their projects have felt like there is just a little bit of something missing when it comes to actualizing actual albums. In Ireland, Hozier has teased his new album set to be released this fall with the EP 'Eat Your Young'. One which won't eat into your Spotify bandwidth with a total of three tracks. On the other hand, Irish rock God's U2 are reminding us of the time their 'Songs Of Innocence' bum-rushed your iTunes. Their 'Songs Of Surrender' reworked greatest hits is the real extended play. Forty tracks for almost three-hours. The Edge of overkill. And now the multi-million legendary hit-maker T-Pain is back with an album less than ten tracks long. Of covers. 

But wait. This is his epiphany. We have no idea how much Jay-Z's 'Death Of The Autotune' pained T-Pain's pockets, but it can't have been good. Still, you can't deny how much his automated sound meant to music and a game changing world of hits like a Lil Jon "yeah", OK? WHAT?! You don't remember? Come on now! This man has more plaques than a dentist's waiting room. But now he has something to show and prove. Can he do it without the vocal assist? If you got behind his Tiny Desk Concert for NPR you already know that this notion is too true. T-Pain can really sing like 'Chang Can Dunk' on Disney +. And now this actual eight-track album, classically called 'On Top Of The Covers' like an Isley Brother is proof to that show. 

Nappy Boooooooy! Cry babies, put the diapers away. T-Pain is taking it back and it feels so good, baby. Unlike roses in your mouth for the stay classy, classic album artwork. Watch out for the thorns and the snakes in the grass. Haters are gonna do them, but change is here. And his outstanding opening rendition of Sam Cooke's own career turning protest march 'A Change Is Gonna Come' is a revelation. Faheem Rashad Najm has so much soul and vocal range without the computer love. No need to adjust your pitch. He can sound like Sam Smith like said artist sounds like R&B general Tank on the signature 'Stay With Me'. Peep the TGT leader rework that to his game, set and match advantage on his Valentines EP 'If You Were Mine' too. 

'Sharing The Night Together' and the big American songbook bravado of 'That's Life' (featuring NandoSTL) also get between the sheets for this undeniable half-hour, eclectic collection. 'Skrangs (in K Major Sus)' is a standout like Journey's cheesy 'Don't Stop Believing' as the 'Karaoke' singer finds new faith in being the jukebox king. But for T-Pain's first album in four years and independent sound. It's when he goes a little bit country for David Allan Coe's 'Tennessee Whiskey', or rocks out in classic closing for Black Sabbath's 'War Pigs' that these hits hit their highest light. T-Pain was the single talent whose production could make your song so much better. Or at least different. Now he's just doing it with his best instrument. His voice. Let's hear it for him. On top of his own game. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'A Change Is Gonna Come', 'Tennessee Whiskey', 'War Pigs'. 

REVIEW: U2 - SONGS OF SURRENDER

3.5/5

The Edge Of Glory. 

'Everything Everywhere All At Once' Best Supporting Actress Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis has some friendly advice for the likes of U2, Coldplay and Bruce Springsteen. The knives are not out for the Halloween star, but she says she's getting a little older (same). She'd just like them to start their epic three-hour sets a little earlier (OMG SAME!) like a Sunday afternoon movie matinée. Then they can let rip like Jim Carrey in 'Liar Liar' as all of us in a lift, true lies. We just wish we got a heads-up when taking a detour from Times Square back in the day in New York that they were actually playing for free and bringing out the Boss Springsteen as a surprise. U2 can't seem to escape the jokes like that legendary one from the late great Robin Williams about every time Bono claps his hands (we won't spoil the punchline, hit up YouTube). Or the disdain they got for releasing an album automatically back when we all used iTunes. But then again 'Songs Of Innocence' was graciously for free. Now 'Songs Of Surrender' could leave Jamie Lee running like Michael Myers was in the house again. 40 tracks for almost three hours. All rerecording down to '40' too. 

