T-Pain, Calle 13, David Archuleta, John Legend and Q-Tip
the music press
fri 11/14/2008
- Florida rapper T-Pain is back with Thr33 Ringz, a "polished and self-fulfilling collection of hip-pop singles" that are "drenched in what already sounded like last year's sound a couple years ago," according to Slant magazine. T-Pain has had "his Auto-Tuned swagger jacked by everyone from Kanye to Lil Wayne, but he has kept his sound fresh with a bottomless bag of hooks and a grainy rasp that the computers can’t buff away," applauds Blender.
- Puerto Rican hip hop-reggaetón duo Calle 13 drop Los De Atrás Vienen Conmigo (The Ones Left Behind Me Are Coming With Me). The Houston Press can hardly contain its excitement: "Combining the fun of its debut with the follow-up's sonic adventurism, Conmigo is a genre-redefining — if not genre-shattering — triumph." The New York Times is just a wee bit more reserved: "Few hip hop or urban acts, in any language, match so much ambition to so much fun."
- American Idol runner-up David Archuleta releases his self-titled debut. Described as "one of those once-in-a-decade pop voices" by Billboard, the 17-year-old singer is "too sweet to be sexy," according to Rolling Stone. "[Y]ou glimpse hints of how his innate tenderness might triumph if he weren't saddled with the most generic writing and production money can buy," laments Entertainment Weekly.
- R&B singer and longtime Kanye West collaborator John Legend releases his third album, Evolver. "Even when soul singer John Legend is proposing one of the traditionally worst ideas in romance — sleeping with his best friend — he still makes a pretty convincing argument," chuckles The Los Angeles Times. "Smooth to a fault, Evolver solidifies Legend's standing in the pantheon of good soul singers, but greatness continues to elude him," writes The Onion's A.V. Club.
- Former A Tribe Called Quest frontman Q-Tip returns with The Renaissance after a 10-year "hiatus." AllMusic calls it a "worthy comeback for the man who's arguably done more to make hip-hop enjoyable than any other figure," while U.K. newspaper The Guardian underscores that the "album's frequent changes of mood and direction dazzle." Spin magazine agrees: "Up-tempo and uplifting, this largely self-produced record blurs distinctions between accessibility and avant-gardism."
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