Home
Reflection
Loading Inventory...
Barnes and Noble
Reflection
Current price: $17.99
Barnes and Noble
Reflection
Current price: $17.99
Loading Inventory...
Size: CD
*Product Information may vary - to confirm product availability, pricing, and additional information please contact Barnes and Noble
The debut album from The X-Factor's second season third-place finishers
, 2015's
is a slick production superbly showcasing the group's multi-voiced approach to contemporary R&B. Working with a bevy of top-notch producers and songwriters including
,
, and others,
members
, and
have crafted an album that is very much a savvy pop product of the moment.
hits upon all the au currant musical touchstones, from electronic-infused dance music to synthy, rhythmically bumptious hip-hop, to retro-'90s R&B, all without ever going too far in any one direction. If there is any one major antecedent to
, it is clearly
's 2013 feminism-steeped eponymous opus. Along with various production similarities, from the militaristic drum corps rhythmic bed of "Bo$$" to the general focus on resonant vocals, there is also an overall vibe of positive girl power permeating
.
even directly reference one of
's most quotable lyrics, singing "Do you ever post your pics with no filter, 'Hashtag,' I woke up like this, too" on "Them Girls Be Like." Although essentially a radio-ready pop aperitif and nowhere near the cultural touchstone of
's album,
nonetheless works as a Revlon ad-level post-feminist girls' night out with plenty of vintage '90s R&B swagger, all of which works to remind you that these women have all the right influences, from
to
, on the aptly titled "Like Mariah," even going so far as to call out the First Lady on the aforementioned anthemic "Bo$$." While lyrics like "Boss...Michelle Obama, purse so heavy gettin' Oprah Dollars" don't rise to the level of social commentary, they do seem to be offered with a glint of tongue-in-cheek humor, making
an undeniably fun listen from beginning to end. ~ Matt Collar