Lizzo - Big GRRRL Small World

The album shows more enthusiasm than skill, but the pop world needs at least sixteen Lizzos, so I won't complain much.

meghan trainor comparisons are a bridge too far

Better in Color is the bi anthem for 2019 imho

PEOPLE WHO ‘REVIEW’ ALBUMS AND DONT MAKE MUSIC THEMSELVES SHOULD BE UNEMPLOYED

they usually are these days, aren't they?

Anyway Lizzo is from H-Town so she can do no wrong

requires some precision of language.

― Simon H., Monday, April 22, 2019 7:58 AM (one minute ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i don’t think it even did this well cf. giving over an entire paragraph to a stacey abrams quote with zero transitional setup, just preceded by a lot of cheap shots

admittedly splitting hairs about precision of language is my thing, there’s got to be a better what than being both mean and wrong on the internet

better way*

As far as Lizzo making a big pop album goes, this is a really damn good one. The songs are good, the production is minimal and surprising at times, in all the good ways (where what I heard of the previous record felt overstuffed and too bland for her). Idk, the review feels dismissive of the basic premise of the record and doesn't really get across how well-executed it is.

(obv rolling my eyes at Lizzo's response tweet)

I guess the review just didn't strike me as mean in either tone or sentiment but I may not have picked up on some cues xp

you aren't the last person to push back on me about that, maybe i just read too many things in an extremely online voice

imo people are reading meanness into it from the comparisons being made but I don't *think* that's the intent. it's entirely possible I'm being too charitable

I just think it's kind of petty to push back on one review given she's pretty much gotten a worldwide rimjob from the media from the moment she popped up

def petty and a terrible look

yeah but so

None of this is important. She'll be old news in 5 seconds.

fp'd

i think she has the potential to be pretty huge actually

THIS IS AN INVITATION TO ALL MUSIC JOURNALISTS TO KICK IT IN THE STUDIO WITH ME FOR MY NEXT ALBUM! I’d like to understand your world as much as you can understand mine https://t.co/niZhmrEvIl

— |L I Z Z O| (@lizzo) April 22, 2019

that's... not gonna work

ft. brandon stosuy

can well imagine fantano expanding his empire to guest features actually

"PEOPLE WHO ‘REVIEW’ ALBUMS AND DONT MAKE MUSIC THEMSELVES SHOULD BE UNEMPLOYED"

A world where they only people who are "qualified" to consume music are players already exists

https://pcdn.columbian.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/618995-bitz-battle-lawyer-b-1024x767.jpg

fwiw, I played music for a while and am now unemployed

I'm not quite sure how anyone could read the sentence, "Her pledge to be “ARETHA FRANKLIN FOR THE 2018 GENERATION” is evident, if not quite actualized; this generation’s Natasha Bedingfield is maybe more accurate," as complimentary, and I don't hate Natasha Bedingfield. It's saying exactly what Cousin Slappy said on this thread.

It would also help, when talking about how bad the rapping on the album is, to quote some lyrics that are actually bad

The review seems pretty even-handed to me. Shoehorning Stacey Abrams in is dumb; someone should have cut that bit, but Pitchfork's editing seems kinda hands-off (the number of typos that get repaired in reviews as the day goes on is evidence of that). But the quoted rap lyrics are terrible - they do read like something an SNL writer would have Elizabeth Warren rap from a podium. And the general thesis - "the music can feel like a means to a greater end" and the description of it as "empowerment-core" - is an accurate reflection of the pop landscape in general. That's what the industry is selling this year.

It has been decreed that Gebrauchsmusik is ripe for a comeback.

It would also help, when talking about how bad the rapping on the album is, to quote some lyrics that are actually bad

this is one of the things that absolutely drives me batty

Here's the full verse from "Like A Girl", with the quoted lyrics connected to the rest of the verse:

Woke up feelin' like I just might run for President
Even if there ain't no precedent, switchin' up the messaging
I'm about to add a little estrogen
Buy my whip by myself, pay my rent by myself
Only exes that I care about are in my fucking chromosomes
I don't really need you, I'm Macaulay Culkin, home alone
Bad bitch, diamonds in my collarbone (Yee, yee)
Buy my whip by myself, pay my rent by myself

Here. by comparison, is a verse from "All of the Lights"

Something wrong
I hold my head
M.J. gone, our nigga dead!
I slapped my girl, she called the feds
I did that time and spent that bread
I'm heading home, I'm almost there
I'm on my way, headed up the stairs
To my surprise, a nigga replacing me
I had to take 'em to that ghetto university (all of the lights)

Are these both examples of "bad" lyrics? Is one worse than the other?

Saying "this sounds like something SNL would have Liz Warren rap in a skit" completely ignores the context and sentiment of the verse and, interestingly, erases exactly the persona Lizzo is projecting onto the verse in order to make an entirely bullshit point. She is not literally talking about running for President and it's wholly disingenuous to make that comparison when the review knows damn well that the line is about self-belief and self-confidence.

Meanwhile, Kanye is rambling about how Michael Jackson's death made him beat his girlfriend.

voting both bad but ye bad is extra bad

Kanye’s lyrics have always been horrendous

Are these both examples of "bad" lyrics?

Yes. "messaging"/"estrogen" is a terrible rhyme, and so is "chromosomes"/"Home Alone." Kanye West is just a terrible lyricist, period.

Is one worse than the other?

