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Hip-Hop & R&B Music
- New Reviews
5 Discs = Classic | 4.0-4.5 Discs = Impressive | 3.0-3.5
Discs = Noteworthy
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3.5 out of 5 discs |
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Mariah Carey
E=MC2
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The world has had a
love/hate relationship with Mariah Carey when it comes to her
music. She stormed on the scene back in 1990 (wow,
that's a long time ago), and has managed to weather the good,
the bad, and the ugly throughout the years. Many love
her for her ballads, others like her Top 40 Pop songs, while
few seem to enjoy her collaborations with rappers. Well,
all three of those are present on E=MC2,
giving her broad fan base a little taste of everything.
Her standout ballads include "I Stay In Love," "Love Story,"
and "Bye Bye." "Last Kiss" is a decent cut, but it isn't
polished like many of Mariah's career ballads. She
dabbles a little with the Hip-Hop crowd on songs like the
run-of-the-mill track "Migrate" featuring T-Pain and the
halfway decent cut "Side Effects" featuring Young Jeezy.
Her collaboration with Damien Marley on "Cruise Control" has a
tinge of reggae for the melody and comes across a lot more
convincing overall. Her happy-go-lucky tracks include
the lead-off Pop single "Touch My Body," the bouncy R&B flavor
of both "I'm That Chick" and "I'll Be Lovin' U Long Time," the
eyebrow-raising "Thanx 4 Nothin", the Swizz Beatz produced "O.O.C.,
and the mid-tempo, mediocre track "For The Record." She
includes (as always) a highly inspirational song, this time
it's the album closer "I Wish You Well" Even though
E=MC2 isn't her best offering, it will
certainly please most of her fans nonetheless.
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4 out of 5 discs |
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After being released
from prison, Lyfe released his critically acclaimed debut
album LYFE 268-192 and captured the R&B market as a
result. He then faltered a bit with the barely
gold-selling sophomore effort The Phoenix in 2006.
Lyfe returns on the scene with the release of his third album
titled Lyfe Change. He starts the album with the
inspirational "Keep On Dreaming." He then leads into the
song "Warriors," describing all of the folks out there
grinding just to get by. "Never Never Land" talks about
walking away from the game for love and for family.
"Brand New" featuring T.I. discusses how he's happy that his
woman didn't change when his fame and popularity grew leaps
and bounds. "It's Real" is an slow cut where Lyfe
addresses the realness of AIDS and wrapping it up for
protection. "Cops Up" is a good track until the annoying
chorus is played, leaving you shaking your head wondering what
in the world is going on. "If You Think You've Got It
Bad" is a laid-back reggae track featuring Wyclef Jean that
talks about being fortunate about the good things because it
could be worse. The twosome continue their social
commentary with "Wild Wild Wild," referencing people's
misguided lives and hypocritical behavior. The crossover
potential of "Midnight Train" is undeniable, and it is easily
the best offering on the album because it shows that you can
say so much with so little. "Hmmm" is equally as diverse
in its delivery, but less likely to be a released single.
"Old School" is a mid-tempo track that is meant more as a feel
good song and features Snoop Dogg for a short verse towards
the end. "Will I Ever" is a smoothed out ballad that
questions whether or not love will come calling one day.
He does include the song "Baby I'm A Star" as a bonus track,
but it doesn't seem like a necessary inclusion. Lyfe
Jennings does a knockout job with Lyfe Change and
shouldn't have any difficulty with people relating to his
newest material.
Listen to "Midnight Train" by clicking or copying/pasting
this link to your Media Player. |
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2 out of
5 discs |
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Ray J
All I Feel
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Ray J has struggled for years trying to
find an identity in the public's eye as anything but Brandy's
little brother. He's tried lurid videotapes, mystifying
relationships with celebs, and even on-screen acting and TV
personality jobs. But he always seems to revert back to
his love for music, an avenue that hasn't been very formidable
for him. His first album Everything You Want
featured the pseudo hit "Let It Go," but it certainly didn't
provide much of a significant start to his music career.
The success of "Wait A Minute" on the sophomore effort This
Ain't A Game helped spread his name around a little more.
And the song "One Wish" from Raydiation helped his
popularity grow a little more, but it still left much to be
desired. With the release of All I Feel, Ray J is
hoping to break the one-hit-single-per-album trend, but
ultimately he lives up to his legacy. After an awkward
intro, Ray J goes into full raunchy mode with the song "Like
To Trick." The hit single "Sexy Can I" featuring Yung
Berg is basically a catchy strip club song, a recurring theme
throughout the album. "Gifts" is another one of those
pole-riding tracks, while he tells about cheating on his woman
with another on the song "Girl From The Bronx." He
continues a similar tale about being in love with his mistress
and his wife on the track "Jump Off." Yet another
similar track is the song "Boyfriend" where he's the
self-proclaimed 'boy toy' of another man's wife. "All I
Feel" is a decent cut about not being with his girl anymore,
but the song suffers from Ray J's lack of holding his notes
properly. "It's Up To You" has one of the worst choruses
ever heard, with an altered voice (possibly a vocoder) used
for the lyrics. "Where You At" featuring The Game is
meant to be an anthem for all male and female ballers, but the
beat makes the song unbearable. "Real N!ggaz" is just as
uninspiring in its delivery, and the inclusion of a sub par
verse from Styles P doesn't do much for the song. He
closes with the decent throwback sounds of "Good Girl Gone
Bad" featuring Shorty Mack. If Ray J was hoping that
All I Feel would be his breakout album, he's got another
thing coming...and that's the unemployment line.
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4 out of 5 discs |
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The Roots are probably
the longest-running active rap crew, and for good reason.
