Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, Franco 'El Gorila,' Mos Def and Method Man & Redman
the music press
mon 6/15/2009
- Black Eyed Peas' latest, The E.N.D. (The Energy Never Dies), is "likely to dominate radio and the Internet this summer, its sharp flavors simultaneously driving listeners nuts and drawing them back," according to The Los Angeles Times. The quartet's fifth album gets a "B" from Entertainment Weekly: "When the group's glitchy future-funk beats sync up with Fergie's unabashedly feminine melodies… they find pure Top 40 nirvana." The U.K.'s Guardian has mixed feelings: "Many of these electro-pop-rap tracks sound as though they were recorded with DJs in mind, rather than fans."
- Five years after the release of the critically-acclaimed American Idiot, pop-punkers Green Day deliver their eighth album, 21st Century Breakdown. Punk magazine Alternative Press is impressed: "Breakdown brims with a type of self-confidence the band never before expressed on tape – the kind that only comes with a multi-platinum, universally acclaimed success and the attached feeling that you can do no wrong." Rolling Stone can't get enough: "[It's] so masterful and confident it makes Idiot seem like a warm-up."
- Reggaetonero Franco "El Gorila" makes his debut with Welcome To The Jungle, a "sure-fire reggaetón fix for fans of Wisin y Yandel and other high-profile players," according to About. Blog Real Talk Reggaetón says its a surprise: "Franco shows his soft side."
- Veteran rapper and actor Mos Def is back with The Ecstatic, "easily his finest full-length since Black on Both Sides, his 1999 solo debut," according to Spin magazine. USA Today agrees: "In the intervening years, he's probably drawn more critical acclaim for his acting than his interesting but inconsistent music. But he fully realizes his promise as one of hip-hop's most contemplative rappers." Hip hop blogger/hater Bryon "Bol" Crawford is yawning: "The whole thing just plods along, with Mos often sounding worn out and bored. It’s only when guest emcees show up that Mos sounds invigorated."
- A decade after they teamed up on Blackout!, Method Man and Redman release a sequel, Blackout! 2, a "blast of nostalgia that doesn’t sound bitter or even particularly dated," according to The New York Times. "The veteran dynamic duo brings electricity and a desperately needed sense of humor to the hip-hop scene," writes The Boston Globe, adding: "Only they, and their weed dealers, know why it took a decade for them to drop these sizzling tracks." Vibe magazine says it passes the smell test: "Red and Meth never stray too far from witty punch lines and their Cheech & Chong-of-rhyme act."
Eminem, Alexis y Fido, Rick Ross, Asher Roth and Depeche Mode
the music press
mon 5/25/2009
- After a five-year hiatus, Eminem returns with the much-awaited Relapse. "Over 20 relentless tracks, he piles rhyme on top of rhyme till you're brain hurts trying to keep up. Funny and furious, the album is a virtuoso display to make young pretenders (like Asher Roth) sound like rank amateurs," proclaims the U.K.'s Telegraph. "If it's stronger than his last album, Encore, that's because Em's doing what he does best: cleaning out his closet. And there's more psychotic shit piled up in there than ever," observes Rolling Stone.
- Reggaetón duo Alexis y Fido are back with Down To Earth. "The duo proves reggaeton's rough edges can be smoothed over: singers can stay in tune, rapid-fire flows aren't married to recycled beats, and electronica can finally have a permanent place at the perreo dancer's dancefloor," writes Rhapsody. "Most of the songs have dembow and had some crazy production," notes Real Talk Reggaetón, adding that the two "kept their word of staying to their reggaetón roots while still keeping up with the new trends in the genre."
- Miami rapper Rick Ross releases his third album, Deeper Than Rap, on his own label, Mayback Music Group. "He may rap like he's out of touch with reality, but with bass lines this deep and synths this huge, you might forget the present era's woes yourself," suggests Entertainment Weekly. "Titular aspirations aside, Ross’ goals are actually minimal: to provide absurdist and escapist sunshine rap that sounds good in a Maybach, for people who can’t afford to drive a $344,000 car," writes The Los Angeles Times.
- Rookie MC Asher Roth releases, Asleep in the Bread Aisle, an "admirable debut from a talented young artist searching for his own voice," according to AllHipHop. Not so fast, says Spin magazine: "Roth's debut boasts a laziness that borders on contempt. Unburdened by Kanye's melancholia or Eminem's vertiginousness, Roth is perfectly likable, and perfectly bland." Vibe agrees: "[F]or all of his touted promise, Asher needs to study the game a bit longer before he’s ready to graduate."
