Big Freedia - 3rd Ward Bounce EP

Big Freedia
3rd Ward Bounce EP
2018
Spotify

The thing about Big Freedia is she has played a major role in a lot of hit songs without people knowing it or giving her her due. That voice you hear at the beginning of Drake's new Hit single "Nice for What"? That's Big Freedia pushing to get the fucking party started. Bounce is Freedia's preferred genre a turnt up version of dance, hip hop and swing that is distinctly New Orleans. The albums title track "3rd Ward Bounce" bangs and pops eventually dropping into this all out dance explosion similar to the sound you hear late in the new Drake track. This album couldn't have arrived at a more perfect time, with the last year being so heavily weighted with political talk a pure expressive dance record is just what the doctor ordered. There are no expectations on this record, or arterial motives, it is a pure big dance album willing to bang anything and shake whatever in the desire to get your ass moving. Freedia even brings a bit of trap to the party on "Bomb" creating this fusion of trap and Bounce that is all at once exciting but more than just a little sinister. The darkness she finds in this track however only boosts it's danceyness to greater extremes. On "Rent" she gets into that one fucking thing we all always have to deal with: paying rent to people who don't really seem to deserve it.

This EP is simply relentless in it's pursuit of dance, never giving you a single second to breath as the beat pounds away and Freedia is telling you what moves to make out on the floor. Often those kinds of songs that tell you what to do on the dance floor are annoying but Big Freedia makes it an entirely enjoyable experience. It's not about telling you what to do, it's about bringing you into the vibe. Most DJs do that with the songs they play but Big Freedia does it through sheer force of personality. The team up with Lizzo on "Karaoke" is a match made in heaven, giving Lizzo's stellar vocals and wild attitude a place to shine. There is just so much to like about this record, and how much fun it is. This album is all about energy and all about creating a vibe that almost anyone can buy into. Freedia shine's so bright on this record and it is about time for the world to take notice. Big Freedia has finally arrived.

8.0 out of 10