Apple Music Rank: 100
Album: Body Talk
Artist: Robyn
Year: 2010
Genre: Dance
Was I familiar with Robyn? Yes. I owned one of her CDs back in the day. Her debut 1997 album Robyn Is Here was pop/R&B in an era when I was listening to a lot of that. She had a hit with the single “Show Me Love” and I bought the CD. My memory of it is that I kept it in rotation for a short while but I didn’t stick enough for me to continue listening to it long term.
Had I heard Body Talk before? No. After Robyn Is Here she jumped fully into dance music and that’s not my genre.
Thoughts on Body Talk: I didn’t hate it. That might sound like an insult, but I mean it as a compliment. Five minutes into the album I was questioning the entire idea of doing this. Why put myself through hours of music that I’ll probably hate? However, by the middle of the album I settled in and found myself involuntarily bobbing my head and tapping my toes.
Favorite track: “None of Dem” was the one that made me sit up and say, “Oh shit, what’s this?” Runner-up goes to “U Should Know Better” with Snoop Dogg even though it sounds like a song that would be playing during a nighttime Miami street race in a Fast & Furious movie.
Will I listen to Body Talk again? Not likely, but I have a different appreciation for the genre after listening to it, and “None of Dem” has been added to my Apple Music library. Respect to Robyn. I see why this is a Top 100 album. Cool to see that the young Swedish R&B artist I listened to half a lifetime ago evolved into one of the best to ever do it in her genre.
Would I buy it on vinyl? Not unless I become a club DJ that spins actual vinyl.
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