Alex Smith – Google

I’m not going to sugarcoat it, this isn’t going to be album of the year. At the same time, this album still has a majority willing to push thumbs up at the time of this review, the likes making up 83% of the google users who felt inclined to rate. According to Wikipedia, which of course we all know how reliable that is, this is a heavily negative reviewed album. From a lot of reactors on YouTube, there is some clear interest in the insanity of this stuff. For those who do actually want to listen to the album, please consider these thoughts and go into this with a nuanced approach. I type this up because despite the strong opinions, there’s a lot to dissect here. Vocally, this is perhaps the most versatile Ronnie has ever been. The last time this band played with a majority of rap vocals, it was an album which was stumbling to hold onto a clear message or theme. This one is a lot more polished compared to that, and Ronnie has clearly improved his rap sheet as well. Taken as a whole experience combined with all of the visual media this album has tied to it, this has potential to be entertaining, emphasis on potential. When making an album where you yourself are the central subject and pretty honest about the reflection, that’s where the main issue lies. Being this vulnerable leaves one open to a rich psychoanalysis, and anyone who listens will pick apart every single lyric. When done in humbleness this approach works well for musicians to connect with fans on a deeper level. When done in Ronnie’s case, it takes away any redeeming qualities of the album, the features from Tech N9ne, Jelly Roll, the music videos, etc. because there are lyrics which explicitly conveys his mentality. Take that with the bold move to include an infamous mugshot of his as the album’s cover, and the rest falls into place. It’s an album for me which is enjoyable on a sheer talent standpoint, but the subject matter completely undercuts the contributions not made by Ronnie all as a means to provoke instead of connect. That is the underlying flaw of this album, and it can be tied to other criticisms as many will understandably be about Ronnie. As they should, you are entitled to that.

I got into Boston Manor just when they started experimenting with their sound back on Welcome to The Neighborhood. Needless to say, they hooked me. All I can say is they really upped themselves on this album, continuing to push the boundaries of their sound on songs "Everything Is Ordinary," "1's & 0s," "Plasticine Dreams," "On A High Ledge," "Ratking," "Stuck In The Mud," and others. Definite recommend to anyone feeling massive catharsis doing this pandemic, this solid effort, if you've been following their singles for this album, builds gracefully on the samples we got leading up to release.