I Listened To: August Music Roundup

In August, I bounced between two albums: Beyoncé’s Renaissance and Megan Thee Stallion’s Truamazine. They’re two very different albums—in terms of sound, theme, and genre—but I appreciate them for what they are.

Renaissance

• When I read about what kind of album Renaissance was supposed to be, I had high expectations. And every single one of them was met. The range in sound made every track feel different than the last, but the strong themes and genre influences—dance, house, R&B, and more—made the album feel cohesive. I mean, even the transitions between each song were smooth. Its music you can move to. Renaissance is a treat.

Traumazine

• Moving on, Traumazine was another excellent album to come out in the July-August months. It had its foot firmly in hip-hop and rap. The title is indicative of what you’ll get with this one, and the complexity and depth of the lyrics is what keeps drawing me back to this album. Traumazine features some of my favorite songs by Megan Thee Stallion. It also had a handful of interesting features including Rico Nasty, Latto, and Jhené Aiko among others.

What have you been listening to?

Music Monday (161): Simon Neil, Laura Mvula, Maroon 5, Megan Thee Stallion, Copyright, Kathy Brown

 Rules:

• Music Monday is a weekly meme hosted by Lauren Stoolfire at Always Me that asks you to share one or two songs that you've recently enjoyed. For the rules, visit the page HERE 

Breana: There has been so many new songs lately, and I feel like I can't keep up with it all. I really have to pick and choose what I'm going to talk about and when I'm going to do it. For today, I decided to stick to a familiar artist and a cover by someone who's new to me. 

As I've said before, I'm really excited for Laura Mvula's upcoming album. It's not out yet, but last week she released another song from it. What Matter's is a duet, and it's one of my favorites so far. When I found out who the second artist on the track was (Simon Neil), I stumbled onto this cover he did for Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill.

 

Adri: Another reprise. It is Never Again by Kathy Brown and Copyright. Last week I mentioned it in my reply to Greg, but I wanted to say it again. Reprises are my favorite because they are extended versions of songs. I really wish more songs had them. And even though this song is already long, as you may know, I love long songs.

Andrea: Hi all! I'm listening to Lost by Maroon 5 and Beautiful Mistakes by Maroon 5 featuring Megan Thee Stallion. Have an amazing week all!

 

What are you listening to?