Music fans can safely assume that every year is going to give us historic gems. There is simply too much music and too many ways to hear it that everything being mediocre or worse is impossible. Greatness will appear.
The fear might be that when established performers put out new music they have to live up to what they have created in the past. It only takes a couple of bad albums for being to start ignoring you forever. Just ask Katy Perry.
The three musical acts below could fall into that same category. The first one is not likely to, but that might mean only greater disappointment from the new album. The others? We will have to wait and see.
Three albums being released in 2025 could be exceedingly disappointing
The Weeknd - Hurry Up Tomorrow (January 24)
The potential with this new record is that the last two Weeknd albums have been so good. Eventually, he is going to deliver something that is a bit of a mess. He knows how to create slick-sounding songs that are catchy as heck and get stuck in your ears for weeks. What we do not know about this album could be the scary part, however.
There have been three singles released, but none since October. Does that mean these tracks will be the best we are going to get on the new album? One should feel rightfully nervous.
Lana Del Rey - The Right Person Will Stay (May 21)
Del Rey can seem as a strong and independent person, but how much is she really? She is chums with Taylor Swift, and, unfortunately, Swift has so much power that if one does a song with the pop queen it simply seems to be a favor for the friend of Swift's. Del Rey has given us musical excellence, but her new album is following the lead of a growing number of others.
In other words, the new album is Americana, and a lot of country. The genre appears to be the go-to for musical artists who have made their bones in other realms. If they run out of ideas, then they might as well try making a country record. The trend is already growing tiresome.
Kanye West - Bully (To be announced)
West or Ye or whatever he wants to be called in the future stopped being good years ago. He first brought us gems that were intelligent and well-conceived, and it was clear he was trying to prove himself worthy. Now, he no longer has that same kind of drive. Instead, he delivers mish-mashed albums that flow anywhere from decent to horrible.
We can expect more of the same on the new album. There will be a lot of guest performances, and West will try to say things of note to get back to the relevance level of Kendrick Lamar, but the fact is that while West was once cool, he himself is a bit of a bully. Maybe the record is fully biographical.