Album Review: Starting Over - Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton has quickly established himself as the current king of country music. Often more introspective and metaphorical than his colleagues, Stapleton’s masterful songwriting and heartfelt delivery come together to create compelling and textured songs. His newest album Starting Over, which features a stripped-back and minimalist cover, is really more of a natural evolution from what made Stapleton’s music so beloved by fans in the past. While not every track shines, the wonderfully arranged composition of most songs makes for a great listen.

The album’s opening title track “Starting Over” eases the listener into the project but reintroduces them to Stapleton’s instantly-recognizable voice. Typical country tropes are used here, but when assembled carefully, create a fresh take on a tried-and-true country song recipe. Things pick up quickly, though, like a plane taxiing and then going fast enough to take flight. “Devil Always Made Me Think Twice” is a clever and somewhat sinister country bluegrass banger with great guitar licks and backing drums. As this song transitions into track #3, it becomes clear that there is no rigid sonic theme being followed, but instead, every track has something unique and special to offer. “Cold” is one of my favorite songs on the album. Its killer chorus is delivered remarkably from Stapleton, who is truly putting his all into this track. The string accompaniment is included tastefully and skillfully, making this track quite special.

“When I’m With You” is a down-on-your-luck anthem made sweet, but wanders a little too slowly for my liking. It’s not that this track is bad, per se, but instead just lacks the quality that the first three readily supplied. Stapleton’s lyricism is a highlight here, though, as his direct delivery is potent as it sticks the landing. Luckily, the album’s tempo increases yet again with “Arkansas.” This is a nostalgic and energetic banger perfect equipped to be featured on any road trip playlist. “Joy Of My Life” reminds me of a Jason Isbell track with its acoustic guitar and compassionate lyrical content. It’s hard not to think of your special person when listening to this track, which was the point.

“Hillbilly Blood” is an interesting track where Stapleton reflects on his heritage and culture in an introspective and critical manner. While not necessarily ashamed of his upbringing, Stapleton begins the themes of detaching from the lifestyle he grew up knowing, which continue later on. We take a sharp turn on the next track “Maggie’s Song”, which punched me in the face emotionally. The story of his late dog Maggie should bring tears to the eyes of all non-sociopathic listeners; it’s a real tear-jerker. “Run Maggie run, with the heart of a rebel child. Run Maggie run, be just as free as you are wild”… like, are you serious? 2020’s tough enough without your ridiculously well-written and sad lyrics. Good stuff.

“Whiskey Sunrise” tells the story of the morning after a night of indulgence. Its backing instrumentation is rugged and impressive throughout, pairing well with Stapleton’s hard-hitting vocals. “Worry B Gone” is a funky track that doesn’t resonate much with me but doesn’t take me out of things too severely. “Old Friends” is a partial spoken-word track, which is a risky play on an album like this. Luckily, Stapleton’s delivery fits with the tone established so far, and the well-written lyrics allow for an emotionally resonant track here.

“Watch You Burn” is one of the most passionate tracks I’ve heard in a long time, as Stapleton rips into the Mandalay Bay shooter and basically tells him that he will burn in hell one day. The ferocious guitar lick and drums in the chorus are spectacular, and this track deals with sensitive subject matter masterfully. “You Should Probably Leave” is a low point on the album for me, as it sounds like a typical country radio track, which generally leads me away from the genre. The subject matter is just so surface-level here that I can’t enjoy it. “Nashville, TN”, on the other hand, is an exceptional closer to this album and continues the theme of letting go beautifully. Stapleton has effectively written a love letter and a goodbye to his formative city of Nashville. Although I’m not attached to that city, feelings of attachment and maturation portrayed here are very relatable and resonant with me. Great closer.

On Starting Over, Chris Stapleton continues to impress me. Artists like Jason Isbell, The Highwomen, and Stapleton make me question whether my impulse to deny listening to country music is valid or reasonable. I’m not sure it is at this point, because this stuff is just too great to not give an occasional listen. I highly recommend you check out this album.

Favorite tracks: “Starting Over”, “Devil Always Made Me Think Twice”, “Cold”, “Arkansas”, “Hillbilly Blood”, “Maggie’s Song”, “Whiskey Sunrise”, “Old Friends”, “Watch You Burn”, “Nashville, TN”

SCORE: Light 8/10

Album Review: Positions - Ariana Grande

Last year, Ariana Grande impressed fans and critics alike with the release of her fifth studio album thank u, next. A sign of maturity, that album was one of my favorite pop records of 2019. Grande’s aesthetic began to blossom fully, and tracks like “7 Rings” and the album’s title track still impress me. After a quick turn around, Grande has released her new album Positions. While not as impressive or cohesive as her last project, I still enjoyed many of the tracks here, and I’m still excited to see what Ariana has to offer in the future.

