There are moments of astounding beauty on Childqueen, many of them aided by Bonet's fantastic use of strings and flutes. The mesmerizing tremolos of the strings in "Childqueen" provide great foil to its often indecipherable, but always charming vocals. The arrangements are equally as impressive on "Joy", where lush strings and flutes expand on a lovely melody introduced by the vocal refrain that opens the piece.
Although elegant strings and flutes are a key aspect of Bonet's musical arsenal, Childqueen cannot be summed up with this alone. "Delphine" offers a much subtler side of Bonet, her stunning voice slowly soaring over sparse instrumentation. As the track gently moves along, synth keys meander in the background, giving "Delphine" an enthralling spacey atmosphere. Four songs later, the lead single "Mother Maybe" has Bonet shining in a much faster and groovier context. The tune is home to one of the album's most memorable moments, Bonet's voice rising to dizzying heights during its climax.
Throughout the 38 minutes of Childqueen, whatever Bonet does, she does it gracefully. Considering that she handled the majority of the instruments on display here personally, it's hard to place limits on where this musician could go in the future. This is an artist who would likely feel just as comfortable composing a baroque-pop record as she would belting through an impromptu soul session, and it's a privilege to listen to her grow.