- Veteran technopop outfit Depeche Mode release their twelfth album, Sounds Of The Universe. The Onion's A.V. Club loves it: "[E]ven in 2009, Depeche Mode’s members are masters of electronic pop, crafting an inimitable sonic atmosphere that almost never sounds dated." URB magazine says the Brits have "produced another album fit to fill headphones and stadiums." The New York Times is not impressed: [E]ven at its most imaginative, this is seamless Depeche Mode filler, music that could be made by any number of acolytes."
Flo Rida, Tito "El Bambino," Day 26, Bow Wow and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
the music press
mon 4/20/2009
- Miami rapper Flo Rida returns with the chart-topping R.O.O.T.S, an album in which "each track feels maximized for optimum radio saturation," according to Entertaniment Weekly. "These are rap songs that have very little to do with rap music. His sample choices would make even late-1990s Puff Daddy blush," teases the New York Times. "[Flo Rida] injects these songs with enough grit to interest hip-hop fans, without scaring the pop audiences his catchy hooks are designed to ensnare. It's ruthlessly effective, though difficult to love," observes The Guardian U.K.
- El Patrón, the new album by Tito "El Bambino" is "straight fire," according to Real Talk Reggaetón, which is "surprised with Tito's new style as he is no longer doing that 'innocent' style… and is now doing perreos." Hissip asks: "Who knew there was vulnerability in this gangster?," before noting that Tito is "evolving tremendously as an artist from his It’s My Time and Top of the Line days."
- Rapper Bow Wow's new album, New Jack City II, is "made for pumping in your car with the windows down," writes IGN, before adding: But [it] lacks teeth." "It’s short, has no variety, and Bow Wow spits ABC lyrics like it’s his job," laments Nappyafro, calling it the "worst he's ever put out." XXL Mag says he needs to stop living in the past: "Nine years into his career, Bow Wow knows a thing or two about making radio hits, but he stumbles here trying to recreate past magic on every track."
- R&B outfit Day26 return with Forever in A Day, their second album on Bad Boy Records. Vibe magazine is smitten: "With an almost flawless follow-up, Diddy’s foursome have made an oh-so rare transition from must-see TV to must-hear CD." Uwire calls Day 26 a "throwback to ’90s R&B when male R&B groups were at their peak," while YK2 Daily says the group "fill[s] the void which was once occupied by former quartet 112."
- Argentinean ska-rock combo Los Fabulosos Cadillacs return from a seven-year hiatus with La Luz Del Ritmo, "the kind of unfortunate album legendary bands release just before reuniting for their concert tour," according to Club Fonograma. Although the group "remains faithful to the mix of ska, reggae and tropical rock that catapulted it to the fore of the rock en español movement," Time Out New York thinks the album "sounds somewhat dated, at best nostalgic." The Washington City Paper calls it a "gratifying new EP" that "should serve as a primer for the LFC’s '90s classics."
The-Dream, Kelly Clarkson, Kinky, Keri Hilson and DOOM
the music press
mon 3/30/2009
- Love vs. Money, the new album by R&B singer, songwriter and producer The-Dream, is "genuinely odd," according to Rolling Stone, which describes it as "avant-garde dance music and radio-friendly pop." Vibe thinks the man behind "Umbrella" and "Single Ladies" is "not doing anything new, per se—he’s just sampled the best parts of the old." The Boston Globe can't stop raving about it: "Unlike his spotty debut, this is a seamless, brilliantly produced affair featuring his unmatched contemporary pop technique and songwriting craftsmanship."
- American Idol alum Kelly Clarkson "makes nice with the pop machine and takes back the mall while keeping her integrity" on her fourth album, All I Ever Wanted, according to Blender magazine. The follow-up to Clarkson's disappointing My December gets a "B+" from Entertainment Weekly: "Does ['My Life Would Suck Without You'] mean our queen is back? In a word, yes." The Los Angeles Times agrees, calling the album a "generous helping of the Kelly so many love – yes, Photoshopped and slicked up, but with her big, brilliantly accessible heart and voice intact."
- Mexican dancer rockers Kinky flirt with pop on their sixth release, Barracuda. "This is the sweatiest, most accessible record that the band has yet released, which makes its middle third all the more disappointing given the great songs that surround it," laments Popmatters. "How you feel about Kinky’s fourth effort will likely be determined by how you view their overall progression toward more gloss, increased pop, bigger beats and added sonic trendiness (hey, ‘80s British New Wave!)," writes Metromix.
