Elianna Casselle
Editor in Chief
Album: “Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever),” Noah Kahan
Noah Kahan’s third studio album, “Stick Season,” was re-released with seven deluxe tracks on June 9, 2023. Kahan’s storytelling and folk-inspired sound shine on this album, featuring his most popular song and title track, “Stick Season,” which became his first Billboard 200 Top 10 Hit. The album also includes songs such as “You’re Gonna Go Far” and “All My Love,” which have gone viral on various social media platforms for their vulnerability, nostalgia and honest portrayal of self-discovery. The album provides a cinematic experience for listeners, producing some of my personal favorites like “Everywhere, Everything (with Gracie Abrams)” and “The View Between Villages.”
Sadie Collins
Editor in Chief
Album: “Prelude to Ecstasy,” The Last Dinner Party
The Last Dinner Party, a new British band, made an incredible impact with their debut album in February. “The Last Dinner Party” consists of five girls who started the band with the vision of creating lavishly rich music fit for the grandest of dinner parties. This aesthetic is remarkably well executed throughout all 12 songs. It opens with the title track, a purely instrumental orchestra setting up the tone for the rest of the album. The rest of the album delves into topics like female objectification in “The Feminine Urge,” homophobia in “Sinner” and feeling envious of the life of an attractive man in “Beautiful Boy.” The album includes personal contributions from each of the members to create a beautifully vulnerable album. “Prelude to Ecstasy” has quickly become one of my few no-skip albums, with some of my favorite tracks being “Caesar on a TV Screen” and “Nothing Matters.”
Grace Williams
Features Editor
Album: “Back to Black,” Amy Winehouse
Released in 2006, “Back to Black” was Amy Winehouse’s second and final album. The R&B album is centered around Winehouse’s then ex-boyfriend, Blake Fielder-Civil, to whom she was married from 2007-to 2009. She died two years later from alcohol poisoning. With hit singles including “Rehab,” “You Know I’m No Good,” “Back to Black,” “Tears Dry on Their Own” and “Love Is a Losing Game,” the album was well-received both at the time of its release and today. Winehouse sold over 16 million copies of the album worldwide and won the Best Pop Vocal Album award at the 2008 Grammy Awards, where it was also nominated for Album of the Year. In 2018, “Amy Winehouse: Back to Black,” was released, a documentary film about Winehouse and the making of the album.
Madeline Walski
Arts and Entertainment Editor
Album: “The Joshua Tree,” U2
Released in March 1987, “The Joshua Tree” is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2. The album pulls inspiration from American experiences, literature and politics. Featuring hit singles like “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,” and “Where the Streets Have No Name,” the album is one of the world’s best-selling albums with over 25 million copies sold. This album has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. With “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” and “With or Without You,” The Joshua Tree is one of my favorite U2 albums.
Sophia Lynn
Opinion & Pulse Editor
Album: “Chet Baker Sings” by Chet Baker
“Chet Baker Sings,” released in 1954, was the first vocal album released by the famed trumpet player Chesney Henry “Chet” Baker. In 1951, Baker was labeled “the great white hope of jazz” by critics, a title that put pressure on his talent as a quartet leader and trumpet player. So, Baker turned to heroin to cope. Despite being pushed by the industry to turn to vocals, Baker was afraid to release a singing album for fear of being labeled as gay in a time where homophobic rhetoric pervaded the nation. However, impoverished by his addiction, Baker decided to sing for some quick cash. The product was 14 jazz standards, many of which he had already recorded instrumentally on trumpet. His naturally talented singing voice, along with the light jazz accompaniment, makes this album perfect for cold nights, long car rides and library study sessions.
Ryan Scott
New Media Editor
Album: “CTRL” by SZA
“CTRL,” developed by groundbreaking R&B artist Solána Imani Rowe, widely known as SZA, stands as one of our generation’s most influential debut albums. SZA examines how one can own the narratives of life and regain control simply by giving up. The general idea of control is made through acceptance of her undisguised self, of others, of the love she offers and the love “they” can’t give without manipulating reality. SZA frees herself by realizing surrendering isn’t always the same as settling for something, and everything we do, whether bad nor good, is just part of being human.
Kiera Latrice
Business and Outreach Manager
Album: “Wasteland”
The Wasteland album is the second of three albums by R&B and soul artist Brent Fayiaz. The album, released in 2022, reflects his thoughts on his upcoming fatherhood, his issues with lying, and his crumbling relationship with the mother of his child. It is an album that takes listeners on a journey through desolate landslides and human resilience. The album dives into themes of loss, isolation and hope amidst chaos. Through poetic lyrics, he takes you into the story of his life. At the time of release, “Wasteland” debuted as number one on the Top R&B Albums chart and number 20 on the all-genre Billboard 200 in 2020.
