And all of it is deserved.

Izzy’s stage name is interesting to me. It reminds me of the sensual French pop that was sweeping New York City in the 1960s: full-bodied French singers taking jazz by storm with their mix of classic ability and full-throated sexuality. I don’t know if that’s the image that Izzy Bizu wants to conjure up, and I don’t presume to think it is, but it fits.

First things first: Izzy has a phenomenal voice. Reminiscent of Amy Winehouse, with hints of Adelle, Izzy’s voice hits the rafters with ease. Fitting with my theory on her stage name is her jazz-inspired singing style: it’s playful and sometimes inspirational. It fills a room. But she brings this jazzy style to big pop tracks.

Most of the tracks on this record have a lot of radio potential. “White Tiger”, “Skinny”, and “Diamond” are all excellent — and those are only the first three tracks. None of these songs are particularly thoughtful — “Skinny” is about the body size that Izzy looks for in men — but they’re loads of fun.

Interestingly, A Moment of Madness was supposed to be released in June, but got delayed. This is a summer record if I’ve ever heard one. (Just in time for an “Indian Summer”, right?)

That being said, many of the tracks towards the end of the record feel more traditionally jazz-inspired. “Hello Crazy” feels like a live track. “What Makes You Happy” is an Adelle-like slow burner that thrives off its jazz connections. “Mad Behaviour” features a big, radio-ready chorus, but can’t escape its own lethargy.

My point is, there are two Izzy Bizu’s here: one is a pop-ready, crazed machine of a singer. The other is a quiet and introspective jazz singer. I don’t know which one I’m supposed to be rooting for. Both are excellent.

All of this is to say that A Moment of Madness is too long. It feels like two records. At seventeen tracks, this isn’t a “moment” of madness (if it’s madness at all). It’s fifty-nine minutes of occasional sobriety.

That’s not an insult. I quiet enjoyed both records here. But there are two albums. If you want my advice, take A Moment of Madness and split it in two. Alone, these conflicting sides of Izzy Bizu are both more powerful.

“Mad Behaviour” is a better song when it’s not listened to in the context of “Give Me Love”. Again, both are excellent, but they’re so different.

As odd as it sounds, because of its personality crisis, this is a record we should treasure. There’s no doubt we’ll be hearing more from Izzy Bizu. But in the future, her records will be shorter and more focused. This sort of sprawl is exactly the kind of music Izzy should be making while she fine-tunes her musical identity. If A Moment of Madness is mad at all, it’s only because Izzy doesn’t know who she’s going to be yet. That makes A Moment of Madness exactly the sort of debut it should be.

In an era of perfection, where artists are polished to a shine, the polished production on A Moment of Madness can’t hide the joy of Izzy’s slow self-discovery. For all of the record’s complications and multiple personalities, I love that.

It would be a shame if you missed the debut from one of music’s biggest future stars. A Moment of Madness is to Izzy Bizu as 19 is to Adelle. Don’t skip it.

The post Izzy Bizu: A Moment of Madness appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

But every year, there’s a couple metal records that come out that are well-produced and just stupidly good. This is one of those records.

A couple years ago, Lamb of God’s vocalist was (wrongly) imprisoned in the Czech Republic for the death of a fan at one of Lamb of God’s shows. And this is the first record the band has made since his release.

And he sounds mad.

This is the sort of thing that makes for a great metal record: pure, focused aggression. This is the best Lamb of God record since As the Palaces Burn, one of their earliest. They have not been this on fire for probably around a decade, if not longer. These guys sound amazing. The guitar work is insane, their drummer is a beast, and vocalist Randy Blythe sounds positively possessed.

I wouldn’t describe this as a pop record, but if you need something new to work out to at the gym, or to run to, or to listen to in rush hour traffic, this is tops.

The post Lamb of God: VII: Sturm Und Drang appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

Listen to Talking to Ghosts, the opening track: it doesn’t get better like this in pop. And not only is the music stupidly catchy, but Foxes actually has something to say. And Talking to Ghosts isn’t even one of the big singles (although it could be). Youth is definitely one of the big tracks here. Wow. The first minute is interesting, but it gets absolutely great after the one-minute mark or so. Holding onto Heaven has one of the best bridges I’ve heard in eons. And White Coats has one of the best vocal melodies I’ve heard all year; Louisa Rose Allen’s voice is simply angelic.

Let Go for Tonight has a verse that builds and a chorus that simply blows up; it’s unlike almost anything else I’ve heard this year as far as power goes — think about Gaga’s most powerful moment, but add a real emotional core to it. It’s a testament to Foxes that her music can be compared to Gaga without having that pop star’s fame overtake her in conversation.

Here’s a surprise, though: I’ve talked about only the first five tracks so far. I could write about why I love each track on this record, but I don’t want to bore you. This is up there with St. Vincent for contention amongst my favourite records of the year thus far, and is simply a must-listen.

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