“a brutal but brilliant reckoning with chronic illness”
“Its depressive power also gives it a a spirit of commiseration”
“On an album where the pop artist insists they can be anything, they refuse to languish as a hit-making commodity.”
“Halsey is no stranger to impersonation. The 2010s Tumblr darling, born Ashley Frangipane, has lived many lives in their decade-long career: from the blue-haired teenage-defiance of their debut record Badlands; the grandiosity of the Romeo and Juliet-inspired hopeless fountain kingdom; the emergence of Ashley on Manic and the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross produced If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power”
“Too many personas and not enough personality on Halsey’s The Great Impersonator”
“With a muddled concept at its core, Halsey’s fifth album languishes in dull pop-rock corridors behind emotionally potent but unremarkable songwriting.”
“Halsey & The Great Impersonator: What Catharsis Through Art Feels Like. Ashley Nicolette Frangipane, more famously known for her stage name “Halsey” has always endowed her work with a heavy sense of personalization; whether that be her Tumblr blogs where she originally gained fame, her 2015 debut album “Badlands”, or in the collection of her published poetry within her book: “I Would Leave Me If I Could”, and her most recent release “The Great Impersonator” is no stranger to this alluring and inspiring element of her work. In order to do the album some justice, it is important to understand the framework in which Halsey was working under while constructing this piece of art. She had recently left her longtime partner, bore a son, and had multiple health scares, including a cancer diagnosis. Although Halsey is healthy and living a happy life today, the album is littered with laments and what if’s — reasonably so — as she navigated the possibility of orphaning her only child. Halsey, although having put out a rock album previous to this album’s release, was first and foremost a pop star, but she had always dabbled in other genres, such as in “Ashley”’s ‘you should be sad’, which has a melodic yet melancholic country twist on a breakup anthem. Halsey’s main inspiration for this album’s sound wasn’t to just create, it was to curate a blend of songs that resembled loosely the influences that helped her become so successful in her music career, ranging from Amy Lee of Evanescence to Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, and even to Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. Halsey’s prose shines the most superb on this collection, as her most interpersonal struggles are perfectly represented in songs such as “The End”, “I Believe in Magic”, and “Lucky”. Halsey takes brave strides toward grunge inside of “Lonely is the muse”, and even hints at her own musical talents inside of “Hurt Feelings”, a deeply sad yet relatable song for those of us who’ve struggled with parental abuse and neglect. Halsey’s expertise only continued to enrich as the years pass, and there were plenty of examples of that on this album. This is one of the most vulnerable and important albums I’ve yet to encounter, and I hope everyone listens to it with a sympathetic and sincere manner. Standout Tracks: Ego, Panic Attack, Lonely is the Muse, Arsonist, Hurt Feelings, and Lucky.”
“The Great Impersonator feels like Halsey stepping into every version of herself and owning them all. It’s theatrical, bold, and emotionally layered in a way that hits hard. The storytelling is sharp—equal parts vulnerable and biting—with Halsey blending alt-pop, rock, and cinematic sounds like only she can. Tracks like Lonely Is The Muse are instant standouts, with haunting vocals and lyrics that linger. If there’s one thing holding it back from a full five stars, it’s maybe a tiny bit of overproduction in spots—but honestly, that’s a nitpick. This is Halsey in full control of her artistry, and it’s stunning.”
