Empress Of - "For Your Consideration"
I'm still not sure what we're considering. I was too busy dancing.
Empress Of is Lorely Rodriguez, a first-generation Honduran American who was raised in Los Angeles. Her father, Adán Rodríguez, is a founding member and pianist for Banda Blanca, a Latin Punta Rock band from Honduras.
Music is in her blood, clearly, and she will not be denied.
For Your Consideration is the fourth Empress Of album, to date, following releases in 2015, 2018, and 2020. Despite that this solo project is now almost a decade old, For Your Consideration is a very eclectic and experimental album, bringing together a variety of influences, styles, and genres. I mean, it might be easier to list the styles which are absent; broadly, though, the album includes strong utilization of Latin, Pop, R&B, and Electronica, weaving them together so that the album seems to dance between these many styles and weave them into a number of musical experiences. All the while, Rodriguez maintains a powerful aura of energy and confidence.
That aura is really what makes the Rina Sawayama feature fit so naturally on this album. Both women give off the same sort of attitude and energy – musically and artistically.
Part of this comes from the consistently upbeat music on the album. There are no real ‘slow’ songs here; closer “What’s Love”, with its mid-tempo beats, atmospheric accompaniment, and reverb-laden emotional vocals, is the ‘slowest’ track on the album. Some others have similarly ‘slow’ sections, but much of the album feels like it was designed for the dance floor, with catchy melodies and syncopated rhythms.
What the album lacks is cohesion. While the overall blend of styles does feel very unique to Empress Of, it also does not feel entirely unified as a ‘sound’; and the album has no real throughline, nothing tying it all together. On top of that, as collaborative an effort as the writing appears to have been, with several producers weighing in on each song, the eleven-track album comes out to just 31 minutes, which ultimately leaves me unsatisfied.
There are some great bops here, and Empress Of/Lorely Rodriguez is a clear talent; however, For Your Consideration, as good as it is, is missing some elements, as a unit, which hold it back from being an exemplary album.
But if you like upbeat music, give this one a listen. It’s still very good.
Rating: Green