Scarlet CD

Although artists often claim not to read their reviews, Doja Cat clearly does. Scarlet, her fourth album, is a direct reaction to criticism of her rapping and the pop-leaning nature of her later work. So while she does sing at times, it's her sassy, confident and dextrous verses - alongside beats and basslines rooted in r&b and hip-hop, with plenty of high-profile sample flipping thrown in (see recent single 'Paint The Town Red', which utilises elements of Dione Warwick classic 'Walk On By'). The results are undoubtedly remarkable and -in her words - "masculine", with highlights including the strutting and insanely weighty 'Demons' (whose lyrics are a direct attack on critics and misogynistic male rappers), the Rotary Connection-goes-r&b shuffle of 'Attention' and the deep, head-nodding wooziness of 'Balut'.