(Def Jam/Good Music)
The one-time rapper unleashes howling guitars, weeping strings and OTT vocals – including those of Courtney Love – on her overcooked third album
Listeners in the UK will probably recall 070 Shake’s woozy contribution to Raye’s Escapism (2022), a viral ode to numbing pain. Formerly a rapper turned vocalist who prospered under the wing of Kanye West, the US artist born Danielle Balbuena has become more high-profile and genre-agnostic over the course of her own two intriguing albums, branching out into downbeat, Auto-Tuned R&B. Her undercarriages may vary wildly, but Shake’s moody, anguished takes on relationships remain a signature.
Petrichor, her third outing, invokes the scent of the soil after rain. That’s where its subtleties end. This is a record full of impact and heightened feeling; its too-muchness is a feature not a glitch. Electric guitars howl, pianos tinkle, strings weep. “I want my blood on your hands!” intones Shake as an electronics shop immolates.