Lav's Music Corner

Rosalia is a Spanish singer, songwriter, and musical auteur. Her major critical breakthrough came on her conceptual 2018 album El Mal Querer. A few years later, she transcended her experimental darling status into a full-blown superstar on the massively acclaimed and massively popular Motomami . Now, 3 years later, she remains one of the biggest stars of Spanish music, making LUX  one of the most anticipated new albums of the year. Now that it's here, the album resoundingly lives up to every expectation leveled upon it.  LUX  only had one single, but god is it a swing for the fences fitting for an album so bold. "Berghain" sees Rosalia teaming up with Yves Tumor and Bjork, but more than any of those brilliant artists, it's the blasting baroque instrumentation that absolutely steals the show. The album follows this trend with several of its shorter songs aiming high and hitting their mark. That starts early with the excellent table setter "Sexo, Violencia y Llanta...

Rough week, we're getting to that time of year. Despite the slim pickings I did my best to make a complete list.  5.  Free My N***a  - Sexyy Red This one isn't all that complicated. It's a pretty dry week for new releases and despite a chorus that does almost nothing for me, Sexyy Red's intensity and personality carry the track through compelling verses that don't stick around beyond their welcome. Listen 4.  Cosca  - Conway The Machine & Wun Two If you did a double take hearing this instrumental and thinking it was Freddie Gibbs and Tyler, The Creator's Something To Rap About , you aren't alone. Despite the similar vibe sonically Conway is definitely focusing his bars elsewhere. He takes on the ways that he's trying to overcome from past traumas, looking forward and moving on. It isn't my favorite song from this new series of collaborations with Wun Two, but it's another solid entry.  Listen 3.  Labios Mordidos  - Kali Uchis (feat. Karol G) ...

I've said a few times this year that it's been a kind of interesting year for albums. While there wasn't the same pile of records absolutely blowing me away this year that there had been in years past, I was pleasantly surprised by how deep the field was. There were definitely albums cut from this year's list that could have comfortably made it onto one of the last two years' editions. Ultimately, I think that's a good thing. If I had to choose between the two I would take more good albums. But if the praise seems particularly quick compared to other lists and other years, there's a reason. Enjoy <3 ( This list was originally posted on January 1st, 2023 but was remade due to formatting errors) 100. Rina Sawayama - Hold The Girl While Rina failed to impress me with some of the songwriting and in particular the hooks on her new record, the production of Clarence Clarity and her imposing personality are enough to carry this record through with its memorable ...