Album Review: Honey by Robyn

Robyn is now 39 years old and it has been 8 years since her last album. I'm a Robyn fan and so I've been waiting for this album to come out. She is an interesting artist. Her music could be categorized as club music but lyrically she's always been a little off center. Take the song on this album "Because It's In the Music." It is a light sounding song but lyrically it is about a woman hearing a song that takes her back to a memory that makes her sad.

Because it's in the music
Heavenly bodies moving, yeah
I'm right back in that moment
And it makes me want to cry

And I wonder when you hear it
Are you getting that same feeling?
Like you wanna break down in hell
I keep playing it anyway

Much of this album is about relationships gone bad. From lost loves, to someone begging for forgiveness, to someone swearing off a negative relationship. What I like about this album is that she has toned down the beats quite a bit and so the album has a more mature feel to it. Not necessarily the songs you'd hear at the club, but an album you would put on after getting home from the club or dinner on a bad night.

I talk a lot about artists maturing and with Robyn around 39 one might ask should she still be constructing an entire album around relationships. Well I would answer that at any age much of our life involves relationships and that it is how we look at those relationships both current and in the past that reflects our maturity. I think by slowing down her sound a bit, and by extending her wistful angst ridden lyrics to be a bit more reflective that she has matured quite well on this album.

I hope that Robyn will come back with another album in less than 8 years, but if it takes that long for her to give us this kind of effort than I can wait and I look forward to see what she'll be saying. Following the Rhapsody rating method I give it 3 out of 5 stars for Pretty Good.