The state of pop
music in 2015 is strong, and unsurprisingly, we have the ladies to thank for
it.
Taylor Swift's
pop opus 1989 is still kicking down
doors, and inspiring alt-leaning musicians to publicly embrace a genre they would
normally scoff at; Carly Rae Jepsen delivered not just the best pop album of the
year, but one of the year's best albums period; underground R&B songstresses
like Kelela and Tink are adding vital new voices to the music; Grimes is fracturing the
music and using the scraps in unique ways; and we have Adele coming back next week.
Amidst all this,
you should make room for 19-year-old Alessia Cara, a musician who takes bedroom
R&B and brightens it up with her own pop sensibilities. On her debut album,
Know-It-All, she's made an album for
the wallflowers, love sick and those on the verge of adulthood.
The undeniable
highlight of the album is "Here," a party anthem for those who would
rather be anywhere but the party. The song samples Isaac Hayes "Ike's Rap II," and adds some booming drums and bass over tinkling keys. The whole
song is basically Cara telling off people who are trying to chat her up at a
party: "I don't dance, don't ask, I don't need a boyfriend/So you can, go
back, please enjoy your party," and she adds a healthy measure of cynicism
and biting wit to the proceedings. Verses like
Excuse me if I seem a little unimpressed with this
An anti-social pessimist, but usually I don't mess with this
And I know you mean only the best
And your intentions aren't to bother me
But honestly I'd rather be
Somewhere with my people
eloquently shows
the nimble mind of a person who knows where they belong. It deserves to go into
every party mix, if for no other reason than so the people who don't want to be
there (and trust me, there are always a few) have something to nod along to.
As evidenced on
the album, Cara's wheelhouse is love songs that capture the surprising way love
comes along and changes people.
"Outlaws"
makes the best use of a horn riff since Ariana Grande's "Problem."
The lyrics are a dash of Jay Z and Beyonce's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde,"
run through Drake's lonely worldview. It's the kind of escapist pop song that
rock music has traded on for decades, but I'll be damned if Cara doesn't sell
the hell out of it.
"I'm Yours" it's the cynic's love anthem, with verses like
How dare you march into my heart
Oh how rude of you
To ruin my miserable
And tell me I’m beautiful.
It's a song for
everyone who has fallen in love when they were least expecting it, and is a
catchy example of the kind of smart humor Cara possesses as a songwriter.
"Stars"
is among the best love songs of the year, and is a swooningly romantic ode
to loving someone who adores you for who you really are. Cara really sells the
moment of acceptance in lines like
See I need you
And sometimes we need to
Shed our facade and be just who we are
All broken and torn, then we could be stars.
Almost everyone
can relate to that heart-stopping moment when you reveal who you are to someone
and it only makes them love you more. It's a rare occurrence, and all the
brighter for it.
For a first
effort, Know-It-All is brimming with
promise and potential. Cara knocked it out of the park, and more than lives up
to the album's name. We should all be excited to see what she does next.
Know-It-All is
out on Def Jam.
Also recommended this week:
Justin Bieber's
trap pop return, Purpose.
Logic's space-rap
sophomore release, The Incredible True
Story.
Mark McGuire's
lovely classic-rock techno, Beyond Belief.
One Direction's
last album before a hiatus, Made in the
AM.
A Sunny Day In
Glasgow's EP, Planning Weed Like It's
Acid / Life Is Loss.
A Tribe Called
Quest's reissue of their debut album, People's
Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
Ty Dolla $ign's
long awaited full-length, Free TC.
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