Review Summary: With production help from some of alternative pop's biggest names, Empress Of takes a bold artistic step forward as a songwriting tour de force
When Lorely Rodriguez released Me in 2015, the alternative R&B bubble was starting to burst. The overcrowded market made Rodriguez’s production and songwriting as Empress Of caused much of the record to sound like white noise with a few sharply written songs that turned enough heads to garner opening spots for the likes of Florence + the Machine and Kimbra. Now, Empress Of returns with a record more focused on Rodriguez as a pop songwriting tour de force than self produced indie star.
Her sound has improved after turning over more production duties to the likes of Dev Hynes and DJDS, the latter of whom paired her with pop phenom Khalid for their summer breakout “Why Don’t You Come On.” The woozy synths over the driving beat on “I’ve Got Love” (courtesy of Christine & the Queens producer Cole M.G.N.) add a sinister edge to lyrics about her body being flooded with love. Empress Of’s ability to relinquish the more minimalistic, laidback style on Me and step out from her comfort zone and into more divergent pop stylings are most successful on this track and “Trust Me Baby.” “Trust,” another Cole M.G.N. co-producer cut that speaks more to the producer’s lo-fi work with Ariel Pink, begins with a bilingual verse from Rodriguez, continuing a growing trend for Spanish-language hit makers breaking through the traditional pop barrier. Elsewhere, Rodriguez’s collaborations falter a bit. “Everything to Me” fails to capitalize fully on the potential of a duet hit with Dev Hynes, though it’s refreshing to hear Empress Of’s capable talent as a producer (it also features one of the most quotable lines of her career: “I hate when you smoke cigarettes/You hate when I mention it”). Even at the record’s weakest moments, however, Us is an exciting record that distinguishes Rodriguez as an alt-R&B voice that’s headed for greater things.