Shall we go through them all? HELL NO! These articles are long enough. But in black and white portraits like the 'Boy' that came before them like a Nirvana 'Never Mind' you'll soon 'Surrender' to these songs like a Maggie Rogers' sophomore set. Whether you're a mega-single 'Beautiful Day' fan with 'Vertigo'. Or if you prefer sitting under a 'Joshua Tree' with undeniable, unforgettable fire classics like 'Where The Streets Have No Name'. Fans who with or without U2, still haven't found what they're looking for when it comes to one of the world's best bands of all-time. Hate all you like. Sometimes it's hard to love. What's gone from laughing lovingly at Bono giving The Pope his iconic sunglasses to films named 'Killing Bono', you still can't deny the legendary legacy of this act. Not to mention all they've done for the world in the name of love and peace. Once more in the name of love. 

The urgency of 'Sunday Bloody Sunday'. The plea to the late, great INXS frontman (the best of all-time) Michael Hutchence ('Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of'). They're all here to hear (although we miss 'Batman Forever's' 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me') in real and raw, stripped-down form for your acoustics. They've done this before. Like William Orbit's 'Electrical Storm' remix and new mix's of the dominating 'Discotheque' and nuanced 'Numb' off their second compilation of classics ('The Best Of 1990-2000'). And in what some might see as a glorified greatest hits, you may wish for more like the times of fellow Irish rocker Hozier's new three track EP ('Eat Your Young') also released this week. 

Yet legendary like McDonagh, Gleeson and Farrell from 'Bruges' to 'Banshees' this reunion reminds us of the good old days when albums were albums and artist tracks were exactly that. Aside from a redefining 'Desire' there's not much of this music that is more outstanding than their originals. But this is just different and celebratory at least. Even if those embarking on their forthcoming world tour will probably hope they switch-up their amazing sets to the classics like a Lionel Richie country 'Tuskegee'. Yet all you need to hear is 'Walk On' dedicated to Ukraine to see we still need bands like this in the world. Now more than ever. Looking for a beautiful day again. One world. One love. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Beautiful Day', 'Walk On (Ukraine)', 'Desire'. 

REVIEW: HOZIER - EAT YOUR YOUNG E.P.

4/5

Youngstown. 

Taking us to more than church, before bringing the fall to a brand-new album, Irish singer/songwriter Hozier gives us an engrossing extended play of three terrific tracks. On the same New Music Friday that Ireland's legendary U2 give us 40 'Songs Of Surrender' for almost three hours of reworked greatest hits, this also leaves us starving for a little bit more. 'Eat Your Young' isn't just what would have served as the world's worst cooking advice during the planet's pandemic, but also the perfect precursor of what's to come out of Hozier's music box and bag of tricks. 

Following 2019's 'Wasteland Baby', this pride of Ireland like the Oscar's overlooked Paul Mescal, or last year's best picture 'The Banshees Of Inisherin', is giving us more than his signature single that seemed to be taken to every Hollywood movie. 'Eat Your Young' is a strong new song, spearheading what could be his year again like his self-titled 2014 debut. Aaaaamen! The call to arms chorus of "Get some/Pull up the ladder when the flood comes/Throw enough rope until the legs have swung/Seven new ways that you can eat your young/Come and get some/Skinnin' the children for a war drum/Puttin' food on the table sellin' bombs and guns/It's quicker and easier to eat your young," is a war cry reminiscent of when Bono and then were just 'Boy's' with that kid and an edgier sound. Giving us a taste of gluttony in the 9 Circles of Hell. Based on Dante's 'Divine Comedy' and riffing on Jonathan Swift's 'Modern Proposal' of 1792.

