The Party Never Ends＜Colored Vinyl＞

In an incredibly short period of just about four years, Juice WRLD significantly helped define an entire era of rap with his vulnerable, emotionally bare lyricism and darkly dreamy production style. His death in 2019 cut short his seemingly unstoppable rise, and he died with chart-topping records and so much more to accomplish. By 2024, Juice has been gone for longer than he was active while alive, and The Party Never Ends is another in a string of posthumous releases assembled from a vault of recordings left behind when he passed. Theres an inherent awkwardness to these kinds of releases, with new material from living artists being collaged together with recordings from someone no longer with us. Tracks like "AGATS2 [Insecure]," a sequel to one of Juice WRLDs biggest songs, "All Girls Are the Same," feels at least somewhat natural, with Nicki Minaj adding some fitting sung vocals and a closing verse to the song. Conversely, Eminems lengthy anti-drug verses on "Lace It" make the track sound like hes the main artist, while Juices performance is limited to the hook and some minimal, tossed-off bars. The Kid LAROI adds a touching solo effort with "Goodbye," sidestepping the albums holographic nature with a loving farewell to his departed friend. For the most part, however, The Party Never Ends sounds like exactly what it is: the underheated remaining scraps of Juice WRLDs unreleased material. Even the emo-pop/rap crossover tune "Best Friend," made in collaboration with Fall Out Boy, sounds like a placeholder sketch for what could eventually be a song with more thought. Juice WRLDs enormous popularity was in part the result of several songs so unique and connective they were hard to ignore. Theres nothing even approaching the quality of those career-best tracks on The Party Never Ends, an album thats at best a loving tribute to Juices legacy, and at worst, a hollow barrel-scrape of anything that could still be dressed up as completed songs and sold to fans. ~ Fred Thomas

2019年に他界したジュース・ワールドの新たな楽曲集がCD化。主役の遺志を継ぐかのようなタイトルが冠され、エミネムやキッド・ラロイら豪華ゲストも招かれており、代表曲のひとつ"All Girls Are The Same"の続編にはニッキー・ミナージュが参加。メロディアスでメランコリックなジュース本人の歌声を堪能できる楽曲が並んでいる。
bounce (C)Masso 187um