Lizzo, Cuz I Love You | Album Review 💿

Lizzo delivers a marvelous effort with Cuz I Love You, showcasing sick vocals, bigger-than-life personality & tight bars.

Unapologetic and unafraid are two ways you can characterize Lizzo, a rising Minneapolis rapper, singer, and songwriter who brings ample artistry to the table.  The feisty musician isn’t a twenty-something breaking into the game but rather in her 31^st year.  Her age is beside the point as she ranks as one of the more intriguing artists to break through the music industry in recent times regardless of genre.  All of her singles leading up to her major label debut album (third album overall), Cuz I Love You were terrific and ultimately, the album ends up being a tour de force.

“Cuz I Love You”

“I’m cryin’, ‘cause I love you.” Simple lyrics, but ‘man, oh man’ does Lizzo ‘kill it’ on opener ✓ “Cuz I Love You”. On the first verse, she sings – well, quasi-sings/raps:

“Never been in love before
What the fuck and fucking feelings, you?
Once upon a time, I was a ho
I don’t even wanna ho no mo’.”

“Cuz I Love You” perfectly suits Lizzo, period.  The production, handled by alternative rock collective X Ambassadors, is robust, chocked-full of soul.  This neo-/retro-soul tinged backdrop is perfect because it allows her to be dramatic and over-the-top with her emotions. Furthermore, vocally, she has the ‘fuel for the fire’ to totally ‘let ‘er rip’ – totally ‘kick ass and take names.’  The premise is that she’s put aside her old ways, has found a man she’s truly in love with, and it’s made her crazy, excited, and all the range of feelings attached to L-O-V-E.

Lizzo maintains momentum on the feisty ✓ “Like a Girl,” rapping on the verses, while singing on the pre-chorus and chorus.  What stands out most about “Like a Girl” is its message of female empowerment.  Sure, there’s some element of ‘tongue in cheek,’ but beyond having a little bit of fun, she’s is all about celebrating the girls (“I work my femininity”) and “Making these boys get on their knees.”

“Juice”

“Mirror, mirror on the wall / Don’t say it ‘cause I know I’m cute (Ooh, baby) / Louis down to my drawers / LV all on my shoes.” What makes ✓ “Juice” so ‘juicy?’ Well, at 3:15, it’s just the right duration. Adding to the pro of optimal length is a throwback, soulful groove that definitely fuels her fire.  She’s feisty from the onset, pop-rapping initially.  As exemplified by the aforementioned excerpt from the first verse, she spits some mad game. Even better than the verses are the, catchy, swagger-laden pre-chorus and chorus sections.  She closes out the pre-chorus with a bang, asserting, “Heard you say I’m not the baddest bitch, you lie,” with the chorus following in all its glory. She doesn’t lie when she says, “No, I’m not a snack at all / Look, baby, I’m the whole damn meal.” She is INDEED “the whole damn meal.”

The ‘juice’ continues on the electrifying “Soulmate,” which maintains energy, intensity, tempo, and most of all, attitude. Lizzo continues to impress with her high-flying vocals, as well as biting with her bars as she ‘busts a rhyme.’  The chorus is satisfying, much like the majority of choruses on Cuz I Love You.  As great as “Soulmate” is, “Jerome” surpasses it in glory as she tells Jerome “Take your ass home / And Come back when you’re grown.” A contemporary neo-/retro-soul gem, “Jerome” is another brilliant collaboration with X Ambassadors.  Yep, the alternative rock band seems to get the best out of the Minneapolis standout, who laments his trifling, boyish, immature ways.   

“Crybaby” 

✓ “Crybaby” screams Prince through and through, bringing more of a pop/rock edge compared to the majority of Cuz I Love You.  If it does nothing else, “Crybaby” showcases Lizzo’s musical versatility to the nth degree.  Yeah, she can rap, but her singing is absolutely sick. “Slow songs, they for skinny hoes / Can’t move all of this here to one of those / I’m a thick bitch, I need tempo / Fuck it up to the tempo.” On the short, but hella sweet and feisty ✓ “Tempo”, she enlists hip-hop legend Missy Elliott for the assist. “Tempo” shines from the tip with awesome production incorporating a hard-hitting hip-hop beat, slinky-sounding synths, as well as some cool, unexpected musical interjections.

As great as the production is, it is the performance by Lizzo herself that sells the record. She’s on autopilot as she flaunts and touts her big, beautiful body, throwing ample swagger and sex game at the boys.  Key vocabulary to remember – ass, kitty cat, wet, jack, cake, icing.  Beyond her own stellar, hyper-sexual performance, the legendary Missy Elliott ‘brings the heat’ on the third verse, sounding as if she’d never been on an extended hiatus.  As usual, we get some terrific sound effects from Elliott to go alongside being the hype woman for the plus-sized crowd – “I’m big-boned with nice curves.” All in all, Lizzo absolutely slaughters it on “Tempo.”

“Exactly How I Feel”

“Crybaby” falls short of the three-minute, while “Exactly How I Feel” (featuring Gucci Mane) and “Better in Color” don’t even reach two-and-a-half minutes in length.  Even so, “Exactly How I Feel” is as sassy as everything else on Cuz I Love You.  Gucci Mane provides contrast to Lizzo with his chill, flexing verse, but she’s the clear star, not to be usurped in the least. “Better in Color” embraces retro-soul cues, while also incorporating present day hip-hop sensibilities.  Like much of Cuz I Love You, Lizzo’s energy is infectious to the nth degree – through the roof.

The final two cuts are longer, both approaching three-and-a-half minutes. On the profane, gospel-pop penultimate cut “Heaven Help Me,” love has got Lizzo totally down – “I’ma kill it ‘cause it’s killin’ me.”  There are plenty of colorful, memorable lines, including, “If you think you got me ‘dickmatized’ / I need to get you out of my life” as well as explicit juxtaposition between salvation and sin (“Hit ‘em with the Bible, say whoa / Hit ‘em with the drive-by, say whoa”). Speaking of killing things, Lizzo kills it on the sexy, soulful, closing slow-jam, “Lingerie.” The premise? Lizzo lounges in her undies, prepared for him to come thru, “just in case.” It’s a brilliant way to cap things off, with Lizzo in top-notch vocal form, not to mention her ‘bigger than life’ personality.

Final Thoughts

All in all, Lizzo delivers a triumphant third album with Cuz I Love You. Vocally, she sounds marvelous, while her personality really helps Cuz I Love You ascend to the next level.  In regard to consistency, there are no miscues – every song has replay value.  While she exhibits ample swagger, she also has messages worth hearing advocating for feminism and positive body image.  Easily, among the best albums of 2019.

✓ Gems: “Cuz I Love You,” “Like a Girl,” “Juice,” “Jerome,” “Crybaby” & “Tempo”

Lizzo • Cuz I Love You • Nice Life / Atlantic • Release: 4.19.19

Photo Credits: Nice Life / Atlantic