So for full disclosure, the real reason I started this blog was to review the album of the century ....
ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL
DOECHII
Doechii has been one of my favorite musicians, if not my favorite, since I listened to "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" back in 2020 during the pandemic. Since then, it has been so cool to see her grow as an artist, collaborate with legends such as SZA, JT, and Rico Nasty, and dominate the world of rap. This album BLEW me away, so let's go through it together.
Track One - STANKA POOH
The album starts off eerily with this track, one rewind, and slow build to listed concerns
Memorable lyric:
What if I die a Taurus?
Track Two - BULLFROG
The beat for this track has a low springing, which is no coincidence to the title
Memorable lyric:
Twitter fingers get ya whole life logged out, b*tch
Track Three - BOILED PEANUTS
Boiled Peanuts is one of the first of many standouts on this album. After the consistent builds from the first two tracks, Boiled Peanuts begins with the question and ends with the answer, "You want some boiled peanuts?".... "The f*ck is a boiled peanut?" Whenever a song features ad libbing at the beginning of the track? You know it's going to exceed expectations! The beat features a trumpet treble, sampled from Game of Thrones scene, "Jano's revenger" [click below for sample].
Memorable lyric:
Feel like the Tiger King, these b*tches want mo' Joe
Track Four - DENIAL IS A RIVER 🥇
This is hands down my favorite track from the album. Simply put, this song is pure genius. Immediately the beat comes in, dance music vinyl scratching, followed by the statement, "Hey I thought it was all over.." This is when we finally get to hear Doechii's iconic storytelling, the storytelling that made, "Yucky Blucky Fruitcake" such a success, come to life. With additional satisfaction, Doechii even features the same voice that originally introduced her to the class, to now question her during the newest updates listeners get to receive. This song starts strong and at the end leaves Doechii and her listener breathless, WOOSAH!
Memorable lyric:
There are too many memorable lines to choose just one, but a memorable conspiracy is that I'm pretty sure the title is a reference to a Wendy William's clip where she says, "Denial is a river in Egypt...your husband is gay!" (This would make sense given the context of the song, i.e. the lyric, turns out the girl was really a dude?
Track Five - CATFISH
Catfish calms you down after the last track, reminding the listener, we are still in the swamp. It's a little smoother, but has an edge, especially after the vulnerability from her last song.
Memorable lyric:
Doechii the Don, Doechii the dean, Doechii supreme, the swamp ruler
Track Six - SKIPP
This track is short, light, and psychedelic, providing good variety in the sound she's producing throughout the album. Possible click-clack-moo reference?
Memorable lyric:
Click-clack-duck, if I'm off to ya, holla mercy when I rumble
Track Seven - HIDE N SEEK 🥉
Hide N Seek is my third place winner for favorite tracks on the album. It's beautifully harmonic, and reminds me of Beyonce's sound. Again, it shows Doechii's range, and makes for a great transition in the album towards Doechii's recognition of her hurt while creating some space for potential healing.
Memorable lyric:
Feelings struck, heart line broke
Track Eight - BLOOM
Following her foundation from Hide N Seek, Doechii uses Bloom to again, air some concerns, that are this time, very relatable for the “20-something” listener. She ad libs about every day worries like making rent, paying bills, checking in on family, all while still having fun. She touches on her spirituality, opening up more.
Memorable lyric:
Nope nope, God made a day 24 hours, it's not a lot of time
Track Nine - WAIT
As the album continues to mellow, I really enjoyed this track. This again, reminds the listener, that in addition to being a musician, she is human. Maybe she isn't always understood as an artist, but at the end of the day, Doechii wants people she cares about to to feel safe around her, something, most everyone wants.
Memorable lyric:
My granny been poppin xannys since CBS met The Nanny
Track Ten - DEATH ROLL
Like clockwork, Doechii again uses her last track, Wait, as a springboard for this song, stating, "I got sh*t to prove, no time to fall back." With all the confidence Doechii protrudes in other tracks, this song is raw.
Memorable lyric:
I wonder what them labels see in a b*tch this black
Track Eleven - PROFIT
This feels like another transition in the album, the pace picks up, and the confidence we've heard from Doechii, comes back successfully. Doechii refers to herself by her birth name, Jaylah Hickmon.
Memorable lyric:
I rep my city despite the fact that they hated me
Track Twelve - BOOM BAP 🥈
I absolutely loveeee this song. It comes at the perfect time at the album, right when a pick-me-up is needed. The song features a lyrical piano that turns into a fast-paced bassy rhythm near the end. It's experimental, she blows a raspberry into the mic. She classily proves rap critics wrong, who claim she "doesn't know how to rap." Somehow, she makes light of the situation while rightfully acknowledging her own success and duality as a musician, a truly talent. I especially appreciated her shoutout to her single, "What it is"
Memorable lyric:
Even the moms know what it is!
Track Thirteen - Nissan Altima
When track thirteen plays, you know it's time to go crazy! I had already heard this song as a single before the album was released, and listened to it on repeat for weeks. It's impossible not to get hype. The beat slams, it feels like a car revving up for the racetrack, which again, is no coincidence to the title. I love gay female artists!
Memorable lyric:
I'm a real bi b*tch, every coast, ho
Track Fourteen - GTFO
Who doesn't love an artist collab? KUNTFETISH matches the vibes incredibly. Another queer rapper, their styles and lyrics compliment each other so well, it can be challenging to differentiate the solos…
Memorable lyric:
I'm carrying these b*tches like my period late
Track Fifteen - HUH!
Breathy and dreamy, Doechii sounds completely different than earlier on in her album, while still making reference to her earlier track, Nissan Altima.
Memorable lyric:
New car don't need gassin,' I'm so ahead of this fashion
Track Sixteen - SLIDE
The album slows down again, featuring a love song. Not my favorite, but the song itself is very melodic and a classic "rnb" style, it reminds me a bit of “Oui” by Jeremih
Memorable lyric:
You the superstar, I'm the stage
Track Seventeen - FIREFLIES
Another more love-centered song, this time, a bit more hair raising and synth - y. I really liked the "firefly" sparkling chimes towards the end of the track. Similar to FKA Twigs or a Grimes vibe (imagine that collab haha !!!)
Memorable lyric:
I tried to take my time with you, but I-
Track Eighteen - BEVERLY HILLS
This song really reminded me of SZA's "SOS" album. It's the ultimate catchy, upbeat, breakup song. Even the vocals through the chorus were reminiscent of her style. Doechii and SZA have worked together, so this does not surprise me.
Memorable lyric:
I'd rather curse you out in Beverly Hills
Track Nineteen - ALLIGATOR BITES NEVER HEAL
The last song on the album, and I feel like I am going to cry! This album has so much range and thought behind it. I am so excited to see what the future further holds for Doechii and her art. To end her album, her track is airy and instrumental heavy. Her ad lib ends with her stating, "Everyone can't go where you're going,"
Memorable lyric:
Sache through the cloudy days
Wow. That was a lot to review. I'm not sure I will do this again, but going through every song, did make me appreciate Doechii and this album even more. It was so cool to learn more about her style through parsing apart lyrics, beats, and intentions. I hope you enjoy this album as much as I did!
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