Grade: B-
After hearing the 2 singles, “Kiss Me More (feat. SZA)” and “Need To Know,” I for one was excited for Planet Her. Just going off those 2 singles, Doja Cat seems to have excelled her talents to be one of the top pop musicians of today. “Kiss Me More,” is a favorite among the page and is a contender in our top songs of the year list. With its 80’s inspired production alongside with 2 stellar performances from Doja and SZA. “Need to Know” also felt like Doja has upped her game as she creates this hyper sexual space themed banger. Doja Cat is unapologetically hyper sexual throughout this whole project. It reminds me a lot of her last project “Hot Pink,” however she shifts gears to give a more futuristic but still classic sound.
The intro track “Woman”’s production sounds like something that could have been on “Views” by Drake with its smooth vocals over Afrobeat sound. “Naked” is another great track that sounds like it could have been a Drake song as well with its smooth production. The sexual lines on this track sound great over this beat. “Pay Day,” featuring Young Thug, sounds a little like a radio pop song, but the two’s vocals compliment each other very well. “Get Into It (Yuh)” is a top song on this album for me. Doja’s flow on this track is perfect for this beat. The production on this track isn’t anything too crazy, but with Doja’s great delivery over this simple beat, it really fills out the whole song. It’s like Doja is dancing over this production. The chorus on this track kind of sounds like Playboi Carti’s signature flow where it’s high pitched, plucky and catchy.
“I Don’t Do Drugs,” featuring Arianna Grande sounds like something that could have been on Positions from last year. It’s an okay track where all of the elements are there, but it doesn’t necessarily wow me unlike other tracks on this project. I have the same issue with “Love To Dream,” as well. It sounds like a sweet song about relationship issues but the production and Doja are pretty tame. The third single, “You Right” featuring the Weeknd is a great collaboration with these two artists. The song is about Doja pining over a man, but she has a boyfriend. Doja contemplates sleeping with the other man, but her strong sense of loyalty is stopping her. The Weeknd’s performance as the other man provides some solid lines about how Doja’s boyfriend was “so connected to that woman that you used to be.” These two compliment each other super well as they both bring powerful performances of sexual tension.
“Been Like This” sounds like “Streets” part 2. “Options,” featuring JID has an interesting pairing that actually works. The production on the song is clearly geared toward JID song, but Doja still is able to hold her own on this track. “Ain’t Sh*t” is hilarious as Doja raps about… well how men ain’t sh*t. Especially her ex that Doja’s friends aren’t a fan of as they kept warning her that he was terrible. As she lists all the reasons why he ain’t sh*t, her inflection on the track gives this song a lighter feel compared to other tracks on the project. “Imagine” is another light song where Doja flexes about how well she is doing in her career. “Alone” is kind of boring sonically.
Overall, this is Doja Cat’s top album to date. It seems like she has been able to cultivate her signature sound and evolve it into this extremely solid project. Doja’s flow used to bother me, but when it’s paired up with production that is interesting, fun and super synthy, she can really shine. Most of the features on this project are great additions to the vibe of the album. With all of these features I was concerned that someone would have a bigger performance than her, but she was able to match their energies or even outperform some guests. This unapologetic super sexual album with production to match the energy is an album you shouldn’t miss.
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