Ariana Grande is somewhat known for her excellent opening tracks. “shut up” is a multi-layered, moody, and sassy track that indicates the project’s vibe right from the beginning. It’s hard not to be impressed by Grande’s impeccable performances, especially when accompanied by the bouncy, rap-like refrains found throughout. It’s nowhere close to a track like “imagine,” but it’s still not too shabby. “34+35” is a cheeky, tongue-in-cheek track that lets Grande’s promiscuous side shine. Gratuitously sexual lyrics have been popularized and normalized this year, as evidence by tracks like “WAP.” Some have described this project as Ariana Grande’s “horniest album” yet, which is hilarious but quite honestly fairly accurate.

“motive (with Doja Cat)” is another bouncy, fast-paced pop track with a lot of potential, but potential I don’t think it fully capitalizes on. I enjoy Grande’s contributions to the track, but I found Doja Cat’s feature here pretty underwhelming. With these two on the same track, I expect more than what was delivered. “just like magic” features an impressive vocal performance from Grande, but the song’s tempo and subject matter leave me wanting a little bit more. Up to this point, the album is slightly above average, but nothing to write home about.

“off the table (with The Weeknd)” is a heartfelt and sensual track that uses its feature appropriately and effectively. Abel’s performance reminds me of his vocals on Beauty Behind The Madness, which certainly isn’t a bad thing. If you want to get in your feels, this could be the track for you. “six thirty” matches the rest of the album’s aesthetic, but the repetitive lyrics feel a bit underdeveloped to me. “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)” is a pretty decent, radio-friendly pop track that demonstrates yet again why Ty is such a solid feature artist.

The back half of the album is impressive to me. “my hair” is a cute track with what sounds like, to me, a strong Pharrell influence. The whistling here is a bit much, but otherwise, I enjoy this song. That over-the-top whistling performance continues into “nasty”, which is one of the least impressive tracks on the album for me. It’s fairly one-note and underdeveloped, leaving me wanting more depth. “west side” provides T R A P S O U L-like production and Bryson Tiller-esque flow from Grande. This is a very smooth and cool track. The transition into “love language” is a bit abrupt, but this song’s instrumentation is too upbeat not to enjoy.

The final three tracks are all very strong. The title track and lead single for this album, “positions”, is an absolutely fantastic song. Grande has become an expert at creating these sorts of songs, and I don’t get tired of this aesthetic. Grandiose production and multilayered vocal performances never get old. The music video rocks, too. “obvious” is a short-lived track with a hard-hitting base backing that sets up the final track very nicely. "The album’s closer “pov” is my favorite song on the album, and one of my favorites in Grande’s discography in quite some time. Heartfelt, passionate, and beautifully composed, this final track alone makes up for a lot of what the rest of the album is missing.

Overall, I think a little more time in the studio could’ve really rounded out this project and brought it to its full potential, but this is still a solid Ariana Grande album. A slight step down from thank u, next, but on the same level as a project like Sweetener for me. This is a good album in general, with the highs being extremely impressive and the lows just slightly underwhelming. I highly recommend you give Positions a listen. Thanks for reading!

Favorite tracks: “shut up”, “34+35”, “off the table (with The Weeknd)”, “safety net (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)”, “my hair”, “west side”, “love language”, “positions”, “pov”

SCORE: 7/10

Joe Biden Wins The 2020 Presidential Election

It’s done. Over the past four days, the United States has waited patiently as legally-cast ballots were counted in key swing states across the country. On Saturday morning, Pennsylvania was called by most mainstream media news networks, putting Joe Biden above the 270 electoral vote threshold to win the presidency. Kamala Harris is now the first woman to be Vice President-Elect, which shows how far we’ve come as a nation.

This election has served as a decisive referendum against Donald Trump’s failed leadership. After dealing with vast racial tensions, an uncontrolled pandemic, and constant attacks against democracy, the American people chose Joe Biden with more votes than any other presidential candidate in the country’s history.

Honor, humility, empathy, and respect will return to the White House. Competence and dedication will return to the White House. We now have a President and Vice President-Elect who will govern for all Americans, not just for their supporters. Today is historic, and I’m so relieved to know definitively that we’ve made the right decision.

