Come Home The Kids Miss You＜限定盤/Milky Clear Vinyl＞

Louisville, Kentucky rapper Jack Harlow was already doing platinum numbers by the time his feature on Lil Nas Xs 2021 single "Industry Baby" took him to the top of the charts and set the scene for major mainstream crossover. Second studio album Come Home the Kids Miss You aims for exactly that, with endlessly slick production on every track and guest spots from stars like Drake and Pharrell Williams. Harlows swagger-heavy performance is in top form on the seductive, playlist-ready "First Class," and the trappy "Dua Lipa" is bouncy, sophomoric fun (despite the slightly misleading title, Dua Lipa does not contribute to the track, nor are the lyrics discernibly about the pop star). Other highlights include the steamy instrumental of "Nail Tech" -- which features hypnotic reggae horns looping over futuristic laser beam drums -- and the lighthearted fluttering of the Justin Timberlake-assisted "Parent Trap." ~ TiVo Staff

TikTokから爆発した"What's Poppin"(2020年)でいきなり世界の舞台にエントリーし、昨年はリル・ナズXにとの"Industry Baby"で全米No.1も獲得しているケンタッキーはルイヴィル出身の23歳。いまが旬という感じだが、初作から1年半で届いたこの2作目にはマイペースな風格が漂っている。ファーギー"Glamorous"を引用した先行カット"First Class"も全米1位に輝いており、同曲を手掛けたヒットメイカーのロジェ・チャハイドは全体の総監督も担当。スヌープ"Beautiful"使いの"Side Piece"、BBDの同名曲にスリー6マフィアを合わせた"Poison"など00年代ネタも花盛りな一方、淡々と弛緩した暗めのテンションを保つ主役の存在感がまさにジェネレーション・ナウという感じ。いま楽しんでこその一枚だ。
bounce (C)出嶌孝次