Seattle – When Angel Haze leaked her own album, she certainly got attention. It was an act of defiance when Island/Republic Records pushed back the album’s release until March 2014. She wasn’t too happy about that so went all rebel on them; the label succumbed to her demands and Angel Haze’s debut full-length album, Dirty Gold, was released December 30 – just as she wanted. While the publicity behind the album was more focused on this “stunt,” the album itself deserves just as much attention in its own right. The rebellious spirit of her actions is not all that surprisingly reflective of her music itself and Dirty Gold delivers a youthful and positive set of tracks.
Dirty Gold does mark a pretty big of a change from Angel Haze’s mixtapes. There’s the obvious improvement in the production (Coldplay collaborator Markus Dravs produced most of the tracks) and the less obvious change in the songwriting. It has a way more mainstream vibe, which makes it generally more accessible. She worked with Sia Furler who was a co-writer of Rihanna’s Diamonds and David Guetta’s Titanium and her influence is definitely heard. Lyrics like “keep your head up and be strong … Lift your hands towards the sky” are asking for radio play.
She has a dark past as was detailed in her 2012 version of Eminem’s “Cleaning Out My Closet” – the song detailed her history of sexual abuse. Dirty Gold isn’t so upfront about her history as her mixtapes have been, but she still draws on this. She retains some of that darkness and grittiness, however, that she so readily exposed on her mixtapes. Instead of through the words, it comes from her voice itself. Her flow has this manic force that would be impossible to shed even with her increased pop sensibility.
Accompanying the more pop sound, Dirty Gold is chalk full of positive messages and motivational sentiments. The album’s first single, “Echelon (It’s My Way),” might not be the most radio playable song, but it’s easily one of the highlights of the album. It’s a fair blend of the Angel Haze we were introduced to on her mixtapes and the more mainstream one that Dirty Gold has revealed. While it can sound like an insult, mainstream is not indicative of a decrease in originality or quality. It’s a different Angel Haze and one that might just make her name widely known.
Dirty Gold is available via Island/Republic Records – you can check it out here