Yes. Kanye's is worse. But that's to be expected. Lizzo has "Juice" and "Good As Hell," both of which I like a lot, so she can do better than this.

Perpetua going all Culture Industry with this take.

http://www.fluxblog.org/2019/04/lizzo-cultural-cartography/

Also, sometimes bad Kanye lyrics are the best Kanye lyrics.

"president/precedent" is pretty poetry-slammish imo, which is not really my thing, but "estrogen/messenging" is a genuinely terrific off-rhyme. I like the x's in the chromosomes line though that's partly because it brings back fond memories of the first time I heart "Prophets of Rage." The bit about rent by myself etc. is the sort of lyric I connect with and feel a lot, it's so naked & real to me, lyrics that talk about how good it feels to put food on the table always get me. but I think most critics in 2019, when they talk about lyrics, are engaging "the narrative," you'll excuse me, not the lyrics.

estrogen/messenging is a pretty cool slant-rhyme, actually, and inseparable -- like all lyrics -- from the vocalist's delivery.

ha, xpost!

I mean those lyrics are no match for these gems from Best New Track by Lil Uzi Vert

Make it rain in the club like a nasty day
Told 'em that I'm comin', oh, no ejaculate
Pastry, pocket, boy, you not havin’ cake
Fuck that overcoat and I swear your jacket late

sorry have all of perpetua’s takes been declared irrelevant yet

literally leaves a huge trail of garbage and slime and bullshit behind him whenever he writes

literal lol at Lil Uzi Vert

People are like “who is this crazy man on the bus giggling at his phone”

TIL some people genuinely take pride in working to afford the necessities of life. it really does take all kinds!

Have you literally not heard any black music before

Turn it off for five minutes Simon

if you grew up with no zapatos
you'd celebrate the minute you been havin' dough

Technically I was responding to JCLC there but I'm happy to FP myself anyway

i judge all lyrical content by how it comes across when i read it written down

kind of love how the discourse on this record has splintered a bunch of archetypal allegiances

new board desc obvi

do we need another nagl thread

point being that hiring a defence lawyer, any defence lawyer, will come with these kind of associations, there's no way around it

p sure the average defense lawyer doesn't provide concierge legal services to celebs

obviously tons of celebrities use lawyers like this and tons of celebrities do stuff like this, and certainly this lawyer is probably very good

the problem for Lizzo it's hard say oh well she's just doing what celebrities do when a huge part of her whole thing (I'd say equal to the music) is that she wasn't a typical celebrity, she was better, kinder, empowering, etc. that's a big part of how she presented herself and her appeal.

it's not like pre-Amber Heard, people were like you know who's the best, not at all sketchy dude in the world? Johnny Depp

i kinda sometimes find the "positive energy" qualities that are praised in a lot of celebrities to be at best neutral traits. sometimes there are displays of suffocating positivity that are a result of this weird symbiotic relationship fans have with celebs who love basking in adoration, and who feed off it. and anything that pierces the illusion or might make them feel disempowered from their status as the lord or lady of good vibes is going to cause them to reveal themselves.

It's really easy to not hire Bill Cosby's lawyer. just sayin.

OTM

marty singer has prob defended 75% of hollywood at this point

ultimately some tweets about how your lawyer defended cosby & johnny depp are a small tax to pay for an amazing lawyer

It's really easy to not hire Bill Cosby's lawyer. just sayin.

― Steely Duran (Ye Mad Puffin), Thursday, August 3, 2023 2:33 PM (nineteen minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

i don't see how, if you're a celebrity being accused of sexual abuse, it's really easy not to hire the lawyer who got the most flagrant and heinous celebrity sexual abuser out of jail. seems like the obvious move

If you’re trying to stay out of jail, sure. If you’re trying to beat a civil suit and continue on with your lucrative career, scorched earth might not be the best option.

cosby's PR obviously beyond habilitation but in the depp case it seemed like the legal defence was successful at turning the media narrative in his favour too

to be fair, Lizzo and Depp's "brands" (I hate using this term but w/e) are a teeny bit different, also the latter has decades more of artistic goodwill/experience

singer isn't a trial lawyer he had nothing to do w/ the cosby trial and from what i can tell his involvement in the heard/depp trial was tangential, largely related to stuff he had done in the past representing depp (and heard when they were together) during various legal issues. he's attractive to celebrities bcuz he offers two services in one -- representation in civil litigation and being the kinda PR crisis manager who calls journalists up and threatens to sue them if they print a story in a certain way. he seems to be a very good litigator ... i'm more dubious that the crisis managing stuff is very effective tho i'm sure he's gotten stuff removed from stories on more than his fair share of occasions. perhaps his tactics will backfire on lizzo but i tend to think being associated w/ him won't effect her public image beyond the next 48 hours once the world moves onto another story, and if he gets the dancer suit dismissed or settled for little money it will prob be worth it for her

it is funny to think of her management team imploring her like "hire marty singer he's the best he's represented everyone in hollywood at some point" & then her waking up to a bunch of tweets being like "lizzo hires bill cosby and johnny depp's attorney"

lol

Murgatroid at 2:25 3 Aug 23

to be fair, Lizzo and Depp's "brands" (I hate using this term but w/e) are a teeny bit different, also the latter has decades more of artistic goodwill/experience

yes that's what I was saying

The Made in America festival in Philly was cancelled. Lizzo was the headliner.