~ Reviews 💿 ~

Reviews: The Musical Hype

Ah, welcome to the reviews on The Musical Hype! Albums, EPs, and songs [singles + tracks] of various styles are evaluated here – we don’t discriminate! All reviews are also available on the home page. Both album and song reviews are assigned a star rating on a scale of 0 – 5 (½ stars are used as well), that is visible at the beginning and ending of the review.

5 out of 5 stars = Masterpiece 🤩

4.5 out of 5 stars = Near Masterpiece 🤩

4 out of 5 stars = Excellent 😀

3.5 out of 5 stars = Very Good 😀

3 out of 5 stars = Average / Good 🙂 👌

2.5 out of 5 stars = Below Average… it’s giving sus  😏 😑 🫤

2 out of 5 stars = Mediocre 👎 😡

1.5 out of 5 stars, 1 out of 5 stars, 0.5 out of 5 stars, 0 out of 5 stars = BAD… 🤬


~ Album Reviews 💿 ~

Album reviews tend to follow a track-by-track format, commencing with an intro paragraph comprised of background information, and concluding paragraph that wraps things up. Also, GEMS 💎 – the best, highly recommended tracks – are selected at the end of each review. It should not come as a surprise to see the analysis run > 1000 words.


~ Check out the most recent posts ⬇️ in this hyperlinked gallery 😎 🤘 ~


~ Get your fix of album reviews in all their glory, starting from most recent to oldest 😎 🤘 ~

Takeaways: J. Cole, ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive’

J. Cole surprised everyone by dropping his third album, '2014 Forest Hills Drive' with short notice. Here are five takeaways after listening to the album.

Takeaways from Mary J. Blige’s, ‘The London Sessions’

Maybe it took Mary J. Blige “a whole damn year” to heal from heartache, but 'The London Sessions' is an album listenable beyond that short span of time.

Rick Ross Aims Shallowly On ‘Hood Billionaire’

Rick Ross' 2nd album of 2014 ('Hood Billionaire') is shallow thematically. A conceptual effort, his approach at contrasting the past is mildly successful.

Chrisette Michele, The Lyricists’ Opus (EP) | Album Review 💿

R&B diva Chrisette Michele sounds as if she was free to deliver the kind of project that she wanted to on EP 'The Lyricists’ Opus'.

Big K.R.I.T., Cadillactica | Album Review

With his major-label sophomore album, Cadillactica, Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. constructs an album that goes above and beyond the expectations.

Five Takeaways from Nick Jonas’ ‘Nick Jonas’

Nick Jonas is now a grown man, and 'Nick Jonas' reflects his newfound male hood. Here are five takeaways from the album for your reading pleasure!

Aretha Franklin Is Enthusiastic, Flawed On ‘Great Diva Classics’

Aretha Franklin may be the queen, but even musical royalty falls short sometimes. 'Aretha Franklin Sings the Great Diva Classics' is a perfect example.

Stevie Nicks, 24 Karat Gold – Songs from the Vault | Album Review

Consistent and enjoyable throughout, Stevie Nicks reminds everyone why she’s such a revered musician on '24 Karat Gold.'

U2 Lack Vintage Magic on ‘Songs of Innocence’ 

All in all, 'Songs of Innocence' is a good U2 album, but not a truly, great U2 album. It has its worthwhile moments nonetheless.

Hoodie Allen Spits Sex, Swag and Pop Culture on ‘People Keep Talking’

'People Keep Talking' proves to be an enjoyable, well-produced and well-conceived album by independent rapper Hoodie Allen.

~ Song Reviews 🎵 ~

Song Reviews on the site tend to follow a format that includes an intro paragraph with background information, a body, comprised of at least one paragraph of analysis, and a concluding paragraph (older reviews) or statement (more recent reviews) that ‘put a cap’ on things. Song reviews generally run a minimum of 250 words with many running > 300 words.


~ Check out the most recent posts ⬇️ in this hyperlinked gallery 😎 🤘 ~


~ Get your fix of song reviews in all their glory, starting from most recent to oldest 😎 🤘 ~

Ice Spice, “In Ha Mood” | Track Review 🎵

The ever-ascending Ice Spice is cocky and confident to the nth degree on “In Ha Mood,” her first single of 2023.

Tiësto, “Lay Low” | Track Review 🎵

Dutch DJ/producer extraordinaire Tiësto serves up another surefire dance bop with the brief put potent, “Lay Low.”

Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan, “Rumble” | Track Review 🎵

Grammy winner Skrillex, Fred again.., and Flowdan make a formidable team on the short but utterly sweet single, “Rumble.”

Ervin Munir, She Never Made Old Bones | Track Review 🎵

UK singer-songwriter Ervin strengthens his position in the folk music scene with the release of his newest track, 'She Never Made Old Bones'.

contradash, “Room number” | Track Review 🎵

Pop singer/songwriter contradash impresses on his carefree, fun, and directionless single, “Room number.”

Rae Sremmurd, “Torpedo” | Track Review 🎵

Chill bro rap duo Rae Sremmurd – Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi – is back with “Torpedo” but, is it really a big deal?

clide, “INFINITE” | Track Review 🎵

Berlin singer/songwriter clide serves up an authentic and sincere bop with his beautiful, dedicated, love-centric single, “INFINITE.”

Norah Jones & Logic, “Fade Away” | Track Review 🎵

Norah Jones and Bobby Hall – aka Logic – make sweet music together on the ‘Norah Jones is Playing Along Podcast ’ version of his hit, “Fade Away.”

Coi Leray, “Wasted” | Track Review 🎵

Rapper/singer Coi Leray shares her experiences with a romance that just isn’t worth the time or energy on the relatable “Wasted.”

Bailey Zimmerman, “Get to Gettin’ Gone” | Track Review 🎵

Bailey Zimmerman continues to show why he is one of country music’s most promising new acts on his single, “Get to Gettin’ Gone.”

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