- R&B singer-producer and Timbaland protégé Keri Hilson releases her debut album, In A Perfect World. Slant magazine slams it, calling it "merely passable," before adding: "Hilson needs to do much more than pick fights with Beyoncé to justify her transition from hook girl to solo star." Allmusic echoes the opinion: "If [Hilson] didn't… fill the songs with her beaming personality and casually fluid voice, and didn't have top-level producers providing mostly excellent beats, it would be a mess."
- Masked underground rapper Daniel Dumile (MF DOOM, Madvillain) returns as DOOM with his latest, Born Like This. "After a period of workaholism that threatened overkill, followed by a period of hibernation, Born Like This finds DOOM back to his scalpel-tongued, scatter-mouthed best," observes The Guardian. "While he hasn’t had the breakthrough success many of his contemporaries have had, he is still one of the best around," proclaims Clashmusic.
Lily Allen, Bobby Valentino, Morrissey, Ryan Leslie and The Lonely Island
the music press
thu 2/19/2009
- U.K. pop phenom Lily Allen is back with It's Not Me, It's You, a "pop album brave enough to have a go at defining the times," according to The Guardian. The British paper says Lily Allen is "the perfect pop star for these crumbling times, and this album is the proof." The Los Angeles Times agrees: "She's mischievous, sweet as powdered sugar, backstabbing at her worst and absolutely irrepressible."
- Ludacris-backed R&B singer Bobby Valentino is back with his third album, Rebirth. "He displays his typical naughty side on 'Butterfly Tattoo,' though for the most part, he strays from the usual playboy persona displayed on previous efforts," observes the Associated Press. Valentino "builds on his past successes while also offering some richer instrumentation and some grown-up lyrics," writes Metromix, while The Coolest Out blog wonders: "Oh my, poor Bobby V, what happened to you? You are but a pale image of the smash hits 'Tell Me' & 'Slow Down' that I remember from 2005."
- Former The Smiths frontman Morrissey releases his tenth studio album, Years of Refusal. "Age can undermine lesser rockers. But time's cruel toll just validates Morrissey's morbid drama-queen spiels — to paraphrase a lyric from his old band the Smiths, he has earned it, baby," chides Rolling Stone. "Morrissey 2009 isn't always as exciting as the Morrissey of old, but despite his focus on mortality and aging the time around, the guy is far from dead," proclaims Stereogum.
- Washington R&B producer-singer Ryan Leslie drops his self-titled debut. Despite calling him a "competent vocalist at best," Entertainment Weekly says it's "a testament to Leslie's extraordinary melodic instincts that the disc has as much replay value as it does." Vibe Magazine calls it a "project heavy in power production, but skim on memorable showmanship." Billboard digs it: "What took Universal Motown so long to release this attractive body of work? That's the question R&B aficionados may find themselves asking after one listen to Leslie's much-delayed self-titled album."
- The Lonely Island, the comedy trio behind "D**k in a Box" and "J**z In My Pants," releases its debut, Incredibad. Led by Saturday Night Live star Andy Samberg, the group is joined by guests like T-Pain, E-40 and Julian Casablancas of The Strokes. "[I]f you didn’t know they were spouting jokes, you might mistake this for the hottest rap record in 2009," predicts Review Chicago. "[T]he surprise is how good the music is, how pitch-perfect the style parodies and production for them are, how much this isn't just a collection of random tracks with a few intermittent laughs," writes Paste Magazine.
Akon, Common, Fall Out Boy, Keyshia Cole and Kevin Rudolf
the music press
mon 1/5/2009
- Senegalese-American singer-rapper Akon returns with Freedom, an album filled with "extremely breezy, Caribbean-tinged songs that are less hip-hop than lucid pop," according to The Boston Globe. "[H]is best songs [are] light, expertly constructed and just a touch insipid," writes The New York Times. Rolling Stone calls Freedom "pure melodrama about love and love lost, delivered in a hooting style over synth-swamped beats that are closer to early Peter Gabriel than to 2008 hip-hop."
