Pink Friday 2＜Electric Blue Color Vinyl＞

Nicki Minajのデビュー・アルバム『Pink Friday』の続編と称したニューアルバムのリリースを発表。前作『Queen』(2018年)以来の5年の歳月をかけた待望の新作。
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On her debut studio album, 2010s Pink Friday, Nicki Minaj made it clear she could do it all. The bloodthirsty rap powers shed displayed on her earlier mixtapes were so abundant she had to organize them as separate characters, but she also had no problem singing sugary hooks or following scandalous diss tracks with bouncy pop tunes designed for the charts. Thirteen years later, Minaj is still striking out in all directions on Pink Friday 2, a sequel to her breakthrough that sees her continuing to stretch her range. First theres the pop; several tracks reiterate a formula thats resulted in multiple hits for Minaj, that of building out on ubiquitous songs from the past. Her hypersexual rhymes on "Super Freaky Girl" are a tailored fit for the familiar groove of Rick James "Super Freak" that the song is based on, while "Pink Friday Girls" leans heavily on Cyndi Laupers "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "My Life" samples Blondies biggest song, "Heart of Glass." The seething rap tracks happen mostly in the albums first act, with concise burners like "Barbie Dangerous" and "FTCU" leading to more nuanced production on the moody J.Cole-aided "Let Me Calm Down" and the infectious meanness of "Big Difference." Minaj imprints herself onto bumpy, island-tinged R&B on "Needle" (featuring Drake, naturally), boisterous club on "Everybody," deep trap on the Future duet "Nicki Hendrix," and banging dancehall on "Forward from Trini," with help from Jamaican artists Skillibeng and Skeng. The swings between genres are less jarring than when Minaj lets her guard down emotionally. The album begins on a surprisinglymournful note with "Are You Gone Already," a song that reframes Billie Eilishsvaporous "when the partys over" as a place for Minaj to open up about the death of her childs father with a shocking vulnerability. The albums closing moments are similarly glum, with the devotional track "Blessings" giving way to melancholic pop on the indie-flavored "Last Time I Saw You" and ending with the yearning sadness of "Just the Memories." ~ Fred Thomas

アイス・スパイスら後進との縁も増えて風格を増している女王。『Queen』(2018年)以来となる待望のニュー・アルバムは、数年前から告知されていた『Pink Friday』(2010年)の続編。全米1位ヒット"Super Freaky Girl"やジュニア・シニア(!)ネタの"Everybody"、ルミディー使いの"Red Ruby Da Sleeze"など楽しい曲がいろいろ。フィジカルは曲数が半分ぐらいなのでご注意を……。
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