By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Welcome to the third and final June 2022 edition of Jake’s Take’s New Music Reviews! We got a lot of new music to unpack, so let’s get the party started.
Bridges by Calum Scott
Calum Scott dropped his sophomore studio album: Bridges. The Britain’s Got Talent winner collaborated with a plethora of top UK superstars such as James Bay, Danny O’Donoghue, and Tich to craft the lyrics while superstar producers Fraser T. Smith, Greg Kurstin, and Jon Maguire worked on the production process. Bridges is an emotional roller coaster ride with standouts such as “If You Ever Changed Your Mind” and the goosebump-inducing “Heaven.” Bridges is an excellent album from start to finish and firmly cements Calum Scott as one of the UK’s top ballad singers. A-
Tracks to Download: “Biblical,” “If You Ever Change Your Mind,” “Run with Me,” “Heaven,” &
“Rise.”
Honestly, Nevermind by Drake
Rapper Drake surprisingly dropped his seventh studio album, Honestly, Nevermind, on June 17. The Canadian hitmaker behind “Started from the Bottom” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home” decided to head down the House music genre for this new chapter. The album is a dramatic departure from his previous work. While his previous albums, 2016’s Views, 2017’s More Life, and 2021’s Certified Lover Boy, had countless featured artists, only frequent collaborator 21 Savage was featured on the album. Honestly, Nevermind is a mixed bag. While fans would be impressed with the lack of featured artists and the interesting direction Drake and his team took with the album, a few boring tracks would make listeners lose interest in the album. C
Tracks to Download: “Currents,” “Calling My Name,” & “Overdrive.”
Tulip Drive by Jimmie Allen
Country music superstar Jimmie Allen dropped his third studio album: Tulip Drive. The biggest challenge that the “Makes Me Want To” singer-songwriter faced was could he hold his own without needing dozens of featured artists like 2021’s Bettie James: Gold Edition. The answer is “Yes!” While Jimmie headlined most of the songs, he welcomed CeeLo Green, T-Pain, Katie Ohh, and Jennifer Lopez as guest artists. Tulip Drive cements Jimmie Allen’s star power in the music world and how he is one of his generation’s top genre blenders. B
Tracks to Download: “down home,” “on my way,” “settle back,” & “pesos.”
“Break My Soul” by Beyoncé
Beyoncé is about to release a new record. The music icon is scheduled to drop Renaissance on July 29. The “Formation” singer-songwriter teamed up with husband Jay-Z, The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart to craft the EDM “Break My Soul.” The track features samples from Big Freedia and Robin S. The four-minute and 38-second song will make everyone dance in their seat and has the potential to be the song of the summer! Bravo, Beyoncé! I cannot wait to hear more from Renaissance. A+
“DON’T YOU WORRY” by Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, & David Guetta
Three of the twenty-first century’s top music acts – the Black Eyed Peas, Shakira, and David Guetta teamed up for the up-tempo dance track: “DON’T YOU WORRY.” David Guetta, will.i.am, and Johnny Goldstein came up with hypnotic production, but there were some repetitive medleys. I just had expectations; unfortunately, they did not meet them. C
“Skin of My Teeth” by Demi Lovato
Demi Lovato started a brand new chapter of their music career. They dropped “Skin of My Teeth,” the first single off their upcoming eighth studio album: Holy Fvck. I love the punk rock direction the “Skyscraper” and “Tell Me You Love Me” singer-songwriter is taking. “Skin of My Teeth” reminds me a lot of Avril Lavigne’s early albums. I am looking forward to hearing more music from them. A-
“So Good” by Halsey
Halsey closes out this edition of Jake’s Take’s New Music Reviews. Nearly one year after dropping her album: If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, Halsey released a new single. The “Graveyard” singer-songwriter teamed up with Sarah Aarons and Sammy Witte to write the track, while the latter teamed up with music legend Max Martin and Tobias Karlsson to produce “So Good.” The song is catchy, and I love the power-pop meets pop-rock aspect of “So Good.” B+
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