Album Review: PartyNextDoor Delivers Another 'Nocturnal' R&B Album

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(OVO Sound/Warner Bros. Records)

Two years after dropping his debut studio album, PartyNextDoor is back with his follow up project, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3. Staying true to his R&B roots and signature Toronto sound, PND delivers with his best work yet.

After receiving mixed reviews on his freshman effort PARTYNEXTDOOR TWO, the third installment of PND’s saga is an effort to silence those who may have doubted him as he was getting his feet wet in the game. Leading off the album is “High Hopes,” and as soon as it begins playing, it is already possible to hear how much PND has progressed and matured as an artist. As usual with OVO Sound artists, the production is on point. With help from producers such as Noah “40” Shebib, it makes PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 an extremely listenable album. PND continues the project with “Don’t Run,” an R&B-inspired banger which is reminiscent of the sound that is dominating the game right now from artists such as Bryson Tiller, DVSN, and of course, PartyNextDoor. 

“Not Nice,” which was available for listen prior to the album’s release, is more of a dance song with a bit more pop appeal, similar to Drake’s “One Dance.” PND continues with the dancehall vibes on “Only U.”

PartyNextDoor reverts back to his signature 'late-night' R&B style on “Don’t Know How,” and this is when the album starts to slow things down and get more emotional. “Problems & Selfless” is told in two parts. The first part is PND addressing the problems he’s faced and had to deal with in past relationships, while the second part touches on the heartbreak he has experienced after the relationships. On “Temptations,” PND channels his inner Weeknd and delivers the most sexual song on the project.

By the time “Joy” starts, the album has begun to leave behind it’s darker parts. It’s also around this point that the project’s quality takes a little dip for the next two or three songs, but by the time “1942” begins playing, the ears are pleased again. The only feature on PND’s album comes from Drake on the track “Come and See Me,” and as always, he delivers a quality appearance to an already solid song. The project finishes out with “Nothing Easy to Please,” an extremely fitting closer to a quality and cohesive work of music.

Aside from a few tracks that may come across as mundane to some listeners, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3 is an excellent follow-up to his freshman effort, and proves that the sophomore slump doesn’t plague every artist.

Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa Take 'The High Road'

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Wiz Khalifa performs on "The High Road Tour" in Mansfield, MA on August 6th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof).

Jhene Aiko performs on "The High Road Tour" in Mansfield, MA on August 6th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof).

Wiz Khalifa and Snoop Dogg rolled through Mansfield’s (MA) Xfinity Center for “The High Road Tour.” While the two rappers had multiple openers, they had no problem wrangling in the rowdy fans for their two-hour set. Jhene Aiko was one of the openers; the female R&B singer who promotes peace and self-love in her music, sounds just like her records. When an artist can sing live just as well as she does on track, it’s something special because all of the technological advancement in record studios can distract a listener from half-baked talent. However, Aiko is stellar; she wore a long, vibrantly multi-colored sweater, a baseball cap, and two low buns. Her careless nature and smooth R&B tone welcomed a performance of eye-closing, hip-swaying fans dedicated to her music. Aiko stated, “I don’t put on a circus act when I sing,” hinting at the technological advancements in the touring realm, as well, that can cover up the actual singing. Aiko kept it simple and beautiful. 

Snoop Dogg performs on "The High Road Tour" in Mansfield, MA on August 6th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof).

Wiz and Snoop Dogg’s performance began just a little after 9pm, after Kevin Gates closed the opening acts with songs such as “2 Phones.” However, the two rapping megastars did not originally come onstage together. Snoop took the stage first, holding a King Kong-sized joint, with the carefree attitude that Snoop’s fans over the years have always loved. The familiar background music for Snoop’s introduction came over the speakers after “The High Road Tour” video, and the fans went nuts. Soon after, Wiz arrived onstage in light jeans and a white shirt, welcoming his own strong fan club to his opening song “Bake Sale.” The two rappers alternated songs to eventually join each other onstage later in the set. The performance included famous hits with features from the two, such as DJ Khaled’s “All I Do is Win” and Akon’s “I Wanna F*** You.” Their hit collaboration, “Young, Wild & Free,” finished out the show with rave excitement from the audience. However, the night’s main attraction was not either of the rappers; it was weed. The plant constantly growing in popularity and reformatting laws, weed was prevalent in conversation due to the business side of Wiz and Snoop’s careers, as well. Both sell weed paraphernalia and will soon sell actual strains in the handful of states where it’s legalized. Wiz promoted his Taylor Gang label in the middle of the set, a label that includes lots of weed-obsessed hip-hop stars who consistently shake the charts. The atmosphere was celebration – partying, smoking, drinking, enjoying each other’s company. Yet, Snoop made the effort earlier on in his set to sing a Biggie song and Tupac song. Amidst all the fun, this back-to-back song choice demonstrated why it’s important to still cherish Snoop, and why their tour together with new stardom and old is admirable. Snoop breathes the past of the hip-hop realm; he was a part of the Dr. Dre’s producer career; he lived through legends such as Biggie and Tupac, and he has seen the tremendous change occurring in hip-hop through all those years as an icon. Therefore, he has a respect for where the industry has come from that newer artists cannot match. Snoop should be applauded for taking time to remember those artists who so tremendously impacted hip-hop, and Snoop himself should be admired for the legend of peace, rap, and weed that he is.

