Album Review || "Planet Her" by Doja Cat

Doja Cat just released her highly anticipated third studio album, Planet Her, after a very successful year because of her second studio album, Hot Pink. Doja Cat slowly started becoming the new "it" girl in the rap/pop scene, as she proved to be a very versatile artist. She fit perfectly on collaborations released within the year, her performances consistently got better, and she seemed to be taking her art more seriously, while still maintaining her quirky personality.

Doja Cat began the Planet Her era with "Kiss Me More" featuring SZA. SZA is one of my favorite artists, so I was very excited about the collaboration. However, on my initial listen, I thought the song was underwhelming. As a lead single, I found it to be very weak compared to the singles released from the Hot Pink era. I'm not exactly sure what happened, but as time went by, Kiss Me More became one of my favorite songs of the year. The chorus gets stuck in your head and the mellow instrumental makes it a very calming and enjoyable experience every time it comes on.

Need To Know was released as the second single and I had a worse reaction to it than Kiss Me More. On my initial listen, Need To Know sounded messy. There was so much happening with the instrumental that it took a while for my ears to fully process it. It's still not my favorite, but it has definitely grown on me.

Going into Planet Her, my expectations weren't very high because of the singles released before the album. However, as soon as I pressed play on the first track, Woman, I was excited. I never imagined Doja Cat on an Afro-beat, but it worked so well and I would love for her to do more songs with this production style. The lyrics express Doja's femininity and all the things she can offer as a woman. After listening to the album, I think Woman would have been a better choice for a lead single, instead of Kiss Me More because it is more in line with the intended concept of Planet Her.

Speaking about the concept of Planet Her, it doesn't seem to have one. With a title like that, I assumed it would have been an album where Doja would discuss more topics about femininity and sexuality. However, only the first track, Woman, is conceptually cohesive with the title of the album.

Doja has always been an artist who isn't afraid to experiment with her sound, but there are two songs on the album that feel inauthentic to her as an artist: "Get Into It (Yuh)" and "Imagine". "Get Into It (Yuh)" sounds like a Coi Leray rip-off and for "Imagine", the overused autotune isn't something Doja needs and it certainly doesn't stand out in the best way.

Another issue I have with the album is the tracklisting. I don't understand how we move from Naked to Payday and from Options to Ain't Shit. In addition, Kiss Me More ends the album on a cliffhanger, because it doesn't feel like an album closer, but I could see it being a great segue into her next album.

Overall, Planet Her is an enjoyable pop/rap album. With Doja switching between singing and rapping throughout the record, it will keep your attention. The runtime of Planet Her is almost 45 minutes, but it doesn't feel that long, because of how different all the songs are and Doja's cadence on each of them.

Though my review seems critical, I genuinely think it is a really good album. If you're a fan of pop music, you'll definitely love it. Although I thought the concept of the album was loose, there are definitely some great songs on here. I have listened to Planet Her three times now and it does get better with each listen. Whether or not it will withstand the test of time is debatable, but for right now, I like it and I think you will, too.

Rating: 7/10

Favorite songs: Woman, Kiss Me More (feat. SZA), Love To Dream, I Don't Do Drugs (feat. Ariana Grande), Ain't Shit, Alone, Options (feat. J.I.D.), Need To Know, Payday (feat. Young Thug)

Least favorite: Get Into It (Yuh)

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