Boots - AQUARIA

Boots
AQUARIA
2015

Boots - AQUARIA (Spotify)

It's not often I listen to something where I have no idea what is going on. Boots' latest album AQUARIA is that very thing. The New York based producer got his start and his break by producing for Beyonce's self titled album and since He has been one of the most sought after talents in the industry. AQUARIA however is not the R&B pop extravaganza you would think it should be. Instead Boots makes a Radiohead-esque record that to be called overblown would be a gross understatement. The self importance oozes from every corner of this album, He believes in the importance of this and needs you to as well. That is one of the major flaws with this record the fact that it presuposes that perhaps pop music needs to be totally flipped on its head, which may or may not be true, but Boots as an entity does not have the power to push that idea forward. His beats and production are both super precise and muddled at the same time on tracks like "I Run Roulette" which just comes across as more confusing that anything else.

One of the most glaring issues with AQUARIA is that Boots really is not that great of a singer. His vocals are weak and distorted throughout the entire album and there is zero force behind them. Not only does his voice not have that star power, but the distortion sends it even further into obscurity. On the title track Boots includes singer Angel Deradoorian and it adds a completely different vibe transforming what would be another odd track into something grand, silky and sexy. This is clearly what is missing from the rest of the record. When Boots tries to go it alone his music suffers. For a first album AQUARIA is a swing for the fence type of record. He really attempts something with this, and although it may not land history will be kind to Boots as He continues to develop.

5 out of 10