Final 2020 Presidential Election Prediction

Tomorrow marks a very important day for the United States. In less than twenty-four hours from now, voters will be lining up all across the country to cast their ballots for the 2020 presidential election. Although tomorrow is the last day to cast a ballot in this election cycle, early voter turnout has been record-breaking. This is in large part due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but polls show that voter enthusiasm may also be at an all-time high. So far, the race has been steady. Joe Biden has maintained a roughly 8% national lead over Donald Trump and has maintained slightly tighter leads in battleground states for the entire cycle. Barring something unprecedented happening, such as polls with an unpredictably high error or Trump making an effort to steal the election, Joe Biden is clearly favored to become the 46th president of the United States. I’ve predicted the outcome of the election multiple times on my blog, and in this post, I will do so for the last time until we find out the result, whenever that may be. Let’s get into it.

When determining who I believe will win each state and district, I looked at historical precedent, polling data, and local issues to make my predictions. Some states, whose polls are overwhelming partisan and consistent, can easily be categorized as “safe” for their respective candidate. Due to many previously safe Republican states shifting to the left, Joe Biden’s advantage becomes significant early on in tabulating electoral vote shares. There is no doubt that California, New York, and Illinois will go to Biden, or that Wyoming, North Dakota, and West Virginia will go to Trump.

The “likely” states for each candidate are states I believe will be decided by a >10% but <15% popular vote margin. Very few would doubt Colorado going to Biden or Indiana going to Trump, although these states will be slightly too close to call them “safe” for their candidate. Perhaps if these states allocated their electoral vote share proportionally, candidates would make more of an attempt to reach out to voters here. But due to their partisan composition, it just remains that no surprises will come out of these states on election night.

I categorize “lean” states with a popular vote margin of >5% but <10%. This is where things get interesting and challenging to predict. Recent A+ rated rustbelt polls show Biden is probably going to recover the “blue wall” of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania that Hillary Clinton lost in 2016. It should be noted that, against popular opinion, the last election’s national and state-level polls were fairly accurate, and all mostly within a margin of error that happened to favor Trump. This can be explained by Clinton’s failure to properly campaign in these states in the final stretch, James Comey’s influential letter just weeks before election day, and pollster bias which didn’t account for the education factor heavily enough. Since adjustments have been made in polling methodology since then (see 2018’s mid-terms) and there have been very few scandals in this cycle that have stuck against Biden, there’s no reason to assume polls will be as off as they were in 2016. As we begin to look at the “tilt” states of this election cycle, it becomes clear that Trump is the definitive underdog yet again, even more so than in 2016, and that he would need to sweep every battleground state in this year’s election to have a chance at winning. The problem for him: he’s down in almost all of them.

The two non-circumstantial factors that differentiate Biden’s campaign from Clinton’s are 1) stability, and 2) enthusiasm. Clinton’s leads in 2016 fluctuated greatly, which hasn’t been the case for Biden yet. On election day in the last cycle, Hillary Clinton was on both a national and statewide downswing that eventually favored Trump. Additionally, Clinton’s leads weren’t nearly as high as Biden’s have been so far, with Biden polling 50+% in multiple battlegrounds ahead of Trump according to A+ pollsters. We can’t count Trump out just yet, though, because this election is also one of the most unprecedented in the country’s history, as it is taking place in the middle of a pandemic. Turnout and mail-in ballots are variables that need to be considered, although it is difficult to predict how Trump’s likely premature declaration of victory will affect the race on election night, if at all. We’ve already talked about the red mirage theory on this blog, but even that may prove null if any of the swing sunbelt states show a sizable victory for Biden tomorrow night.

My tilt state predictions are even slightly conservative as I give Trump Georgia, Ohio, Iowa, and Texas, all of which very well could go to Biden. I’ve made the joke before that if Florida voters were to choose between world peace and a sexually transmitted disease, the vote would be 51%-49% and the choice wouldn’t be clear, so it’s difficult for me to expect Biden to win here, but polling has consistently shown a steady shot for the Biden campaign to end the election on November 3rd by winning the Sunshine State. Arizona, which has been shifting left consistently over the past few election cycles, is in the same boat, and will greatly increase Biden’s chances of winning if he secures its electoral votes. North Carolina polling has shown preferential for Biden, although I wouldn’t be shocked if it (or any of the other states mentioned here) went in Trump’s direction. However, I believe the keystone and most likely tipping point state of this election, Pennsylvania, will be closer than many expect.

I want to first address that Donald Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the potential discarding of hundreds of thousands of mail-in ballots that aren’t processed by election night is authoritarian, fascistic, and anti-American. I’m glad that the Attorney General of Pennsylvania is confident in his ability to sustain these ballots if they are to be challenged by Trump’s lawyers. Trump has basically lived in Pennsylvania these last few days, though, and it bordering ultra-conservative West Virginia makes me think the popular vote margin in PA will be around 2 or 3%. By now, though, according to my predictions, Biden will have secured a popular vote victory of 335-203, becoming the President-Elect of the United States.

