Chanel West Coast – ‘America’s Sweetheart’ [Album Review]

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night (or day) and found nothing on TV? Well, the one thing you can count on is MTV’s 24/7 rotating show Ridiculousness. The first thing that comes to mind is “these people are getting paid like the Kardashians” and Chanel West Coast is the beautiful girl next door type that can hang with the boys and trash talk to those who diss her. She’s a chameleon changing hairstyles, colours, and wardrobe like a Malibu Barbie, and she can turn bitch on with a flick of the switch. Some people love her and some hate her, but the fact is the more you pay attention to her the more absorbed you become. Now, I haven’t given much thought to lady rap artists since Lil’ Kim or, more recently, Dreezy, but Chanel holds her own, shouting out about being some bubblegum princess on America’s Sweetheart.

The gal ain’t bite no bark; she’s kooky and fun while setting the record straight. The upbeat “White Picket Fence” is a soda-parlour daydream not unlike Britney Spear’s “If U Seek Amy” embodied with wake up lyrics:

“Oh my God, I’m so privileged, yeah, I’m so lucky, I’m born into riches, ain’t worked for this money, I just got all of this handed to me. It’s like all of this happened magic-a-lly, Mommy and Daddy, big brother and sister, golden retriever, got lobster for dinner, got a maid and butler on call with a button, beach house in the summer, PJ like it’s nothing. Nah bitch, you wish, that’s not what my life was, that’s not how it is.”

There’s street cred in Chanel’s flow just like all others that have ridden the Metro; this ain’t no playtime and you better have your wits about you.

Feeling lonely? “No Plans” is a voicemail you’ve been waiting to hear just before quitting time on a Friday night. Ain’t nothing like that initial spark of love and telling yourself, “Man, don’t blow this.” However, in retrospect, Coast opens up in “Colorblind” with some Poetic Justice shit. “I don’t see colors, I don’t see faces, sisters and brothers, all different races. I just see love, I just see light. I just see the person that is on the inside.” You can’t pigeonhole Chanel’s LA-born reverberation and it’s her message left after the “4am” beep that keeps things on point and seals the deal. “So you fucked that bitch while I’m on tour. Now it’s almost morning, barefoot in the kitchen. Can’t stop slow dancin’, the floor’s so cold and kiss your cheek, I’m crying, feels like I’m dying. This is our ending, this is our ending.”

With a happy and sad embrace, America’s Sweetheart is going to be a sure banger for beach BBQs and swimming pool shenanigans during the summer of 2021, even if it was released in the fall during the end of the world as we know it. This gal is adamant about the fact she makes her own bread and she ain’t got no time for busters as she paves a path of gold as America’s Sweetheart.

America’s Sweetheart Track Listing:

1. Actin Different
2. White Picket Fence
3. 40 Yard Dash
4. Bonkers
5. No Plans
6. Eazy
7. Heaven’s Calling
8. I Want You
9. Vinyl
10. Colorblind
11. Hello Goodbye
12. In the Clouds
13. Where We Started
14. Trick
15. Pull Up
16. Black Roses
17. Anchors
18. 4am
19. Civil War

Run Time: 53:31
Release Date: October 23, 2020
Record Label: Equity Distribution