Album: Bebe Rexha – Bebe
Bebe Rexha has always been the kind of dextrous, shape-shifting pop singer who can hold her own in a room with music’s biggest talents. Her catalogue is littered with A-list collaborations (Nicki Minaj, Florida Georgia Line, Travis Barker, Doja Cat, Rick Ross and many others), and yet Rexha, with an immensely powerful voice that perfectly cracks and effortlessly soars, can’t help but steal the spotlight. It’s a wonder, then, that she isn’t yet a bigger star. Can’t people see that she’s doing the heavy lifting? On her third studio album Bebe, she ups the ante, teaming up with David Guetta, Snoop Dogg and Dolly Parton; Rexha steps right up and meets them at eye level. Sliding between groovy stoner anthems, twangy folk songs and glossy synth-pop, she somehow manages to turn them all into supporting characters. (Well, most of them: The Dolly duet “Seasons”, inspired by Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 song “Landslide”, feels like a genuinely even pairing, which should tell you something about just how strong a singer Rexha really is.) The rest of the album is a one-woman show in which she skilfully manoeuvres between pummelling club pop and strummy pop-rock balladry. “Born Again”, a clear highlight, is proof enough that she’s among the best—and most underrated—vocalists of her generation.