How's this for a bump?
I was fairly impressed with Pop2, but even more enamored with this year's more definitive studio album statement Charli. I still can't get the opening track Next Level Charli out of my head 6 months later and it's easily one of my favs of the year. It's a pretty eclectic album in general and I really like almost everything on there.
So finally I started catching up with what I've missed from her discography, and I'm now all in. Her attitude and eccentricity is pretty refreshing in the pop world, and as much as I love CRJ's surface pleasures, Charli scratches a decidedly different itch in the sense that this is an intelligent young woman who's definitely interested in being subversive in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.
It appears that the big breakthrough many have been expecting for a while hasn't truly shown up yet (if I'm reading the commercial reception of Charli correctly) which is unfortunate, but what's also clear is that had she wanted to pursue an easier, shallower route to greater financial success and popularity, she could have, and has chosen to take the road less traveled in service of her own artistic integrity. But the fact that she's rubbing shoulders with an eclectic roster of heavy hitters and fellow great music artists who feature on it means that she has the respect of her peers.
I seem to be out of step with the consensus here in that I just listened to Sucker for the first time today, and it blew me away, moreso than True Romance (which I also enjoyed very much). Can't really single out many tracks as standouts because I think I liked all of them. But I'm surprised that London Queen wasn't a single because it's as catchy as anything else on there.
Anyway, carry on.