- Rapper and actor Common drops Universal Mind Control, his eighth album. Spin magazine loves its retro sound: "While we're used to Common in the role of poetic prophet or self-righteous rhyme slayer, Universal Mind Control is primarily a rhythmic celebration, paying tribute to Afrika Bambaataa and Jonzun Crew jams." The Los Angeles Times applauds his new direction: "Common tries to break away, taking on a harder, naughtier persona and dipping his typically dusty grooves in executive producer Pharrell's cold chemical wash. For part of the album, the techno gambit blows fresh air into Common's paisley pondering."
- American pop-punkers Fall Out Boy release their fifth album, Folie à Deux (Madness For Two). "For all the negatives said, written or blogged about Fall Out Boy (and trust us, there are a lot), it's damn near impossible to fault the Chicago-born band for their creativity, ingenuity and willingness to try just about anything," gushes Alternative Press. The Onion's AV Club gives the album an "A" while underscoring that the band is overshadowed by bassist Pete Wentz's tabloid escapades: "While the adulation of millions of kids has made the Chicago quartet a platinum-selling arena act, the group inspires equally passionate disdain from non-fans, who made 'Wentz' slang for 'douche.'"
- California R&B singer-songwriter Keyshia Cole is back with a new hairdo and a new album, A New Me. USA Today calls it "sexier [and] more playful," featuring "much less pain than on previous works." Entertainment Weekly thinks she's "chosen an odd way to escape" the Mary J. Blige comparisons, since Cole "turns her focus from heartbreak to happiness only a few years after Blige promised she was done with drama." Allmusic digs the change of pace: "Cole pushes herself into new territory and becomes a more versatile songwriter and vocalist in convincing, frequently thrilling, fashion."
- Miami based producer and rocker Kevin Rudolf releases In The City, an album that "cribs tricks from both rap and rock 'n' roll, not in the pursuit of a bastardized Limp Bizkit-type hybrid, but with the intention to produce a crossover rock record with modern hip-hop tools," according to the BBC. Despite the album's flaws, hip hop webzine Rap Reviews enjoys Rudolf's Cash Money Records debut: "In the City offers good production, excellent melodies, and – of course – the same song, ideas, and kinds of guest appearances many times over. Still, I'd recommend it as a blueprint for potential."
Kanye West, Beyonce, Ludacris, Guns N' Roses and The Killers.
the music press
wed 12/3/2008
- Kanye West follows last year's chart-topping Graduation with his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak. The album is a "meditation on realness as it's been defined by materialism and machismo in the hip-hop world, and by love and sorrow in the larger one," according to the Los Angeles Times. The Guardian UK compares it to Radiohead's Kid A and applauds Kanye for "finishing the work begun by producers Timbaland and Pharrell Williams in drawing on areas of black music thought sissy by rap's still macho core audience."
- R&B diva Beyonce drops I Am... Sasha Fierce, featuring Beyonce on the first disc and her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce, on the second CD. Entertainment Weekly thinks the move "ultimately seems like a marketing gimmick." Beyonce's alter-ego leaves Vibe magazine puzzled: "It’s unclear when multi-faceted became multiple personality disorder … but this double CD raises some interesting questions. For instance, how can a sexy singer who makes sexy up-tempo tracks have an alter ego that also makes sexy, up-tempo tracks?"
- Ludacris is back with his seventh release, Theater Of The Mind. "Though he's acting more than rapping, Luda wants to prove Hollywood hasn't softened his skills," writes Rolling Stone, which gives Ludacris three and a half stars for being a "fine horn-dog comedian." Prefix mag has nothing but good things to say: "Ludacris has never recorded a verse that could legitimately be called 'wack' and Theater of the Mind keeps that record intact."
- After 15 years without a new album, L.A. metal rockers Guns N' Roses release the long-awaited Chinese Democracy. Is it worth the wait? "The answer has to be no, of course not, how could it be? That said, it's an exhilarating album," writes The Boston Globe. Webzine Popmatters sums it up with one question: "[W]hen you’re standing in front of that drinking hole jukebox a decade from now and you’re deciding whether to spend your last quarter on Appetite for Destruction's 'Sweet Child O’ Mine' or Democracy's 'Madagascar,' which one are you inevitably going to choose?"
- Las Vegas rock band The Killers return to the fray with Day & Age. Paste magazine says although it "may occasionally miss the mark," the group's third studio release is "the sophomore album they should’ve made two years ago." Spin magazine agrees: "[B]y becoming more comfortable with their glitzy roots, they've actually found the pulse of something more authentic. After all, you can't take the Vegas out of the showmen."
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."
