Album Review
Bitch is full of tired moves and cynical appeals to the streaming algorithm
Some cultural curios can make you realize just how long ago 2019 seems, even if only seven years have elapsed — Bon Appetit videos, Theranos name-checks, reminders of The Good Place’s sardonic optimism. Then there’s Lizzo, the Minneapolis-via-Houston rapper-producer-flautist who, after garnering buzz and critical acclaim during the 2010s, broke big that year with her third album, Cuz I Love You, a frothy, hooky showcase of her talent and charisma, and the resurgence of her single “Truth Hurts,” a piano-led rebuke of an ex that went to Number One.
Since then, Lizzo’s fortunes have been up and down. Her 2022 follow-up, Special, had the breezy chart-topper “About Damn Time,” which won a Record of the Year Grammy; she appeared on the blockbuster Barbie: The Album and added flute to Dolly Parton’s version of “Stairway To Heaven.” She also had two lawsuits filed against her for harassment and other claims — one by three former backup dancers, another by a wardrobe stylist. Lizzo strongly denied all of their accusations, and has continued to fight them in court. In the meantime, she did her best to move on, telling Keke Palmer in late 2024 that the experience had taught her “healthy boundaries” and releasing the self-admiring single “Love in Real Life” a few months later.
