The start of 2021 has been met with the steady rise of deluxe albums from our favorite musical artists across the board. Deluxe albums normally feature four to five new songs from artists with tracks that didn’t make the initial cut of the album or unreleased tracks they’ve been working on for years now.
Within the first months of 2021, we’ve seen big names in music such as Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, Bryson Tiller, Taylor Swift, and more, release their deluxes with new songs on each of their successful albums from 2020.
2020 was a great year for music with the releases of Jhene Aiko’s “Chilombo,” Kali Uchis’ “Sin Miedo,” and Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” to name a few as well as the return of musical artists such as SZA with her hit single, “Hit Different.” But, will 2021 be the year of the deluxe?
Chloe x Halle & “Ungodly Hour (Chrome Edition)”
Chloe x Halle released their junior album, “Ungodly Hour,” in June 2020. The initial release of the album included 13 songs with one feature from both artists Swae Lee and Mike WiLL Made-It. In late February along with Tiller’s release, Chloe x Halle released The Chrome Edition of Ungodly Hour featuring two new songs.
“Ungodly Hour” was primarily produced by Halle Bailey and drew on heavy inspiration from ‘90s music and early 2000s production during the creation process. The new tracks, “Hazy” and “80/20,” work effectively in cohesion with the previous 13 tracks on the album with the usage of similar sound elements from the originals. “Hazy” draws on elements from United Kingdom garage-styled music as well as indie rock while remaining a heavily soulful R&B record. This track has a haunting aesthetic with the dragged out lyricism from the song’s production.
“80/20” is more on the hip-hop side of R&B and has a more upbeat sound than its predecessor “Hazy.” The track’s production has Destiny’s Child-esque nature with the sound of the beat as well as the flow of the song lyrics. “80/20” is comparable to the ‘90s girl group’s hit, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” with a much slower tempo and melody.
Bryson Tiller & “Anniversary (Deluxe)”
Bryson Tiller’s “Anniversary” was initially released on Oct. 2, 2020, and marked his comeback to music since the deluxe release of his 2015 album, “TrapSoul.” The original album featured 10 songs and one feature from the hip-hop and R&B singer, Drake. “Anniversary (Deluxe)” was released in the lateral part of this past February with the addition of five new tracks from the artist and one track including a feature from the rap legend, Big Sean.
The first new addition, “Still Yours,” features Tiller and Big Sean. Between Tiller’s distinctive lyricism and Big Sean’s verse, the two come together on the song for an ode of reassurance to their commitment to their partner. “Timeless Interlude Pt. II” is a continuation of the original release of “Timeless Interlude” and features a faster tempo and quicker lyricism from Tiller. It refers back to its first part well in theme as well as keeps the originality between the two. “Losing Focus'' keeps up the theme of the album with Tiller recounting his wrongs to his partner and how he will right these wrongs he has made with a little beat in its overall slow tempo.
The last two additions to the album are “7:00” and “Like Clockwork.” In “7:00,” Tiller intertwined his original flow with a new style of production from his other songs which makes it stand out from the rest of the additions to the deluxe. Lastly, “Like Clockwork” works as a great closing to the deluxe album with another new flow from Tiller, and like “Losing Focus” has a little beat to its slow tempo. “Anniversary (Deluxe)” keeps TIller’s cohesion of the original as well as adds new versatility to Tiller’s roster for his future works.
Dua Lipa and “Future Nostalgia (Moonlight Edition)”
“Future Nostalgia” was everyone’s favorite futuristic pop and ‘80s and ‘90s-inspired album from last summer. At its initial release, the album featured 11 songs with no features from other artists and provided listeners with a healthy dose of fast-paced tunes and slow ballads. It is a picture-perfect ode to the ‘80s and ‘90s sphere of music. Since its release in March of last year, Lipa has released two new versions of the album: “Future Nostalgia (Deluxe)” and “Future Nostalgia (Moonlight Edition).”
The Moonlight Edition features eight new tracks from Lipa. Four of the new releases included three features from JID, DaBaby, and Angèle as well as Lipa’s appearances on other tracks from big names such as J Balvin, Bad Bunny, Tainy, and Miley Cyrus. “Fever” with Angèle has a techno-Esque beat as well as French lyricism to bring a unique flavor to the song. The next two tracks, “We’re Good” and her feature on Cyrus’ “Prisoner,” lacked the ‘80s and ‘90s-inspired themes and leaned more into the modernized pop songs popular today. Lupa’s next tracks, “If It Ain’t Me” and “That Kind of Woman'', referred back to the '80s and ‘90s inspiration from the album’s initial release. The ending tracks included her fifth track’s remix of “Levitating” with DaBaby and her feature on J Balvin’s song “Un Dia (One Day).”
The Moonlight Edition of Dua Lipa’s famous “Future Nostalgia” loses its initial flare of inspiration from the ‘80s and ‘90s as with the new additions and features.
Deluxe or Original?
With these new hit and miss deluxe releases, students gave their opinions on their preference of album styles: deluxe or original.
Sophomore Emma Gillam said, “I prefer deluxe albums almost always. The deluxe versions always have more songs, so you’re getting more for your money. And, some of my favorite songs from my favorite artists have been the ‘bonus’ songs that are only available on the deluxe album.”
She added, “I got the deluxe version of ‘Ocean Eyes’ by Owl City as my first ever CD and some of the songs on the deluxe album are slightly different than the ones on the original album. So I can’t listen to the original version without it sounding weird. The deluxe is the original [for me].”
Sophomore Ivana Avila said, “It depends on the songs and the artists, but [I] say I usually like both. If the original album hits already, but the deluxe hits in a different way, I bump to both of them.”
Senior Maria Santillan said, “I prefer the deluxe [version] because I love getting the extra miles of [an artist’s] work. Especially if it’s an artist I really enjoy, then deluxe is always the way to go!”
2021 is slowly shaping up to be the year of the deluxe, and for most albums, there will be a few hits and misses but overall we are blessed to continue to receive music from our favorite hardworking artists.