D∆WN (Dawn Richard) - new breed

Another one to add to Foals in that gathering of musicians whose recent back-catalogues have somehow eluded me, former Danity Kane member Dawn Richard has certainly made a name for herself in pushing the boundaries of what is expected of a former girlgroup star. Her distinctive aesthetic, intricate choreography and explosive music videos have somehow only caught attention in morsels by me, and it would seem, the pop landscape - new breed is her fourth to be released almost entirely independently and without the megadollars thrown at her contemporaries.

For whatever reason, Richard hasn't really wowed the critics either; she doesn't quite grab "best of the year" accolades that others like Solange or Janelle Monae have taken home, and always seem to pick up those four star-ratings rather than fives. new breed is her fourth to hover around the 80 mark on Metacritic, and doesn't quite threaten as much as her third album, Blackheart (a fifth - or should I say first? - her debut, came in 2005, prior to her days with Danity Kane). So what is the reason behind this so reluctant and tentative praise? What will it take to push her over the top?

The length of new breed may have something to do with it: at 33 minutes it's a breezy and quick affair that seems to fizz out just as it gets going, and stands at less than half of the runtime that her best-received (Blackheart) boasts. 'the nine (intro)' indeed paints this record as something of a postcard from home; a dedication to her hometown of New Orleans and a romantic bit of nostalgia that references My So-Called Life and various cafes and grills from her childhood. It's a fleeting glimpse but it's heartfelt, and paves the ground for her to stamp her identity and authority on. On her title track, she calls herself "the motherfucking king" and claims "nothing can stop me", and it's a fairly hollow claim until she explains why on 'spaces'. A compelling intro outlines her frustrations with the industry: "I had so many men in power telling me I was too brave, too confident, too black, too ugly, too thin / That girl believed them. But deep inside, the girl from the nine said fuck them".

Indeed, a frustration with the music business is a recurring theme; on 'we, diamonds' she acknowledges she has to work harder than most to get noticed and tackles race. "Black girls who have minds and a cause are stifled with leashes and clichés" she muses over the sort of retro-fun production Chance the Rapper would deploy, while on the Wolves section of 'vultures | wolves' she issues this warning statement:

I'll never be the same after I've been treated like the dirt you left on my hands
The dirt I had to dig through to sell your records, to make your money, to build your name
I hear the wolves dressed in suits
Selling dreams like bait in dress shoes
Can you hear them?

It's this fierce refusal to be anything other than herself that most likely endears Richard to her fans over others, but this attitude can also gloss over some of the album's blandness. On 'jealousy' she cheapens herself with Instagram drama and whilst she acknowledges it "gets the best of me" it's also a tad juvenile.

The album's strongest highlight is 'dreams and converse', a gorgeous sun-kissed slice of pop that urges to "not give a damn" and "live richer than we can". It's produced meticulously and catchy as hell, and there are a few more glimpses of this deft touch: 'sauce' is a raunchy and blunt sex jam produced by Hudson Mohawke (side-note: bring back TNGHT, Hudson!) and captures the right balance between effortlessness and precision. There's also a bizarre funk groove on 'shades' that's worth a listen, if not for Richard's great flow then for the raucous Mardi Gras theme.

I've already mentioned how the album ends too soon, and at ten tracks where two of them are minute-long bookends it's definitely a major setback: new breed wouldn't be the one I would recommend jumping into the world of Dawn Richard with. Unfortunately for me, it's my first, and I'm left wanting. There are strengths, but I can't see this being an album I look back on fondly or reach to pull out of my collection.

Rating: 7/10
Highlights: dreams and converse, sauce, we diamonds, shades, new breed
Avoid: jealousy

Artwork Watch: Presumably what the Village People thought they looked like.
For fans of: 90s R&B, honest storytelling, but quick stories.

Coming next: Billie Eilish