New Reviews: Nicki Minaj Is a ‘Purist’s Nightmare’ on ‘Roman Reloaded’
In this week’s slate of Rolling Stone reviews, Jody Rosen praises Nicki Minaj’s versatility on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded. “She doesn’t just straddle pop categories, she dumps them in a Cuisinart, whips them to a frothy purée, then trains a guided missile at the whole mess,” Rosen writes. “She is a rapper’s rapper, a master of flow and punch lines, with skills to please the most exacting gatekeepers of hip-hop street cred. But she’s a bubblegum starlet as well, delivering confections to the nation’s mall rats.” Also, Will Hermes raves about Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt’s first album in seven years, and Jon Dolan loves the “sense of what-the-fuck discovery” on the Alabama Shakes’ excellent debut album, Boys & Girls.
ALBUMS
Nicki Minaj – Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded
Bonnie Raitt – Slipstream
Alabama Shakes – Boys & Girls
M. Ward – A Wasteland Companion
Florence and the Machine – MTV Unplugged
Lost in the Trees – A Church That Fits Our Needs
Vacationer – Gone
Lambchop – Mr. M
The Lumineers – The Lumineers
SONGS
SpaceGhostPurrp “No Evidence”
Jack White “Sixteen Saltines”