Chappell Roan - "The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess"
Half of the album is PERFECT
Chappell Roan is the stage name of Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, taken from her late grandfather’s surname (Chappell) and his favorite song, Marty Robbins’ “The Strawberry Roan”. The Missouri-born vocalist has been actively writing and producing music since 2017, but The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is her debut album. Roan has said of this album that is allowed her to “come to accept [her] queerness.”1
The same article which includes that last quote also begins with Roan’s revelation, through one of her hired drag queen performers, that “Chappell” is a drag queen version of herself — thus the drag-style makeup and presentation on the album’s cover.
Roan’s music is decidedly Pop, though some have labeled it as Dark Pop due to some of the darker tones and lyrical themes which appear in many of her songs. And there are certainly darker undertones, but the surface level of most tracks is still very bright, especially on the more upbeat songs. Many songs also include the sort of overt sexuality that you might expect in a Gaga song, while others, especially some of the slower ones, have the sort of somber notes you might expect from Lana del Rey, though Roan’s style is infinitely more intense than del Rey’s.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a 49-minute roller coaster; starting high with the first three tracks, then diving all the way to ground level for “Coffee” before building back up between “Casual” and “Hot to Go!”, only to begin diving back towards the more sincere and downbeat at “My Kink is Karma”. This high-to-low pattern repeats several times over the album’s 14 tracks, and it’s only really noticeable because of the way that the tracks are grouped.
Okay, that’s a slight fib - it’s also noticeable because Roan’s slower tracks really pale in comparison to her more upbeat efforts. As much as I love slow and solemn songs, Roan’s slower tracks are the album’s biggest weakness. The only low-tempo track that is genuinely superior to any of the upbeat songs is “California”, and that’s because it evolves as it unfolds to tell this very personal story.
On the other end of the spectrum, “Pink Pony Club”, “Naked in Manhattan”, and opener “Femininomenon” are catchy, but repetitive. These three aside, the rest of the upbeat tracks (“Hot to Go!”, “Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl”, “After Midnight”, and “Red Wine Supernova”), along with the mid-tempo tracks (“Casual”, “My Kink is Karma”, and closer “Guilty Pleasure”), have some of the hookiest, catchiest melodies of the year. These seven tracks are absolutely incredible.
Unfortunately, they’re only half of the album — just over half, once we toss “California” into the pile. But it’s a really fun half.
There’s a lot of good stuff here, but much of the album just feels like it needs more work.
The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a strong and exciting first outing. I’m excited to see where Roan’s career might be going. I expect to get more incredible tracks going forward, and I’m optimistic that, within a few years, she might be able to piece together a wholly flawless album.
Rating: Green
Taken from this Rolling Stone article. Article is paywalled, so open in a private tab or paste the link into google to work around it.