We all just want this election to be over. The constant headlines, divisiveness, and lies from the Trump administration have proven even more exhausting than I ever thought possible. In Biden, there will be a return to at least a level of decorum and respect for the White House that will allow us to address challenges such as racial disparity, COVID-19, and climate change, among others. If you haven’t voted yet, safely go to an in-person polling location tomorrow and do so. It’s your responsibility as a citizen to stay informed and engaged. Also, stay safe - I don’t want things to get ugly out there, but the way things have happened so far this year, nothing surprises me anymore at this point. Thanks for reading.

Album Review: Visions of Bodies Being Burned - clipping.

Horrorcore, a subgenre of rap music that intends to torment and entertain its listeners, is more popular than ever. Daveed Diggs and company who make up the rap group clipping. have capitalized on this development with their past two albums There Existed an Addiction to Blood and Visions of Bodies Being Burned. These projects quite literally use scary movie sound samples to craft their instrumentals, all while depicting unsettling narratives through Diggs’ genius lyricism. Just as their previous album was last year, clipping.’s Visions of Bodies Being Burned is one of my favorite albums of this year.

“Intro” is a standard tone-setting track from clipping. that checks all the boxes of what the group has to offer. A booming and mysterious beat, urgent cell phone audio rapping from Diggs, and an eardrum-shattering wall of sound that transitions into the second track seamlessly. Immediately, the listener knows that this album isn’t for everyone. Luckily, however, the first half of this album is far more accessible than the back half. “Say the Name” was one of the lead singles for this project and is one of my favorite clipping. songs from their entire discography. The background instrumental evolves and crescendos by its end in a way only described as masterfully. The “Candlesticks in the dark, visions of bodies being burned” sample in the chorus is catchy but very disturbing. “Wytchboard (Interlude)” plays on typical scary movie tropes with two young girls using a ouija board that eventually spells out “He is here", and transitions with spooky knocking into the next track “‘96 Neve Campbell,” which directly references my favorite scary movie Scream multiple times. This album is extremely cohesive.

“Something Underneath” allows Daveed Diggs to demonstrate his excellent fast rapping skills, as a tribal and ritualistic beat escalates being his urgent vocals. When the beat drops off halfway through this track, I feel like I’m listening to something I’m not supposed to be hearing. This is only interrupting by a clipping audio sound which both hurts to hear and can’t be turned down. The following “Make Them Dead” is probably the least accessible track on the album, as it uses a very loud and unsettling instrumental that, I imagine, many would describe as overwhelming. “She Bad” plays on that expression, describing a monstrous entity who tortures her victims instead of simply describing an attractive woman. Again, this is a dark story being told in the catchiest way possible.

“Invocation (Interlude)” is an appropriately-placed breather that maintains the unsettling aesthetic of this project. The next track “Pain Everday” is one of the most technically impressive on the album, as it utilizes a 7/8 beat that maintains the discomfort of the first listen. “Check the Lock” is a story of paranoia and is my favorite non-single on the album. The storytelling here is unparalleled in creativity and skill from Diggs’ stellar writing. “Looking Like Meat” is a very industrial offering that doesn’t go above and beyond in its production, but is still a good listen. I wish this song was rounded out like the others on the album, but at this point, I’m just being picky. “Drove (Interlude)” creepily uses farm animal sounds to transition into the final tracks of the album. “Eaten Alive” puts Diggs in the spotlight until it quite literally bangs pots and pans around to keep the listener on the edge of their seat.

“Body for the Pile” is another challenging listen, which features blasting background instrumentation. Luckily, Diggs comes in to tell more disturbing stories, and the clicking sound in the background builds intense intension. “Enlacing” is another great, and very accessible, track that the casual rap listener should enjoy. It’s eery, continues the project’s aesthetic, and slows things down as the album’s penultimate track. “Secret Piece” is a great, optimistic closer that uses chirping birds to provide relief for the listener. It’s as if the entire album leading up until this point was a nightmare, and now we have woken up to rediscover peace. I’m not sure if Diggs meant it this way, but I interpret this as a commentary on where we are now, how difficult and scary things can seem, but that a calm morning is always coming.

The production, lyricism, and thematics of clipping.’s albums are undeniably impressive and consistent. This project continued to build upon a very compelling aesthetic that suits the Fall so amazingly well. This track barely has any duds on it, and the high points are some of the best moments in music all year. I highly suggest you check out Visions of Bodies Being Burned.

Favorite tracks: “Intro”, “Say The Name”, “'‘96 Neve Campbell”, “Something Underneath”, “She Bad”, “Pain Everyday”, “Check the Lock”, “Eaten Alive”, “Enlacing”, “Secret Piece”

SCORE: Light 9/10