On 'All Things End' he laments the love and life we lose as quick as the changing tide. It's as heartbreaking as Barry Keoghan in 'Banshees'. "And all things end/All that we intend is scrawled in sand/And slips right through our hands/And just knowing/That everything will end/Should not change our plans/When wе begin again." But yet there is hope for another brighter day in the end, which sometimes is merely the beginning. As you will see on our customary 'Playlist Picks' selection, we have selected this, the EP's title-track and 'Through Me (The Flood)'. This is of course, because this set actually only includes three tracks. But also because it's a damn good one not lost in the flood like Springsteen. Through me like Buckley, this is the best young singer/songwriter with an old soul since Tim's son Jeff. Hallelujah. "Picture a man/Seen like a speck out from the shore/Swimming out beyond the breakers/Like he's done his life before/He feels a coming of a squall/Will drag him out a greater length/But knows his strength, and tries to gather it." Staring out to sea like Colin and Brendan after 'Bruges' you can see it coming in. If 'Eat Your Young' is just a taste of things to come. It's going to be one hell of a fall. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Eat Your Young', 'All Things End', 'Through Me (The Flood)'. 

REVIEW: MILEY CYRUS - ENDLESS SUMMER VACATION

4/5

Summertime Gladness. 

Give Miley Cyrus her 'Flowers'. Following fellow, respective country and pop legends Shania Twain ('Queen Of Me') and P!nk ('Trustfall'), Dolly's God-daughter has released an early album of the year contender in the malaise of March. Drums please. Summertime has come early for a spontaneous vacation and slice of pure pop perfection, no great Del Rey sadness. An 'Endless Summer' at that, like California, or an Australian Jezabel. All 'Bangerz' of punctuated production coming in like a you know what. Signed, sealed and delivered on a classic cover of album artwork for this trapeze artist like Madonna coffee table 'Sex'. Hitting so hard in love and breaking down walls. You thought the 'Plastic Hearts' of a pandemic planet 2020 were real after Miley showed she was 'Younger Now' for the country in 2017? Well, you haven't heard any mainstream music this fresh yet. 

She is coming again like the epic E.P. of '19, and this 'Mother's Daughter' is going even harder than that song. The 'Flowers' of formidable post-break-up and self-empowerment is the gold like that dress in the video. Say yes to this single with platinum power, coated in legacy making lyrics of acclaimed affirmation. Opening proceedings singing, "We were good, we were gold/Kinda dream that can't be sold/We were right 'til we weren't/Built a home and watched it burn/Mm, I didn't wanna leave you, I didn't wanna lie/Started to cry, but then remembered I/I can buy myself flowers/Write my name in the sand/Talk to myself for hours/Say things you don't understand/I can take myself dancing/And I can hold my own hand/Yeah, I can love me better than you can." The whole song deserves its roses no horses###. Let alone the first verse, bridge and chorus, hooked on here. 

Miley, Miley, mo. Cyrus ain't 'Jaded' like Aerosmith. Even if those who write her off clearly are. The second track goes just like that and is worthy of its own single behind big, beautiful beats. "And it's a f######' shame that it ended like that/You broke your own heart, but you'd never say that/We went to Hell, but we never came back/I'm sorry that you're jaded (Jaded)/I could've taken you places (Places)/You're lonely now and I hate it/I'm sorry that you're Jaded." Speculate like a Swift song all you like about whom this is about. Brother of Thor, or something much more. But that's her business and private life. One thing that can't be put under scrutiny is the fact that this track is a straight classic down lover lane and the highway to hell that stops at a heartbreak hotel. 

Motel music this is not, but it for sure elevates those lonely hearts looking for lost love. All moving in time with painful embraces of epic tracks that will still have you hitting the dance floor like the side of the sink as you take stock in the streaks and cracks in the mirror. Shimmering with Aussie ruler Sia on 'Muddy Feet' and artist of the moment Brandi Carlile for a Carlton 'Thousand Miles'. This album has monster collaborations that bang. But don't look through the 'Rose Colored Lenses' of big-names. Because the songwriting skill set shines more than any big name in bright lights. "We could stay like this forever, lost in wonderland/With our head above the clouds, falling stupid like we're kids/Wearing rose-colored lenses, let's just play pretend/Wearing rose-colored lenses, pretend we'll never end." Classic choruses like Taylor, made for quotation. Whether in karaoke bars plugged into Spotify, or social media streams. 