With every project, they put together their own unique mix of
music, lyrics, and originality that is unmatched by any other
rap entity around. Their sound transcends Hip-Hop, a
move that can be both tricky and ingenious depending on how
well it is executed. Many have been long-standing fans
of the Roots, but with each reinvention they capture a new
segment of the population that become familiar with their
material. With their eighth studio album Rising Down,
The Roots seem to only be concerned with entertaining their
legion of fans than conforming their sound to get mass appeal
via the radio or television. The album starts off with
Mos Def and Styles P collaborating with the group on the
hard-hitting title track "Rising Down." They keep the
energy going for "Get Busy" featuring Peedi Peedi (a.k.a.
Peedi Crakk), Dice Raw, and Philadelphia counterpart DJ Jazzy
Jeff on the wheels of steel. Black Thought runs solo for
the drum-heavy "75 Bars," while "Criminal" features Brooklyn
rapper Saigon and Truck North and a large dose of
experimentation when it comes to the music. "I Will Not
Apologize" is a decent album track that features Talib Kweli
(he's only on the chorus though), Dice Raw, and P.O.R.N.
Malik B. continues his ongoing contributions to The Roots (he
disappeared for a number of albums before reappearing on the
group's previous album Game Theory) with the song "I
Can't Help It." Truck North, Dice Raw, and P.O.R.N.
reappear for the dark tale "Singing Man." Malik B. and
Talib Kweli surface again for "Lost Desire" while Common makes
his presence felt for "The Show," a song that speaks to the
desire behind being a consummate rapper. The album
closes with the tune "Rising Up" with DC rapper Wale and R&B
sensation Chrisette Michelle adding their own flavor to the
song. Rising Down is definitely worth it if you
are a long-time fan of the Roots or a Hip-Hop lover looking
for something different than the current offerings on the
market today. |
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4 out of 5 discs |
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Gnarls Barkley
The Odd Couple
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Brian
Burton and Thomas Callaway might not be names that you are
familiar with, but the two men are far from unknown.
After the overnight sensation of the single "Crazy" and the
critically acclaimed debut album St. Elsewhere, the
ingenious recording artists that make up Gnarls Barkley became
much more than a duo with a humorous moniker. They broke
down all barriers and broke all the rules when it came to
appealing to a global audience. Nobody expected them to
be as popular as they did, a sentiment that both Dangermouse
and Cee-Lo probably felt as well. The dynamic duo
returns with the highly-anticipated follow-up The Odd
Couple, an album that most certainly will be measured up
against its predecessor. "Charity Case" is a fun ditty
that leads off the album, while "Who's Gonna Save My Soul" is
a slow, drawn-out bluesy track that suits Cee-Lo's distinctive
voice perfectly. "Going On" is a good example of
Dangermouse's use of single-time and double-time beats for the
same track, a technique rarely heard in today's music.
"Run" is a hyperactive cut that is great for workouts and is
far from the lethargic song "Would Be Killer" that follows on
the album. "Open Book" is probably the most abstract
selection on the album with both Cee-Lo's idiosyncratic
delivery and Dangermouse's production having a purposeful
ambiguity to it. "Whatever" is the perfect title since
it captures the apathetic nature of the tale told by Cee-Lo
about being alone in the world. "Surprise" is classic
Gnarls fair, while "No Time Soon" sounds nothing like any
other Gnarls song because of its stripped down melody and Cee-Lo's
extended chanting throughout. "She Knows" is a short
abstract offering with a rather eclectic mix of music behind
it. The welcomed weirdness continues with the uncanny
"Blind Mary." "Neighbors" is another album standout with
its infectious melody and Cee-Lo's unrelenting verses.
They end the album with "A Little Better," an contemplative
tune that is in line with their other material. It may not be
as groundbreaking as St. Elsewhere, but fans of the
first album should enjoy most of The Odd Couple. |
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3.5 out of 5 discs |
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Rick Ross is back after
taking the rap world by storm with his mammoth hit single "Hustlin'"
commanding the airwaves, cd decks, and cell phones.
Heck, the ringtone went Platinum before his debut album
Port of Miami was even released. It's unfortunate
that this only translated to a Gold album, but the groundwork
was laid for him to make his newest project just as
anticipated. He starts off Trilla with the
matter-of-fact disposition of "All I Have In This World"
featuring Mannie Fresh, who tactfully uses the famous Scarface
line for the chorus. T-Pain lends a hand for the
hard-hitting track "The Boss," while R. Kelly lays his vocals
for the alluring cut "Speedin'" The old school
beat pairs up nicely with Rick's straightforward lyrics on "We
Shinin'" "Money Make Me Come" is for the money-hungry
women who ride and die with their hustlin' lovers. The
song sounds mysteriously like Rocko's "Umma Do Me," probably
because both were produced by newcomer Drumma Boy. Trey
Songz appears on another hustler's anthem titled "This Is The
Life," while Rick continues his street talk and drug
references on "This Me." The radio friendly cut "Here I
Am" featuring Nelly and Avery Storm has a mid-tempo flow and
is geared to the female listeners. The clear cut album
banger has to be the Jay-Z assisted "Maybach Music," a
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production you can only hope they'll do
a video for. It is followed nicely with two additional
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League tracks, namely the thumpin' heaters
"Billionaire" and "Luxury Tax" featuring Lil Wayne, Trick
Daddy, and Young Jeezy. The album closes with the sub
par "Reppin My City" and "I'm Only Human" (yes, the latter
idiotically uses the melody from the 80s song by Human
League). Luckily there are more hits than misses on the
rapper's sophomore effort, making Trilla a good buy if
you're into Rick Ross. |
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