Lizzo – “Cuz I Love You” Album Review

posted April 25, 2019 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Scott Perdue

Up-and-coming pop powerhouse, Lizzo, is back and better than ever with her latest release,“Cuz I Love You.” Inserting her messages of body positivity and self-love into the pop mainstream, Lizzo dominates with her captivating new direction.

Best known for her hit “Good as Hell,” Lizzo has quickly been climbing her way to mainstream success over the course of her career. Making a huge splash with her 2013 debut “Lizzobangers,” she has been consistently evolving her music in order to shape her unique sound. Lizzo’s fluid ability to saturate her music with distinct R&B, rap and soul influences, helped her to receive a flood of critical praise for her second release “Big Grrrl Small World.”

Her notable musical infusion style had also received critiques of being too diverse and unfocussed. Accepting the challenge to craft an album with a clear direction, Lizzo’s latest release confidently asserts not only her extraordinary sound, but her progressive empowering messages as well.

Opening with the album’s explosive title track, Lizzo erupts onto the scene with a powerful soul performance. The track’s blistering horn section helps to lift Lizzo’s expressive voice to a surprisingly heightened degree with volatile zeal.

The next track, “Like A Girl” takes possession of the often-demeaning phrase and turns it into a source of empowerment. Proclaiming her confidence in her femininity, Lizzo captures the listener with an uplifting message of female strength, supported by an exhibition of her sharp lyricism, “Only exes that I care about are in my f***ing chromosomes.”

Lizzo maintains the energy with the album’s animated lead single “Juice,” a perfectly choreographed, yet seemingly effortless, pop masterpiece. On this track, Lizzo invites the listener to let loose and enjoy themselves while she expresses her unapologetic love for her bubbly personality.

The tender track “Jerome,” asks the listener to pause and take a break to be enveloped in Lizzo’s soulful serenade to an unfortunate break-up, which consists of Lizzo’s passionate and painful attempt to inform the man she loves that he needs to go and work on himself before he can ever have a chance with her.

Featuring a collaboration with the iconic Missy Elliott, “Tempo” claims and fulfills its mission to become a track for all the curvaceous women who want to show off their love for their bodies. Other highlights of the album include the vivacious “Soulmate,” the effervescent “Better In Color” and the dynamic “Heaven Help Me.”

Closing with a soulful and breezy finish, the final track “Lingerie” showcases Lizzo’s dramatic range. A significant shift in tone from the album’s fiery opening tack, Lizzo accepts her diverse style and proudly brings the album to a close with a soft simmering drift.

An album that has no real pitfalls, the only real downside to the record, is that Lizzo has a tendency to cut herself short on a fair number of the tracks. Keeping in mind that the album is only about half an hour long, Lizzo sometimes gets in and gets out a little too quickly, which subsequently interrupts the draw of her soulful flow. With that being said, Lizzo does have an impressive ability to maintain the energy of her album all the way until the very end.

Modern music’s latest diva, it appears as though most of the world is ready to accept Lizzo with open arms. Her messages of self-love and female empowerment have proven to differentiate her as the body positivity movement’s prominent frontrunner.

“I’m literally here making music so I can live a more positive, healthier, happier life," Lizzo said to Trevor Noah of the Daily Show. "If that changes the world one song at a time, then so be it."

Impressively able to weave in her relatable and current messages into her refreshing sound, Lizzo utilizes every moment of the album beautifully. Providing a record with limitless revisiting potential, Lizzo proves once again that she is an artist not to be overlooked.

A truly exciting addition into Lizzo’s already remarkable discography, “Cuz I Love You” is a bold statement of Lizzo’s diverse and noteworthy aesthetic. Hopefully on a future release, Lizzo will be able to take her time and not rush herself, so that her music really gets the chance to fully feature the power of her provocative soul presence.

Rating: 9/10
Reviewer’s Favorite Track: “Juice,” “Jerome” & “Better In Color”
Reviewer’s Least Favorite Track: N/A

 

 

Scott Perdue is a sophomore majoring in film/video. To contact him, email rsp5246@psu.edu.