Josh Herring
Bio
Emerging writer and published poet | Owner of Modern Music Analysis music publication
Stories (41/0)
30 by Adele | Album Review
I want to start off by saying that this album is, without a doubt in my mind, more of an outlet and coping mechanism for Adele than it is music designed to be mass consumed for profit. I think this aspect is where some criticism come from in the review of this album and some overlook just how emotional this album is meant to be. Adele is coming off of a divorce, while caring for a young child, comments on her weight, and suffering from almost debilitating anxiety at times. This album is the culmination of all of these things in the most heart-wrenching way possible. I understand this can take away from the enjoyability, but at the end of the day, Adele is going to sell and I’m going to listen.
By Josh Herringabout a year ago in Beat
A Letter To Modern Music Analysis
Dear readers and writers of Modern Music Analysis, I joined Medium in December of 2020, in the midst of the pandemic. As many did at the time, I needed an outlet for creative expression and maybe a little extra cash on the side. Initially just writing okay poetry, I had little idea of what would come with time. My first piece, about The Weeknd, was the spark-plug for what would become the Modern Music Analysis publication. One day in January, I finally decided to make the seedling of an idea I had for a publication come to fruition.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Dawn by Yebba | Album Review
If you’ve read any of my previous work, you might have seen the mention of “The Drake Effect”, which in short is the boom in popularity of any particular artist after working with Drake. Personally, Drake has introduced me to Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd (through Take Care), Tems and now Yebba. The Memphis artist is already an award-winning singer songwriter, having won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2019 for her single, “How Deep Is Your Love”. In addition, Yebba has racked up as a feature with prominent artists (and producers, like Mark Ronson) such as Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Stormzy, and most recently, Drake on Certified Lover Boy.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Punk — Album Review
It’s been a while since I’ve indulged in trap music. I’m more attracted to the calming nature of R&B music. But this highly anticipated Young Thug album gained my attention, primarily from the live Tiny Desk Concert provided by NPR. Thug has always been a master at blending and even creating new genres, and this album is no different. You still have the traditional hard rap and trap elements with the introduction to — as the album name alludes to — a rock element (shoutout Travis Barker), and a straying from the norm with some slower, more intimate songs that take advantage of classical string instruments. Despite traversing through several genres, Young Thug still holds tight to his signature sound and creates an enticing listen.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight
Following the breakout performance from Travis Scott in Rodeo, the modern rockstar was highly touted for his addition to new trap music. Scott added to his high-quality repertoire with Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight. With help from some of the game’s biggest stars, the artist added to the excellent year of music in 2016. Such features include Andre 3000, Kid Cudi, NAV, 21 Savage, Young Thug, and Kendrick Lamar. 5 years after it’s release, it kinda flies under the radar due to the explosion of popularity from the coveted Astroworld. In order to reach that level, it is entirely necessary to acknowledge how he got there with Rodeo and Birds In The Trap.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Be Right Back — Album Review
From the very beginning, Jorja Smith grabs the listener by the ears and demands a thoughtful approach in Be Right Back. This album is both melancholy and soulful in a willful approach to love. Travesty seems to carry in the artist’s voice and reverberates in your soul, almost to the point of poignancy. This short album has a certain sound that we don’t necessarily see in American music; as so, I can appreciate the nuance in the dialect and delivery in each song. There is an earthy, jazzy, funky element that is very subtle yet complements the artist so well.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Certified Lover Boy — Album Review
In the wake of the feud between two of the rap game’s biggest stars, Drake and Kanye have both released their long awaited albums. Two of the world’s biggest stars have dropped consecutively and will control airwaves for months to come. For now, let’s take a look into the long awaited Certified Lover Boy.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
ATLiens Touched Down 25 Years Ago
Outkast revolutionized southern rap and rap in general with their snappy back and forth duo of Big Boi and Andre 3000. Recently was the 25th anniversary of the duo's critically acclaimed ATLiens. To celebrate, they released a special edition of the vinyl press which glows in the dark (sold out already) and includes previously unreleased instrumentals. The title, ATLiens, is a clever combination of Atlanta and aliens which highlights the importance of the city along with feeling out of this world in the music stratosphere.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Take Care - Album Review
If you don’t consider Nothing Was The Same as Drake’s best album, it it highly likely that you consider Take Care his best. This is a valid opinion as this album put Drake in a different stratosphere in the hip-hop/r&b world. Take Care is legendary in almost every aspect — from the cover art, to the features and production, and the amount of all time great songs it has. It is a classic in every way. This album is largely emotional and showcases the versatility of the artist by seamlessly flowing between singing and rapping — his trademark symbol of greatness.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Billie Eilish — Happier Than Ever
I’m going to be honest from the very beginning, when I listened to this album for the first time, I did not like it. I was actually quite disappointed. Then I heard it a second time, then a third time. Fortunately, this album has quickly grown as me. I’ve seen it rated as low as a 6 on The Line Of Best Fit and as high as a perfect 10 on some music review pages on Instagram. I was conflicted at first because it wasn’t the high flying vocal performance you might expect with the title Happier Than Ever. However, I’ve come to understand and appreciate the genre-bending performance Eilish has provided.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Scorpion Still Stings
Continuing the look at Drake’s discography while we wait for Certified Lover Boy, I will be inspecting Scorpion. This massive, 25-song double album release has racked up an unimaginable amount of streams and is the last look we have at album mode Drake. It’s over three years later and I still find myself listening to this album daily. Since it is a double album, this breakdown will be a bit longer than normal — so, get ready for a long read!
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
Flower Boy Signaled A New Era for Tyler, The Creator
Flower Boy officially signaled the bloom of Tyler, The Creator as an artist. Being entirely produced by Tyler himself, the album feels deeply personal as we travel through the emotions of a lonely artist. Admittedly, I took me a while to warm up to this album. Upon my first listen on its release in 2017, I was shocked by how different this version of Tyler was, compared to the one I used to listen to on his infamous Goblin and Bastard albums. The once abrasive, and almost offensive, rapper had changed — and perhaps, for the better.
By Josh Herring2 years ago in Beat
