The long-awaited new album by singer Dua Lipa (28) was received with mixed reviews on Friday. Find all major newspapers in America and England Radical Optimism a nice pop record, but there is also strong criticism. Why is some of the press so disappointed?
The expectations surrounding a new album are rarely as high as they are now with Dua Lipa. Her acclaimed previous album Future Nostalgia (2020) is one of the greatest pop classics of the 21st century, writes TheStandard. World hits like Levitating became the soundtrack of the corona pandemic and made Lipa a ‘giant of pop’ (Rolling Stone UK). The bar for the successor could not be higher.
According to the press, the result is a solid pop record, as can be seen from a tour of about twenty sites. Radical Optimism is a ‘non-stop feast for the ears’, exults The New York Times. Dua proves herself as a ‘pop professor’ with catchy melodies Rolling Stone US. According to the music magazine, her voice sounds better than ever.
It is pop as pop should be, concludes Variety. The songs feel like a breeze on a summer day, where you can dance and escape. Dua provides what the world needs, says The Irish Times. While Beyoncé ventures into country and Taylor Swift sings about annoying ex-boyfriends for the umpteenth time, Dua Lipa, as a genuine pop star, brings the record that we can use in times of wars and divisions.
What is the criticism?
But that is not enough, according to other newspapers. Yes, you danced well, but you immediately forgot many songs afterwards, writes Clash. The criticism has to do with two points. Firstly, with Dua Lipa as an artist. She is one of the few pop stars who almost never talks about her private life and does not sing about it either. That makes her cool and mysterious, but also means that her album lacks personality, she writes The Guardian. It is more difficult than ever to discern what Lipa stands for as an artist Pitchfork.
After listening you will have… NME the feeling: is this all? “Too many of the songs pass by without making an impression,” the site writes. ‘We rarely hear anything meaningful about the creator or the things she sings about.’ Her lyrics are ‘very bad’, writes L.A. Times even. “They are mainly intended to give the singer something to sing, not to actually say something,” he said The Guardian.
Background music
The criticism also has to do with Dua’s statements about the album. After the disco sound of her earlier music, she had now drawn inspiration from England’s rave culture and Britpop, with artists such as rock band Primal Scream and trip-hop group Massive Attack. It ‘radical‘ in the album title only increased expectations.
According to the press, she does not live up to this. “The album would be a change of direction, but she does the same as before, but less exciting,” writes Financial Times. She tries a new sound on some songs, but everything falls flat TheStandard still a bit dead. Dua Lipa sometimes sounds so ‘chill’ and not very distinctive that it feels like background music, judges say Rolling Stone US. There is nothing radical about it and she can do so much better, according to the British version of the magazine.
But we have to according New Yorker don’t forget how important light pop music is to forget your worries and put problems into perspective. And all newspapers agree on this: Dua Lipa has succeeded. The album also seems to be a great commercial success. It is currently number 1 on the Apple Music streaming service in 34 countries and number 1 on the iTunes download list in 35 countries.
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