Like
Latto,
Doja,
Nicki, and others before her,
Coi Leray makes a smart and savvy pivot into the pop mainstream with
COI. Balancing pure pop earworms with edgier, hardcore aggression, she shoots for the stratosphere with intentionally crowd-pleasing fare, such as the album's global smash "Players," a multi-platinum hit that samples
Grandmaster Flash's "The Message." Speaking of samples, there's a load of familiar sounds floating around
COI, including
Hall & Oates' "Rich Girl" on the aptly titled kiss-off "Bitch Girl";
Lesley Gore's "It's My Party," which is transformed into an equally cheeky (but way saucier) "My Body"; and
Daft Punk's robo-list-reader "Technologic," which gets a little twist with the additional imperative on the spare, chest-thumping "Phuck It." One of the more recognizable interpolations arrives in the form of "Make My Day" with frequent collaborator
David Guetta, who cuts
Technotronic's "Pump Up the Jam" lyric into a throbbing, hedonist anthem.
Guetta sticks around for "Man's World" (a spin on the
James Brown classic) and the surprise rock number "Black Rose," which slaps riffs and pounding drums on a stadium-sized singalong that hints at exciting, genre-hopping possibilities for the artist. Additional guests include
Saucy Santana,
Giggs,
Lola Brooke, and
Skillibeng, with each adding their own special touch to the set, from '90s house to grime to dancehall. However transparent, this stylistic shift is, in the very least, an interesting move for
Leray. But, at its most passable,
COI is an engaging play with enough highlights to pack a playlist and keep the party moving. ~ Neil Z. Yeung
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