Lizzo review, Special: Singer’s new exuberant pop record is good as hell

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Universally adored as a “beacon of body positivity”, the 34-year-old singer makes such a direct, warm, motivational connection with listeners that you’re left feeling like she’s poured you a drink you could chink against your speakers as they fill with exuberant pop that winks to the vintage party staples of Seventies and Eighties disco. Against the rattling pace of new song “The Sign”, she tells us she’s ”been home since 2020… twerking and making smoothies/ It’s called healing/ And I feel better since you’ve seen me last/ I’ve been training, I can flex that ass/ So when I shake it, I can shake it fast/ Make that camera flash!” If you’ve seen the fabulous video for the flute-funked single “About Damn Time”, you’ll already have the empowerment vibe down: “I’m way too fine to be this stressed!” Having found her self-worth, she’s now on a mission to lift those around her, too. Bouncing off the funky bass and carnival brass of “Everybody’s Gay”, she assures those who share her anxiety: “It’s a happy place in here, baby, you’re safe/ We can take our mask off/ We can all ball and parlay.” And within seconds she’s yanking you up onto a dance floor: “Get dressed, unstress yourself!” Coaxing, goofing, cussing and bossing: “Hold my bag, b****!” Loading relatable, witty narratives onto ebullient hooks, she operates exactly like that friend who always yanks you out of your chair at the end of the night – by playing silly and sexy by turns until you loosen into the groove. On the empowered slow jam “Naked”, she throws her whole heart into the intimate curves of each line of melody, voice caressing each note the way she’s asking her lover to cherish her body: “Let down my guard/ Undo my robe… I’m a big girl don’t you waste it.” Special ends with a spoken message from the singer, encouraging fans to respect themselves and others.