Taking you to the 'River' like Springsteen results in another single, deep like Phoenix. Yet 'You' gets even closer like a Netflix series. Pulling off the incredible 'Handstand' and the audio substance of 'Violet Chemistry' takes you even higher however in the sonic trip of an album. The former is an anthem to upside down salute the health kick that is so much better than twerking it out like Usher. Whilst the latter laces us with lyrics like, "When thе floor is wet/And the lights come on, but you don't wanna lеave/Can I bum a cigarette? (Bum a cigarette)/We could paint our names in black on the marquee." Somewhere in America, Miley Cyrus is still showing the competition to their seats. On an 'Island' this 'Wildcard' leads the bracket on her own with the biggest win. March madness has started early and Cyrus is cutting down nets like she cuts up dresses with her infections hype machine sound, teased early in the year when most were forgetting their resolutions. 

New Year, new Miley like coming out of the 'Silent Night' of 'A Very Murray Christmas' with Sofia Coppola. "Do you wanna play house? I could be your wife/Go and meet your mom in a dress too tight/Maybe I could stay and not break your heart/But don't forget, baby, I'm a wildcard." DAMN! Way to start this year and eight wonder of an album off with a bang. From the club to the country hoe down throwdown this alt-country pop star is more versatile. And whether it's the blooming 'Flowers' bonus demo and raw reveal of the record setting streaming single that was atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart for six consecutive weeks, or the superhero closer. You don't need a lasso of truth to see Miley Cyrus if more than a 'Wonder Woman' for the anthem. "She's a million moments/Lived a thousand lives/Never know she's hopeless/Only when she cries." This is your favourite record for dancing in the dark to the grime and glamour, AM and PM coin sides of this pop classic, alarm clock music that will never see the snooze button hit. Number one in 35 countries. Who runs the world, girls? Miley, baby! TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Flowers', 'Jaded', 'Handstand'. 

REVIEW: WILLIE NELSON - I DON'T KNOW A THING ABOUT LOVE (THE SONGS OF HARLAN HOWARD)

4/5

Steamboat Willie.

The legendary Willie Nelson may be about to say hello to 90 like he did those walls of classic heartbreak (nobody has described a lover walking out on you better than this man did in 'My Life' with his marvellous memoir 'It's A Long Story'). But even at an age where most would feel welcome in an easy-chair, he's still rocking around the clock and calendar. Churning out album after album of quality material, year-after-year, just call him 'Steamboat Willie' like a whistling Mickey for this steady work. Although no cartoon animals were harmed in the instrumental making of this music. But you best believe this album contains more than "tobacco depictions", but no parental advisory sticker for the Snoop Dogg constant collaborator. The icon who is always on American music's mind has inspired absolutely everyone and anything. Whether it's throwing moonshine Molotov cocktails off the back of a Johnny Knoxville 'Dukes Of Hazzard' remodelled car like a 'Jackass'. Or inspiring the name of a Norah Jones led country supergroup (the curiously titled Little Willies). But with almost as many albums as he has years in this life, there is nothing half about this Nelson. Averaging over one full-album a year for the past few. Even the pandemic can not slow his roll. And with his 73rd solo release he tells us, 'I Don't Know A Thing About Love'. Yeah right, Willie. You taught us everything we know. 

On the road again, Willie Nelson is still selling out shows, but never selling himself out or others down the road. Produced by Buddy Cannon and added to Nelson's artillery of albums, this latest and one of the greatest is a tribute to the late great Harlan Howard. Taking a page out of his chapter of the Great American Songbook. And what a look from the title-track to the amazing artwork drawn by Willie Nelson's boy Micah. Riding into this wild west with the face of the moon as his guide for just a shade over a half-hour of hallowed homage. The great Howard's life may have come to an end, but his legacy lives on with the gifts he gave in sound and vision. Harlan offered a young Willie the opportunity of a lifetime back in the day. Giving him a chance and his first break in the industry as a songwriter for the publishing company Pamper Music back when Nelson's young career was in diapers. And now the student returns the mentor favour, honouring his songs with a beauty and grace that only comes from the way he plays and says things. 

