Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is going to win Album of the Year.

Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is going to win Album of the Year.?

It’s simply a masterpiece.

Sometimes albums are a perfect reflection of the artist.?

I’m convinced that there is some of that here, but I think that the real Chappell is hiding in plain sight.? She’s screaming “look at me” and “don’t look at me” in slightly unequal measures.? The pop star veneer hiding the poet.??

If you want the “look at me” Chappell, that version is easy to find.? It’s the stage presence, it’s the pop anthems, it’s the vulgarity, it’s the constant fighting with the press….??

In this world, you are nobody without attention.? You can wear a meat dress or paint your face white, but you need something that makes people stare.??

That’s when you know they are paying attention.

And, then you can tell them your story.

She knows that people will come for the circus.?

They’ll come for the queer woman in white face paint.

They’ll come for pop songs…hungry people always come for a circus.

Femininomenon is a pop opera that Queen might have written.? Just Dance opened The Fame and that’s the last first album that was a masterpiece from the first note.??

I’m fascinated by artists that seem to have complete control of their art at an early age.? There is prodigal talent in songmaking on display here.? The vocals & the beats hint at it, but the chainsaw proves that she’s a maestro in total control.

Femininomenon is a smash and it’s not even one the two best songs on the album. It’s 3rd.??

The 2nd best pop song is Super Graphic Ultra Modern Grl.??

The opening line (“You know what they say. Never waste a Friday night on a first date”) might be the best opening line since Journey sang “Just a small town girl. Livin' in a lonely world.”?

Pop music, even the best songs, isn’t timeless. It’s most potent in the moment.??

As far as I can tell, dating is broken.??

Never waste a Friday night on a first date.??

After 3:03 you understand the plight of the dating class.??

Fugly jeans.? Not overdramatic, [she knows what she wants].?

The best song is clearly Pink Pony Club.???

What a song.?

It should be the official song of West Hollywood.? Not the place, but the idea.

Freedom, sunshine, the ability to live the life god wished for you.? I’m sure that there are other odes to California’s brand of freedom, but the call and the response of a Mom and daughter is a cut above anything I’ve heard before.?

A thrice weekly church-going, Missouri Queen losing her Midwest Princess to the sinners of Santa Monica, sung in falsetto over a simple piano intro.

??Won't make my mama proud, it's gonna cause a scene

??She sees her baby girl, I know she's gonna scream

I’ve listened to this song a 1,000 times.? I smile thinking of some data engineer at Amazon Music wondering why a 46-year old Indian man in Boston has listened to Pink Pony Club the most.

Maybe it’s because I’m a father, and I know that some place will overcome our home’s gravitational pull and my daughters will leave.? Then I’ll be crying and singing…?????

??God, what have you done?

But I was her once, leaving home, smiling and singing as my Mom wailed.

??I'm gonna keep on dancing down in

??West Hollywood

The pop songs, the circuses, those are the ones that win your attention.??

In Rise&Fall, there are too many of them and they are too good.? In another year, they might be able to win AOTY by themselves.??

It’s a pop heavy year and many of those other albums are stacked with culture-moving hits.?

Beyonce deserves an AOTY.? Cowboy Carter might get it done.? ?

Charli xcx, Billie and Sabrina are deserving of the nominations.

I listened to Jacob Collier’s Djesse Vol. 4.? Not for me.

Taylor is not going home empty handed, but she’s not winning this one.

Rise and Fall will win because of the lyrics in the corners of its slower songs.? It’s in the coffee date because of how slippery a glass of wine becomes.? It’s how disposable she feels in Casual. ? Find me a more beautiful song than Kaleidoscope…the Academy has to toe the line between the music business and music as art.? This album let’s them vote for art.?

Next Sunday night, we’ll find out if I’m right or if the Academy got it wrong.

Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess is a masterpiece.? And it’s the Album of the Year.