More pop and disco has been added to Lizzo’s sound than was already in 2019 ★★★☆☆

“Hi motherfucker, did you miss me?” asks Lizzo at the beginning of special, her fourth album. Nice to hear her again, the 34-year-old American whose full name is Melissa Jefferson and who broke through in 2019 with the album Cuz I Love Youan irresistible cocktail of hip-hop, soul and R&B.

Her main message: she’s a fat black girl who has learned to love herself. Everyone should do the latter, because love starts with love for yourself.

Three years later it’s ‘bad bitch o’clock’ again, like the delicious disco stamper About Damn Time announces. More pop and disco has been added to Lizzo’s sound than was already in 2019. She no longer seems to want to know that she once made unadulterated rap: her first albums have disappeared from the streaming platforms.

Oh well, the new Lizzo is nice too. Her message of love for yourself and others is not yet faded, because it is served so energetically and tasty, although we already have the two best songs after eight songs: About Damn Time and grrrls.

In the remainder, the rinse becomes thinner, so that 35 minutes is eventually enough again. In that sense, the album title has something ironic: the entertaining special is ultimately a little less special than the breakthrough album that preceded it.