Marking the 21st anniversary of Harlan Howard's death, this dedication busts loose with the straight-shooting single 'Busted' for you busters. And these Legacy Recordings get even deeper and carry more metaphorical meaning from the following album's outset on. As the 89-year-old grabs the 'Tiger By The Tail' and gets right to it, baring his wisdom and teeth. This album and artist is not for 'The Chokin' Kind'. In the fourth-quarter of his life, this King like James is still breaking records and holding court for overtime before the buzzer. Grandfather time? He never writes. 'Excuse Me (I Think I've Got A Heartache)', a pining Willie says to us, asking for forgiveness. He needs to go see the doctor with a case of the blues born from a love lost. And this one isn't going to tell him to shut up and go home. But prescribe one night at the heartbreak hotel. Room for one, call me in the morning. Hello again, walls. 

Why? Well, 'Life Turned Her Out That Way' just like the evil men do, and you can hear it in Harlan's before it's time and timeless songwriting and Nelson's delivery of the craft like it was his own. All on him, he admits "If she seems cold and bitter I beg of you/Just stop and consider all she's gone through/Don't be quick to condemn her for things she might say/Just remember her life turned her that way/She's been walked on and stepped on so many times/And I hate to admit it but that last footprint's mine." We've all left our marks. Now it's time to draw a land in the sand like seeing the light of two sets of footprints on the shore, going against the grain before it's all washed away. 

Another highlight is the neon open signs buzzing from the 'Streets Of Baltimore'. Paved with the same sobering stories for this Nashville kid, by the way of Texas that the 'Streets Of Philadelphia' were for that Jersey boy. But it's 'She Called Me Baby' that will really set a Jones in your old bones for the dearly departed one that got away. "She called me baby, baby all night long/Used to hold and kiss me until dawn/Then one day I woke and she was gone/Now there's no more baby, baby all night long." That autobiographical sound of the front door opening and slamming shut. 

S.T.F.D. Willie Nelson has so many albums like there are 'Too Many Rivers'. Yet this one holds so much water as he sings, "Now don't think for a moment, I blame only you/We both killed the fruit on the vine/And when you try to put love back together/There's always a few little pieces that you can't find." Too much water may have run under that old bridge like a Chili Pepper, but at least it's not burnt. The bow unbroken. This ship sails on. To all sorts of dedications with devotion. Like the classic curtain of the ballad of 'Beautiful Annabel Lee'. "Not even the angels in heaven above/Nor the demons down under the sea/Can't keep me away/From my meeting someday/With my beautiful Annabel Lee." You see, that's the thing about love. You can make it. You can break it. But you can never take it away. It lasts. Like a lifelong friendship. Or someone who had the heart to extend a hand back when you were reaching for the stars you now belong with. You know what we mean. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks: 'Life Turned Her That Way', 'Streets Of Baltimore', 'She Called Me Baby'. 

REVIEW: MACKLEMORE - BEN

3.5/5

Ben Is Back. 

Seattle's best MC is back like we hope the Supersonics soon will be too in the Emerald City of the Storm. Breanna Stewart may have left town for the Liberty of New York and a well-earned pay-day, but Macklemore hasn't. Even without 'The Heist' of Ryan Lewis, the Stewie to his Sue Bird, Macklemore is back for the first time since his solo 'Gemini' foray in 2017. His new, government name, self-titled album is the third such record after he debuted all-alone in 2005 with 'The Language Of My World'. But 'Ben', like Michael Jackson's rat of a best friend, is actually the 'This Unruly Mess I Made' rapper's fifth album in total. And all told, if 'Thrift Shop', 'Can't Hold Us' and challenging Idris Elba to a 'Dance Off' made him a star 'Downtown'. Then this and the twin face of 'Gemini' confirmed he's more than just still in the game like EA. Ben is one of the greats. 

