Big!＜Colored Vinyl＞

With 2019s Betty, Betty Who was back in her comfort zone as an independent artist and sounding more confident than she had in years. Turns out she was just getting started: on Big!, shes comfortable enough to open up like never before. Ever since "Somebody Loves You," Who has excelled at writing joyful empowerment anthems, to the point where shes rarely allowed herself to be sad, or even a little down, on her albums. While she always sounds like shes singing directly to her fans, this time she shares a bit more of the life -- and pain -- behind her songs. Her more personal songwriting immediately makes itself known on Big!s title track. Calling up her memories of literally standing out as the tallest kid in school (she grew to be 61") and the bullying that came with it, the song starts out small, with glossy pianos that sound like theyre from an 80s family sitcom theme, before exploding into an unapologetically fist-pumping power ballad that would do Diane Warren proud. Similarly, Who closes the album with "Grown Ups Grow Apart," a poignant look at how times and people change that earns the right to tug on listeners heartstrings with its lived-in details. Sharing more about herself only makes Who more relatable, and this is especially true on Big!s love songs. She finds the stories about relationships that havent been told yet, or at least told in this particular way. On "Someone Else," she gives her thoughtful observations about the complexities of old and new love epic proportions, and she turns pop tropes on their head without breaking a sweat on "One of Us," a deceptively breezy song about being left behind in love. Nobody puts Betty in the corner for long, though, and the positivity that still beams from her songs makes Big! shine all the brighter. "She Can Dance" and "Blow Out My Candle" put haters in their place with radiant dance-pop that sounds like it could -- or rather, should -- be a hit on the scale of Katy Perrys "Roar." Who also makes time for pure, flirtatious fun like "Weekend" and "I Can Be Your Man," which celebrates her queerness by upending gender roles and expectations. Shes still an expert at making rousing, empathetic pop that isnt sappy or patronizing, but the room Who gives herself to grow on Big! means her music has never sounded so complete or satisfying. ~ Heather Phares