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Jun 24, 2019From the opening drum breaks of "Black Moon Rising," a sinister slice of psychedelic R&B, the LP ignites as one long, slow burn.
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Q MagazineJul 2, 2019Transcends its hackneyed backstory on account of its sheer quality. [Aug 2019, p.108]
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MojoJun 24, 2019While such songs can be taken on a simple level as a promise between two lovers, like so much great soul music, tghere's a sense that Black Pumas, responding to the current mood of division and fear, are providing a what-the-world-needs-now- is-love message. [Jul 2019, p.90]
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Jul 1, 2019Burton sings about interior voyages and the tracks were usually constructed by no more than two musicians; it’s music made at home, for home listening. That’s all well and good, since the duo has considerable skill, but this existential lonerism underscores a chasm between the pair and their influences. Unlike the icons of the era they find so inspiring, Black Pumas rarely look outside of themselves.
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UncutJun 24, 2019The duo's lesser songs may not stray from a familiar pocket of retro-soul, but it's a very fine pocket nonetheless. [Jul 2019, p.24]
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Jun 24, 2019The 10 tunes fly by in the fastest 40 minutes of your life. No need to pick and choose favorites either, because there’s little filler on a debut that knows the approach it wants and nails it with graceful professionalism and buckets of passion.
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Jun 28, 2019A substantial portion of the album is either reverential or referential to a degree that it can sound more like an exercise in homage or a licensing tactic than a distinctive work.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 20 out of 23
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Mixed: 1 out of 23
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Negative: 2 out of 23
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Apr 15, 2022
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Dec 7, 2020
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Sep 3, 2020