Bebe Rexha Is No Provocateur, Kehlani Is a Force, and O-Town and the Bachelor Team Up
EntertainmentMusic
No: Bebe Rexha, “Last Hurrah” (music video) – Last week my colleague Ashley Reese compared the chorus of Rexha’s latest, “Last Hurrah,” to T-Pain’s “Buy U A Drink” and she was right on the money. For what the song lacks in originality, the music video lacks in… substance and subtlety? A tattooed woman sticks a (pussy) cat in her underwear. Rexha’s “last hurrah” takes her to a dungeon that looks a bit more like a cross between the ‘90s movie Hackers and a goth rave than anything in the BDSM club family, but still kinda wack, somehow? It’s a pretty obvious attempt on Bebe’s behalf to become something of a provocateur, but she never quite gets there. —Maria Sherman
Nah: P!nk, “Walk Me Home” – Who would’ve guessed P!nk’s next pop evolution would be a nose dive into twang-tinged, foot-stoppin’ car commercial music. This is her “Fight Song.” —MS
Yes: Tierra Whack, “Only Child” – For such a gloriously ascendant beat, Tierra Whack’s “Only Child” is an icy-cold ode to a ex-lover. Please excuse me while I quote, “You must be the only child because you’re so stingy / I just wanna go buck wild when you don’t defend me / I been on the fuckin’ prowl, I been countin’ Benjis / You done turned my heart so cold, I should work at Friendly’s” to every person whose ever wronged me. —MS
Obviously it’s a no, let’s not pretend any longer: O-Town ft. the Bachelor’s Colton Underwood, “Hello World” – Ignoring the fact that this song absolutely does not need to exist, and that it is pretty hilarious that it does—“Hello World” is a bad song. On multiple listening I struggled to find Colton Underwood’s voice buried depth within the slick EDM-affected production, and I completely understand that’s a purposeful decision. Regardless, I’m fucking pumped by the possibility of seeing O-Town at hometowns next week. —MS
Y: Kehlani, While We Wait – Mama don’t play. The dreamy 9-track escape and trip back to the core of the genre kicks off with a Musiq Soulchild feat and an extremely casual Omarion sample on “Footsteps.” ‘90s kids will stop, hit rewind, and immediately know they’re in for a treat. At just 23, Kehlani feels fresh and unique, yet from another era. It’s easy to try and compare this body of art to others who came before, and I’m in no way surprised to hear her family thinks Left Eye would’ve loved her. They carry the same essence. It’s evident she poured her heart into this long-awaited project she nested while waiting for her baby girl’s arrival, to whom the mixtape is dedicated. A wistful tone echoes throughout as a vulnerable narrator tiptoes around the deep end of love but inevitably catches “Feels,” before making a full 180 and seeking fluency in her lover’s “Love Language.” Kehlani is a quiet force, and I will loudly and unapologetically have this mixtape on replay all weekend. —Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo
Y: Snoh Aalegra, “I Want You Around” – Moving on to another extremely slept on R&B artist, the elegant Snoh dropped a single you should definitely not send to your ex this weekend. Instead, I find “I just want to get away and sit right next to you,” is a beautiful line to play on the foreground of daydreams featuring dozens of beach penguins in Peru. But maybe that’s just me. —ELC
Y: Ari Lennox and J. Cole, “Shea Butter Baby” – I have no interest in Creed II, the soundtrack of which this song comes from, but I am completely here for sweet Ari and my crooked smile bae Cole. Lennox’s buttery voice pairs effortlessly with his vibe and, although this is not what the song is about, I’d like to remind everyone to keep moisturizing this winter and try adding shea butter to your hair products if you have dry hair. But anyway, thanks for the good feels, you two. Dame más. —ELC
Nah: P!nk, “Walk Me Home” – Who would’ve guessed P!nk’s next pop evolution would be a nose dive into twang-tinged, foot-stoppin’ car commercial music. This is her “Fight Song.” —MS
Yes: Tierra Whack, “Only Child” – For such a gloriously ascendant beat, Tierra Whack’s “Only Child” is an icy-cold ode to a ex-lover. Please excuse me while I quote, “You must be the only child because you’re so stingy / I just wanna go buck wild when you don’t defend me / I been on the fuckin’ prowl, I been countin’ Benjis / You done turned my heart so cold, I should work at Friendly’s” to every person whose ever wronged me. —MS
Obviously it’s a no, let’s not pretend any longer: O-Town ft. the Bachelor’s Colton Underwood, “Hello World” – Ignoring the fact that this song absolutely does not need to exist, and that it is pretty hilarious that it does—“Hello World” is a bad song. On multiple listening I struggled to find Colton Underwood’s voice buried depth within the slick EDM-affected production, and I completely understand that’s a purposeful decision. Regardless, I’m fucking pumped by the possibility of seeing O-Town at hometowns next week. —MS
Y: Kehlani, While We Wait – Mama don’t play. The dreamy 9-track escape and trip back to the core of the genre kicks off with a Musiq Soulchild feat and an extremely casual Omarion sample on “Footsteps.” ‘90s kids will stop, hit rewind, and immediately know they’re in for a treat. At just 23, Kehlani feels fresh and unique, yet from another era. It’s easy to try and compare this body of art to others who came before, and I’m in no way surprised to hear her family thinks Left Eye would’ve loved her. They carry the same essence. It’s evident she poured her heart into this long-awaited project she nested while waiting for her baby girl’s arrival, to whom the mixtape is dedicated. A wistful tone echoes throughout as a vulnerable narrator tiptoes around the deep end of love but inevitably catches “Feels,” before making a full 180 and seeking fluency in her lover’s “Love Language.” Kehlani is a quiet force, and I will loudly and unapologetically have this mixtape on replay all weekend. —Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo
Y: Snoh Aalegra, “I Want You Around” – Moving on to another extremely slept on R&B artist, the elegant Snoh dropped a single you should definitely not send to your ex this weekend. Instead, I find “I just want to get away and sit right next to you,” is a beautiful line to play on the foreground of daydreams featuring dozens of beach penguins in Peru. But maybe that’s just me. —ELC
Y: Ari Lennox and J. Cole, “Shea Butter Baby” – I have no interest in Creed II, the soundtrack of which this song comes from, but I am completely here for sweet Ari and my crooked smile bae Cole. Lennox’s buttery voice pairs effortlessly with his vibe and, although this is not what the song is about, I’d like to remind everyone to keep moisturizing this winter and try adding shea butter to your hair products if you have dry hair. But anyway, thanks for the good feels, you two. Dame más. —ELC
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