| | Full Review | Ratings (134) |
Give your Rating |
| 3.5 great | SteakByrnes | May 3rd 24 |
My wife sounds really good on this
3 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.5 great | tmagistrelli | May 3rd 24 |
Dua Rae Grande proudly presents, sounds of the 2010s
2 Bumps | Bump |
| 3.0 good | StonedManatee | May 3rd 24 |
Take away most of the writers from Future Nostalgia and this is what you get. A half baked regression to 2016. Dua Lipa is showing that she needs writers to be able to make bangers. The singles are okay but it leaves a lot to be desired.
1 Bumps | Bump |
| 2.0 poor | cjbizzlebizzle | September 1st 24 |
I would be lying if I knew that Dua Lipa released a new record but it came up on my new release suggestions and considering how great 'Future Nostalgia' was at times, it seemed like a worthwhile record to check out. The highs on her previous LP were incredibly high but there was definitely a lot of fluff in between the bangers. On Radical Optimism, pretty much all of the tracks take on that fluff flavor. This is a soundtrack for H&M or Hollister with some very formulaic songwriting and production that feels like an emulation of 'Future Nostalgia'. The edge and sexiness are taken away in lieu of music that would do well as a soundtrack for dinner at a country club. Everyhing is very safe and personality leaves for predictable songs and repetitve vocal stylings.
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| 3.5 great | Bedex | May 16th 24 |
While I would have loved another instance of Dua's disco pop magic, I fully respect and anticipated her decision to leave Future Nostalgia behind and to go to another sound. This one has far less of an identity but I would say it draws a lot from late 00's music and also fancies itself a bit more clubby/festival material. The result sadly pales in execution compared to FN. Both in quality and sound it feels like a not much improved follow up to LP1. The early album feels tepid and half hearted, with even the catchy single Houdini being far less explosive and colourful than it could have been. It takes until 5 to finally have prod that is a bit more daring and contrasting - it is no coincidence that it also brings back a bit of FN's bass. French Exit follows this as the only track that truly stood out here as a Dua highlight with its RnB groove. 9 does surprise as it starts as a boring piano ballad but then does transform into a fun beat. Maria is a pretty decent track. The closer's ok. The sense of construction from FN is not entirely gone but is rendered quite flavourless, and even vocally I feel like Dua here sticks a lot to her head voice and neglects her lower tones that worked so well on FN choruses. It's not a bad album, and for a pop album there is a distinct lack of terrible tracks, but it's really not the quality I was hoping for. [car] 3.3
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| 3.0 good | ajcollins15 | May 11th 24 |
Dua Lipa's latest album, ?Radical Optimism,? doesn't quite reach the thrilling expansiveness of her previous work, but it still offers plenty of reasons to hit the dance floor this summer. Taking a simpler approach, Lipa strips back the nu-disco explorations of her earlier albums in favor of a more straightforward dance-pop sound, sprinkled with elements of house and disco. While ?Radical Optimism? may not be groundbreaking, it's undeniably enjoyable. Its collection of danceable, fun tracks are perfectly suited for light-hearted summer festivities. It might not be the most memorable album in her discography, but it will certainly keep the party going.
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| 4.0 excellent | Faraudo | May 3rd 24 |
Certainly not as good as Future Nostalgia, but still a pretty damn solid pop record. Dua
sounds as good as she's ever sounded as well.
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| 3.0 good | alexslavco | May 3rd 24 |
What a downgrade from Future Nostalgia
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| 3.5 great | AmericanFlagAsh | May 3rd 24 |
It's a solid, fun album, but I feel like I've heard it 100 times before
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| 3.3 great | Erwann S. EMERITUS | May 3rd 24 |
Radical Optimism feels like much less of an artistic statement as Future Nostalgia, whose title, sonic and aesthetic choices carried the "pandemic nu-disco revival" that would soon take over pop music. Radical Optimism is just a good pop album that throws different influences together in a rather incohesive way.
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| 3.0 good | iGuter | May 3rd 24 |
A fun, disco-pop treat, from Dua Lipa, with a select enough of tracks that are interesting, but do not quite hold up to the hype that was promised, or continue the candle high enough from Future Nostalgia.
Bump |
| 4.0 excellent | mauRo13 | November 18th 25 |
| 3.5 great | Dylan | April 12th 25 |
| 3.0 good | Sarah | October 21st 24 |
| 3.0 good | vult | August 25th 24 |
| 2.0 poor | Nymox | August 22nd 24 |
| 3.0 good | Tom R. EMERITUS | May 22nd 24 |
| 3.0 good | Lalka | May 20th 24 |
| 3.1 good | A.R.O. EMERITUS | May 14th 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Pangea | May 12th 24 |
| 3.0 good | jesper EMERITUS | May 8th 24 |
| 3.0 good | Matty CONTRIBUTOR | May 5th 24 |
| 3.8 excellent | Dewinged EMERITUS | May 5th 24 |
| 3.5 great | heck | May 4th 24 |
| 3.0 good | bmelt | May 3rd 24 |
| 4.0 excellent | Tundra | May 3rd 24 |
| 3.0 good | Zeuzo | May 3rd 24 |
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