Photos: G-Eazy & Logic Bring "Endless Summer Tour" to New England

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G-Eazy performs at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield, MA as part of his "Endless Summer Tour" (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Even the "Endless Summer Tour" must come to an end.

G-Eazy and Logic brought their co-headlining "Endless Summer Tour" to Boston's Xfinity Center Amphitheater this week for one of the final shows of the tour with support from YG & Yo Gotti.

Check out photos from the performances below:

G-Eazy

Logic

YG & Yo Gotti

Coldplay Brings Colorful "Head Full Of Dreams" Tour To Gillette Stadium

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Coldplay performs at Gillette Stadium on July 30th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up).

Coldplay brought their "Head Full of Dreams" tour to Massachusetts's Gillette Stadium Saturday night. Much like their new album and peace & love morals represent, the show was full of color. The light up bracelets that Taylor Swift recently used for her 1989 tour appeared at the show, and the crowd lit up in technicolor on-beat to Coldplay's songs throughout the show. It was perfect for such a vibrant album; the band played oldies such as "Yellow" while the crowd lit up a soft yellow, and their new hit "Adventure of a Lifetime" brought a ripple of colors throughout the crowd. 

In addition to the bracelets, Coldplay brought other technological advances to the concert realm that brought energy and happiness to the crowd. Fireworks, confetti, and balloons also appeared during certain songs. Chris Martin also made sure to take moments between performances to give thanks to his bandmates as well as spread good vibes to the audience and the world. This happy, peaceful moral standing is something that is always comforting to see, as Coldplay's audience is large, so the positive use of their public platform is an honorable industry move. While Coldplay also made sure to play other new hits such as "Hymn for the Weekend," noted for featuring Beyoncé, they also appealed to the crowd with "Viva la Vida" and "Clocks." Their instrumental skills in coordination with Martin's erratic energy and vocal chords make Coldplay a band that continues to grow and isn't close to fading away. 

Coldplay is a band that uses new developments such as the bracelets to their advantage, but not so much that it overshadowed their strong sound or covered up a weak sound. There's a fear that concerts nowadays stray too far away from the basic vocals and instrumentals. However, Coldplay's "Head Full of Dreams" tour is a good example of how these developments can help make singing songs into full, interactive performances that only enhance an artist's sound instead of distract from it.

Alessia Cara is the Fresh Face for Female Pop Stardom

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Alessia Cara performs at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on July 30th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up). 

Alessia Cara came out on the Gillette Stadium stage like stadium performances were second nature. The up-and-comer is not still up-and-coming; she has already arrived. Take note. The young female artist opened Coldplay’s "A Head Full of Dreams" Tour stop in Massachusetts Saturday night, and she left little room for disappointment. She is only twenty years old and a recent recipient of the industry’s hot spotlight, yet the singer held a sense of professional maturity that surprised me as one of thousands in the concert’s sold-out attendance. Cara adorned a casual, all-black ensemble and piled her dark hair on top of her head in a Sunday-morning-fashioned messy bun. Her face was bare – very little to any blush, liners, or shadows coated it. This alone is notable. So many celebrities and artists perform and present themselves as fashion divas with model beauty that are actually only the production of hours behind a makeup chair. Instead, Cara sang naked of girly standards and sequined tops. That approach only left one thing for her audience to judge: her raw talent.

Alessia Cara performs at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA on July 30th, 2016 (Benjamin Esakof/Roman's Rap-Up). 

Cara has one of those voices that make heads turn in a crowded room. Her debut album Know-It-All includes a deluxe edition that features thirteen tracks that simply demonstrate why she needs to be valued in the music industry. Her hollow, old-timey tone carries a mixture of Sara Bareilles and Norah Jones; however, her lyrics also have angst and emotion of a barely twentysomething trying to conquer the road of life, love, and happiness while breaking into stardom. Her performance included eight songs off the album beginning with “I’m Yours,” a sassy yet sentimental love song to a boy who breaks down Cara’s tough walls and wins her heart. That’s the important aspect of Cara’s career anchor though her deep vocal range is fit for a speakeasy: she carries punch in her lyrics that hurts upon impact even as a younger performer. 

Throughout the set, Cara stopped to introduce songs with that same self-empowerment message throughout translated into different areas of life. “Wild Things,” her performance after “I’m Yours,” embraced all the parts of yourself, while “Four Pink Walls” and “Outlaws” broke out of a comfort zone to embrace a scary, exciting future. However, “Four Pink Walls” is regarding Cara’s career in the spotlight and “Outlaws” is about the serious risks we take for love. All of her moral messages circle back to taking a plunge into the unknown with the confidence of knowing yourself and your worth. This is no more apparent than her closing and most popular song, “Here,” that played on the radio for months. It’s a personal story of Cara’s; how unimpressed she was at a party a few years back; how people tend to put on a front like they’re having a lot more fun than they actually are. She slams high school and college party life by dissecting the different scenarios from that night that are so standard in most party environments. It is important that this was her first breakout hit because it is so different from the other pop songs whose lyrics blend together in similar meaning. “Here” highlights who Cara is, and she sang it Saturday on par with its radio version. I cannot tell you how impressive it is to see this single woman onstage at a place as enormous at Gillette Stadium with a casual yet determined composure about her, a no-fucks-given style from head-to-toe, with only her pure music to present for critique. She’s refreshing; she’s real; she should not be taken lightly.

Check out photos from her knock-out performance below: