Iggy Azalea's long-awaited debut album finally hits stores in the UK today and the rest of the world tomorrow after being delayed for months. With four hit singles under her belt, Iggy has set some high expectations for this release, made even higher by the optimistic title, The New Classic.
Does the Australian beauty deliver on either of her promises of new and classic ?
The critics who have already weighed in don't seem that convinced, so I had a couple of listens and this was my conclusion. (I usually try to listen to an album a few times over the course of a week before giving a review but I didn't have the time for this one)
The album opens with a promising number, Walk The Line, which details a lot of the same subjects she addressed on hit single Work but only with a stronger hip-hop edge. It's a good start and a decent rap song that offers us something very different from what we have heard from Iggy thus far.
But the album then starts to feel a bit lacklustre with tired songs like 100 and Change Your Life which don't bring anything 'new' to the table. I couldn't find anything classic either.
Her 'of-the-moment' twerk songs like Work, Bounce and Fuck Love are perfect for the club and for mainstream success and if Iggy wants to be known as a fun, pop artist then this album, with songs like Black Widow and chart success Fancy, is the way to go.
However, Iggy does offer an occasional glimpse of what she is capable of as a rapper with songs like Don't Need Y'all and Impossible is Nothing. But these moments are few and far between and don't quite come up to par with what other female rappers are delivering at the moment.
Iggy seems more suited and more comfortable in her role as club queen since the best songs on the album are those with thumping beats, heavy basslines and less lyricism. She delivers exciting moments on songs Goddess and Lady Patra, which features dancehall star Mavado, with their island feel and catchy hooks.
But, she never quite fulfils her potential on well produced songs like New Bitch which end up feeling like recycled songs from 2010.
All in all, for a first attempt Iggy hasn't disappointed when it comes to producing songs which make you dance and get in the mood for a night out with your girls. Unfortunately, this album won't help Iggy get taken more seriously as a female rapper in the hip-hop community. What it will do is solidify her place in the mainstream market and gear her music towards pop in future.
3 stars
Best songs : Work, Lady Patra and Goddess
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