AllMusic

Rose Royce

Golden Touch

1981

Funk

Without question, Rose Royce suffered a major loss when lead vocalist Gwen "Rose" Dickey left the band in 1979. But as memorable as her contributions were -- as much as fans adored her -- 1980's Golden Touch proved that she wasn't indispensable. Rose Royce still had a gem of a lead singer in falsetto Kenny Copeland and Dickey's female replacement Richee Benson proved that she was no slouch either. Benson doesn't sound anything like her predecessor, as Dickey's vocals had a girlish sweetness and that isn't the case with the husky-voiced Benson.

- Alex Henderson

Zeal & Ardor

Stranger Fruit

June 8, 2018

Work Songs

Delivering on the promise of the Swiss-American experimental metal ensemble's 2016 debut, Stranger Fruit yields an uncompromising amalgam of blues, black metal, and African American spirituals that suggests Alan Lomax by way of Algiers and Burzum.

- James Monger