Album Review: Brooke Candy’s ‘Opulence’ EP Turns Heads and Starts the Party

By: Rebecca M. Williams (@rebeccapeppers) –

Pop singer and rapper Brooke Candy embodies the aesthetic of a glamorous, haute-couture stripper. In fact, she did formerly work as a stripper before starting her rap career. Her sexy-meets-high-fashion look translates with perfect accuracy into her first comprehensive EP, Opulence. With over-the-top synthesized beats, blaring sirens, and even a slight dip into international rhythms, Candy worked with RCA Records label mate Sia to produce a trap-pop debut packed with hard-hitting, candy-coated dance club anthems.

Candy’s Opulence EP is wrought with alarmingly unsubtle sexual innuendo. “Pop Rock” is unabashedly written about fellatio, and “Bed Squeak” even features the omnipresence of a bed frame squeaking. Candy’s overt sexual energy doesn’t come off as distasteful – she is a willful female pop star who is unafraid to write songs about sex. While the album is NSFW, the shock value of her sexually charged lyrics is effective, and the female rapper’s fearlessness is fresh. Candy’s look, sound, and overall persona are decidedly badass – in the most feminine, sexy way imaginable.

While most of the EP is irresistibly infectious, not every track lands on that mark. “Godzillionaire” strays from Candy’s catchy norm and turns into a repetitively shallow trap disaster – almost an afterthought that catches Candy slipping. Every other track is pure uncensored pop delivered with Candy’s signature no-nonsense attitude.

Deep, introspective intellectual artistry, this release is not. Candy is not afraid to say what she wants, and what she wants is a good time –  it’s the perfect album to get the booze flowing and the party rolling.

Essential Tracks: “Opulence”, and “Feel Yourself (Alcohol)”.