Nelly, Pussycat Dolls, T.I., Gym Class Heroes and Jazmine Sullivan
the music press
mon 10/13/2008
- After a four-year hiatus, St. Louis rapper Nelly delivers his fifth album, Brass Knuckles. The Village Voice says he's playing second fiddle to his guests, "many of whom, uncomfortably enough, have eclipsed their host in the public consciousness (Fergie, Rick Ross)." The Boston Globe thinks he waited too long: "Four years is a long time to be gone. The market he had essentially cornered since 2000 was in middle school the last time he released a record."
- Girl-power pop combo Pussycat Dolls deliver their sophomore effort, Doll Domination, a "collection of electro-pop songs that are the opposite of sex: belligerent come-ons and odes to singledom stripped of pleasure, adventure or anything resembling fun," according to the Los Angeles Times. "After the inexplicable 'failure' of Nicole's solo album … it was smart to spotlight the, uh, talents of the other pussycats this go 'round," observes Slant Magazine.
- Atlanta's T.I. drops Paper Trail, an album in which he "mostly dispenses with the Tupac-wannabe gangsta-confessor pretensions to deliver catchy, tight, bombastic pop-rap," according to Rolling Stone. T.I. finds the "perfect balance of comedy and tragedy, swagger and humble attitude, pop music and hardcore hip-hop," and "[lives] up to the nickname 'Jay-Z of the South' in a big way," gushes webzine Rap Reviews.
- New York rap-rockers Gym Class Heroes return with their fourth album, The Quilt, a "misguided effort to be taken seriously as a hip-hop band," according to Entertainment Weekly. "It's the kind of benign mall music that's likely to be played ad nauseam at trendy chains like Wet Seal and Forever 21 while tweens shop for colored denim and leggings." Spin magazine agrees: "These dudes … are the Black Eyed Peas of the Warped tour set."
- R&B newcomer Jazmine Sullivan flexes her songwriting skills on her debut, Fearless, an album "just two songs shy of being a benchmark classic in the annals of music history," proclaims Soul Tracks. "Sullivan may be just 21, but the singer-songwriter proves herself a veteran in the game of love," declares Billboard.com. Sullivan's vocals are "perfection," raves Vibe magazine.
Young Jeezy, The Game, Metallica, Jonas Brothers and Solange
the music press
thu 9/4/2008
- The ATL's Young Jeezy drops his highly-anticipated third album, The Recession. "Previously criticized for strange rhymes and repeating lines, Jeezy delivers some great turns of phrase," commends Billboard.com. "Jeezy’s improvement as a lyricist is obvious. It’s almost hard to believe that there was a time when the highlights of his songs were his adlibs," gushes Vibe magazine, adding, "the Snowman has proven he won’t melt under the pressure of flashing lights."
- Beef-loving L.A. rapper The Game releases LAX, his follow-up to the platinum Doctor's Advocate. The Los Angeles Times thinks it misses the mark: "The Compton-raised rapper's conservative inclination to stick to the gangsta tropes of money, drugs and guns feels limiting at times, as does the album's bloated 1-hour-and-16-minute running time." URB magazine begs to differ: "Sure, it turns into some serious namedropping (almost always), but it’s also the reason why he’s three-for-three in the category of dope, dope records."
- After a five-year hiatus, veteran metalheads Metallica return with Death Magnetic, an album that is "the musical equivalent of Russia's invasion of Georgia — a sudden act of aggression from a sleeping giant," according to Rolling Stone. Music blog The Quietus says Death Magnetic "rinse[s] away the painful memories of watching Some Kind Of Monster, [which shows] Metallica as a bunch of whining, apron tied clowns with no social skills."
- Tween superstars Jonas Brothers release A Little Bit Longer. Entertainment Weekly gives it a "B+" and congratulates: "Assuming each generation gets the teen idols it deserves, then today's kids must have done something good — God knows what — to have merited the Jonas Brothers." Blender gives the trio 4 out of 5 stars for its feel-good pop-rock: "Becoming a teenager is confusing and scary. The Jonases offer a friendly road map."
- Solange Knowles attempts to shake the "Beyoncé's little sister" tag with Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, "a peppy album, rich with thumping horns, crisp percussion and light piano melodies." Despite a whiff of praise, The New York Times concludes "Solange can’t quite keep up." Allmusic disagrees, calling it "one of the year's more entertaining and easily enjoyable R&B releases," because it's "fronted by … someone who is slightly more concerned with raw emotion and clowning around than technical prowess and polished product."
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