Eminem isn't the only great white rap superstar. But this isn't a race. Marching forward after a break of a dozen years, Mack has plenty of superstar friends in tow like that camel through the streets of 'Frasier's' old city of tossed salads (erm...) and scrambled eggs. The psychiatrist from Boston is back too like Professor Macklemore, so 'Cheers' to all that. But 'Ben' features friends like Charlieonafriday ('I Know'), Collet ('No Bad Days'), Sarah Barthel ('Day You Die'), Jackson Lee Morgan (on the 'Lost/Sun Comes Up' double) and Livingston ('Sorry'). Not to mention Tones and I, Windser, NLE Choppa and the legendary DJ Premier on the respective singles 'Chant' (a chart-topper), 'Maniac' (on your couch), 'Faithful' (dearly devoted) and the latest and greatest 'Heroes' that could be a hip-hop classic, Bowie. More than just for one night. And let's not forget 'God's Will' on the standout with Vic Daggs II and the classic closing 'Tail Lights' in the rearview with 'Morray', before this album goes out. 

Sure, this might be the opposite of a. J. Cole feature presentation. But whilst Cole World is up there with the King James legendary likes of the game, Macklemore still belongs in the upper echelon like a DeMar DeRozan. But mastering his sound, Ben's range is anything but mid. And it seems like when he's all alone and introspective he gets that much deeper. Like my favourite track off the set, '1984'. Not just because it came a year before I was born, but this nostalgic piece will take you back and away with its new style and pop sensibility. Singing along like, "Standin' in line (Standin' in line)/As we wait outside (Waitin' outside)/The rush, the high/The dance floor's open waitin' for us to collide/We are king, we are queen (We are king, we are queen)/We are living a dream (Living a dream)/This is not what it seems, this is ours for the taking/You are the lady for me." This has to be the next single for the clubs and you and yours. 

Deeper, yes, yet darker too. It goes without saying that 'Ben' is Ben's most personal and powerful project yet. Under the influence of the alcohol addiction he relapsed into during the locked down pandemic of COVID-19 in the worst year of all our lives, 2020, this album is Macklemore's recovery and red carpet return. Stepping out in moccasins someone else has been walkin' in. But you really get to step in his shoes as he tears through tracks like 'Tears' like the brutal beauty of a Wu-Tang sad song. Helping those who say 'I Need' as they can't get no sleep. The 'Grime' time also shows the rapper still in his prime, rapping, "Still bumpin' Buckshot, trench coat, all in matte black/Hat with the curls bangin' right out the back/Facts, I dive in, open eyelids, f### a silence/Big pharma, rest in p###, and get the Heisman/Look in my iris, see the trips where I been/Anti pill bottle, pro psilocybin/Still buyin' bootleg Gucci from China/Donate most but still throw it on consignment/Red carpet, Jeff Goldblum's behind us/And they ain't got a clue that these ain't real diamonds." Yeah, he's still got it like a Boogie Down Production. He knows the game like riding mopeds 'Downtown'. 

The "Macklemore haircut" may be gone (it's not like I can actually ask the barber for this anyway), but 'Brad Pitt's Ugly Cousin' is still a cut above the rest with the buzz of a revealing new album that leaves it all bare and there on the table. On 'God's Will' he gives it up to a higher power. Preaching, "You weren't supposed to die here/You were supposed to fly here/Look what you built off your imagination/Could've never imagined the places you would've been taken because your ideas", with wise sincerity. Although offering the late, great best there ever was, Tupac Shakur advice is a little...you know. Just like wondering how people would react to his own death after it's announced "on TMZ" (with tongue in cheek). But it's clear the love and respect is here for a man who knows how to make muses move his own music (like the Ma$e like '24 Hrs. To Live'), albeit whilst standing on his own two in a classic cipher. The return of the Macklemore is here and on his upcoming tour you'll hear the name Ben chanted in crowds all around the world. TIM DAVID HARVEY. 

Playlist Picks:  '1984', 'Maniac (Feat. DJ Premier)', 'God's Will (Feat. Vic Daggs II)'.