Lizzo | 'Cuz I Love You' | Album Review

Lizzo, born Melissa Viviane Jefferson in Detroit (Michigan), is a 31 year old singer and rapper. In April 2019 she released her third studio album Cuz I Love You, her first major studio label released with Atlantic Records. Now I started to take notice of this album when the first single, "Juice," was announced as Annie Mac’s ‘Hottest Record in the World’ for Monday 7th January 2019. At first I wasn’t sure what to think about this song, but it definitely paved the way to finding more of her songs and developing a quick love for this extremely talented artist.

So, moving quickly onto the review; I’ve spent the past week listening through the album again and finding a new found love for some of the songs on this phenomenal album, this makes it the perfect time to review the album track by track.

Before we get into the tracks through, I just want to talk about the album cover, my lord its so aesthetically pleasing to look at, you can just feel her confidence, from her defiant glare to the raw power of her body. I just absolutely love it!

Now moving to the track by track review…

Quick note: this is more a review on what I think of each song, I haven’t got enough musical knowledge to be talking about the musicality of each track correctly.

Track 1 – "Cuz I Love You"

This is the title track and such a phenomenal way to start an album. Nothing gets you more hyped for an album that hearing Lizzo flawlessly belt "I’m crying cuz I love you" (honestly just had to take a moment to belt it out after writing it out). A powerful belting ballad, with a lot of sass and a lot of notes, that will force you to sing a long and loudly. I always enjoy putting this song on as I’m getting into the office at work, I suddenly feel very dramatic and ready to get into the day.

Track 2 – "Like a Girl"

Now, I might be a guy, but I always feel super empowered by this song. There has been many an evening where I’ve been cleaning my house or writing a blog post or even sat at work jamming out to this song. It is super catchy and so inspiring that it will make you feel like you can do absolutely anything.

Track 3 – "Juice"

The song that introduced me to Lizzo in the first place, Juice started off as a slow burner for me. I liked the song, but there were the occasional moments when I was happy to skip it. However, on the days that I am in the mood to listen the whole way through, you can bet that I will be dancing around the room pretending to be in an 80s disco. The video, I will say is perfect for this song, the 70s/80s vibe suits the disco-inspired bop so well.

Track 4 – "Soulmate"

Even though I’m in a loving and happy relationship this song still speaks to me on a level that I’ve needed most of this week. Struggling with anxiety and spouts of self-hatred, this song has been perfect for pumping me up and getting me singing about loving myself and re-evaluating my own self-worth. I’ll add that this whole album makes me feel great after listening to it.

Track 5 – "Jerome"

Similar to "Juice," this song is still taking some time to grow on me. A very soulful rendition to a past boyfriend of Lizzo’s, I do occasionally find myself enjoying this song, swaying to her sultry tones. Then there are moments where I’m just not in the mood for this song.

Track 6 – "Crybaby"

Oh god, another brilliant song to belt out, whether you’re in the car, cleaning the house or brave enough to sing in the streets. I always get major Prince vibes from this (the singer not royalty), you can really hear where he has inspired this song from the moment it starts, and with Lizzo working with him in the past it really does work. I love singing this song out loud, I’m still yet to learn all the words but I’m getting there.

Track 7 – "Tempo" (ft. Missy Elliot)

Once again this one is another slow burner; however this one is coming around to me a lot quicker than "Jerome." I think what doesn’t help is that I always expect songs like this to be sung/rapped quicker than they actually are, when in fact, as the song even says, it’s the tempo that you should be dancing to. Apart from my own inability to appreciate that bit, I still enjoy listening to this song on the odd occasion.

Track 8 – "Exactly How I Feel" (ft. Gucci Mane)

Firstly, if you listening to the album in full, this song follows a beautiful transition straight after "Tempo," which I absolutely love every time I hear it. This is the first I fell in love with when I first listened to the album on the day of its release. Whether I’m feeling generally happy or slightly annoyed with something, it’s a great anthem to get any excess energy out. Then there is the super catchy and clever rap from Gucci Mane which I just can’t ever get over hearing.

Track 9 – "Better in Colour"

Short but sweet; this song is a great empowering pop song that preaches racial equality for people of all colours. I have an absolute soft spot for this song as I’m always a massive fan of quick singing (not quite rapping) its always fun to try and sing-a-long, plus it makes the song really catchy and great to dance around to.

Track 10 – "Heaven Help Me"

After a week of re-listening to this album, "Heaven Help Me," has now become my favourite song on the album. This powerful and bold pop ballad professes the frustrations of love and how it can just hit you out of no-where (don’t take me on that, its how I’ve always taken the song). Each verse always punches with and sticks with me, even if the lyrics aren’t particularly clear or smart, they still really get the point across to me.

Track 11 – "Lingerie"

For me personally, this is where the album falls a bit flat. I’ve been trying super hard with this song, listening to it over and over, but I’m really just not feeling it. The super sensual beat and Lizzo’s call and sexual drawl is so smooth and inviting, its just not enough to make me want to listen to the whole song.

Deluxe Version | Track 12 – "Boys"

Honestly, this song is so good, but always makes me laugh how she just reels off all the different kinds of boys she fancies. A great song that engages all the different types of men there are, while also engaging women’s abilities to pick and be with whoever they like. I’ve also started seeing a lot of friends posting about this during PRIDE so its clearly a massive hit with the gays as well.

Deluxe Version | Track 13 – "Truth Hurts"

I heard this one pretty much straight after "Juice." I think it was the next video to play on YouTube. Again I didn’t start off liking this one all that much however, I’ve now grown to love it and its pretty much in my top five favourites from the album.

Deluxe Version | Track 14 – "Water Me"

Right there with "Lingerie," I just can’t get into this song. I can’t even bring myself to listening to it the whole way through. As a last song on the album, it just kind of disappoints me, thankfully the rest of the album is absolutely bomb!

Overall

I have so much love for this album, even though there are a few songs that haven’t fared well with me, I still keep playing the whole thing on repeat and I probably will continue for a long time to come. It has also inspired me to go through the rest of her catalogue and add a few of her classics to my "favourite songs" playlist. Can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.