‘Special’ review: Lizzo’s new album is exactly what the world needs

Ever since the breakthrough success of “Truth Hurts,” multifaceted musician Lizzo has been a force to be reckoned with. The Detroit native is known for her sleeper hits and delivering feel-good anthems rich with passion. Her fourth studio album is…

A (Not Especially) Brief History of Best New Artist Eligibility

The Grammys are one of music’s biggest conversation starters, about who is nominated, who isn’t, what the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) got right but more often what they got wrong. So it’s not surprising that the…

Hip Hop Roundup: Ricky Felix, “Oakland Nights,” and more

Album of the Week: Ricky Felix – High End Theory An overlooked theme of Eastern Massachusetts rap in 2020 is the amount of producer-led collaboration featured all along the coast. From ALFii’s re-imagination of the Final Fantasy soundtrack, to RLouie’s…

GRAMMYS: A Subjective History of the Album of the Year Winners

[tps_header] A subjective history of the Album of the Year Grammy, in reverse. By Ryan Maffei [/tps_header] [tps_title]2015 -2000[/tps_title] 2015 — Beck beats Beyoncé (absolutely ridiculous), Pharrell (probably somewhat ridiculous), Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran (well). Verdict: RIDICULOUS 2014 —…