Category: reviews

audio review : Smile ( song ) … Jay-Z

Smile, the one notable song from Jay-Z’s 4:44 album, is a feel-good retrospection. The rapper shines; these bars stand among his all-time best; but the overall aesthetics must be credited to No ID and Stevie Wonder as the former samples a soulful ballad from the latter to create quite a delightful groove.

“Mama had four kids, but she’s a lesbian,” Jay-Z says, though I’d argue that probably means she’s a bisexual, “Had to pretend so long that she’s a thespian.” She also recites a poem, though the song would be better without that final bit, which abandons the unique rearrangement of the Stevie Wonder sample.

my rating : 4 of 5

2017

audio review : 4:44 ( album ) … Jay-Z

audio review : Human ( song ) … Stereo MCs

My only problem with this song; one of the group’s best; is the shortened title. It should be Human Behavior as MC Nick Hallam says at the end of the hook. Aside from that relatively major flaw, it’s a zany and exhilarating affair.

The best bits come during the aforementioned chorus section; a fun and catchy sing-along; though the beat, mixed with happy horns and snappy synths, is no slouch. It’s a production that sounds like it was made to party hard to.

my rating : 4 of 5

2008

audio review : Double Bubble ( album ) ... Stereo MCs

audio review : Double Bubble ( album ) … Stereo MCs

audio review : Double Bubble ( album ) ... Stereo MCs

Human is zany and exhilarating. The rest of the album pales in comparison. The energy level is consistently high; this is music to dance to; but as cool as Rob Birch’s voice may sound over wild party drums and flashy liquid synths, it rarely has anything interesting to offer. It’s mostly rhythmic filler. Perhaps this would’ve been better as a Double album split between regular vocal songs and their instrumental counterparts.

my rating : 3 of 5

2008

audio review : Diamonds From Sierra Leone ( song ) … Kanye West ( featuring Jay-Z )

Jay-Z shines here. Part of it has to do with the grandiose way his protégé Kanye West introduces him and much of it has to do with the beat; an Indianish dance joint led by a Shirley Bassey song sample he (Jay-Z) is wise enough to acknowledge.

He uses too many bars for Memphis Bleek, but this is one of his best verses. West stays truer to the theme; a moral argument against diamonds cut to promote war in Africa. “These ain’t conflict diamonds,” he asks Jacob The Jeweler, “Don’t lie to me, man.”

my rating : 4 of 5

2005

audio review : Late Registration ( album ) ... Kanye West

Magnum ice cream bars : White

Magnum ice cream bars : White

These are vanilla bean ice cream bars, the kind on a wooden stick, covered (dipped) in chocolate; not brown chocolate but white chocolate, which isn’t really chocolate at all.

That’s great because white “chocolate” tastes a lot better than real chocolate. If you’re not used to eating this flavor, in fact, your taste buds may be in for a shock. They’re damn delicious.

my rating : 5 of 5

video review : Arrival

video review : Arrival

The actual Arrival; space alien vessels coming to Earth à la Independence Day; is intriguing. It’s the stay that grows tedious. The beings, which resemble monstrous octopuses, aren’t necessarily out to exterminate but to teach us their language, which does little in the way of tension.

The back and forth lessons between Team America, led by linguist Louise Banks, and the aliens are silly. The speed at which we begin to learn their language and teach them ours seems unrealistic. The time-bending plot revelations that come out of it don’t seem to make much sense.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Acoustic Levitation ( album ) … Devin The Dude

audio review : Acoustic Levitation ( album ) ... Devin The Dude

It’s not just about smoking weed and Gettin High. Floating up to the clouds is what Devin’s music is essentially about, but the first song on this set, appropriately titled Acoustic Levitation given what sounds like acoustic guitars being played throughout, suggests a romantic underlying. Actually it’s more sexual; The Dude loves getting pussy; and Can I sets the tone, though some of the other 1970s-soul-styled grooves are just as smooth.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Which Way Iz West ( album ) … MC Eiht

audio review : Which Way Iz West ( album ) ... MC Eiht

I thought DJ Premier was supposed to provide the beats for this album, which has apparently been in the works for years, but most of the production is handled by Brenk Sinatra. He’s a fitting alternative with a similar style, though neither can match the dramatic hood scores DJ Slip and others orchestrated in the 1990s.

The closest here might be the one song that features Boom Bam and Tha Chill from CMW; Last Ones Left; a smokey riders anthem. The album should start with a solo MC Eiht song, not an Outlawz feature, but that’s its biggest flaw. The beats bang and the vocals are what you’ve been getting from MC Eiht since 89.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : TLC ( album ) … TLC

audio review : TLC ( album ) ... TLC

The unimaginative title and artwork suggest that TLC or TC, considering member Left Eye, the “L”, died in 2002, is back for all the wrong reasons. Haters, a generic pop anthem aimed at critics like me, seems to back that theory. The rest of the album is better.

Way Back, which is clumsily featured twice, the second being an “extended” version, sounds like a summer hit from the 1990s. That’s a good thing. Other standouts include Perfect Girls, a mellow girl power anthem about self esteem à la Unpretty, and American Gold.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : 4:44 ( album ) … Jay-Z

audio review : 4:44 ( album ) ... Jay-Z

Jay-Z should’ve retired after The Black Album like he said he would. None of his albums since justify their existence. This is one of the worst. Every beat is by No ID, whose choppy sample-dependent production has the tendency to annoy.

If there’s one song you should rip “off Tidal”, it’s Smile; a feel-good retrospection that owes its life to a Stevie Wonder ballad. Listen to the title cut if you care to hear Jay-Z’s response to the tea, or Lemonade, his wife spilled last year.

my rating : 2 of 5

2017

audio review : The Bar Exam 4 ( mixtape ) … Royce Da 5-9

audio review : The Bar Exam 4 ( mixtape ) ... Royce Da 5-9

“I’m better than the young’uns,” Royce Da 5-9 says about his rap skills, “better than the legends.” I agree if he means most. Jay-Z, 2Pac, Biggie; all overrated. When it comes to dope lyrics, Royce is the real deal. He’s not on level with Eminem and he seems to know it, but this fourth Bar Exam has him rapping probably the best he has since his 1999 debut. There’s a lot of clever wordplay, but his skills plummet when it comes to making whole songs; a problem for most rappers.

my rating : 3 of 5

2017

audio review : Cry ( song ) … Michael Jackson

The beginning sounds too much like Stranger In Moscow, but the song gets better from there. Cry, which the title suggests is a counterpart to Scream, is actually the new Man In The Mirror; a fact you might not recognize until the end. “Change the world”, is the final message. Back then it was, “Make that change.”

Aesthetically both philanthropy anthems are about the same, but the message sounded more urgent in 1987. The melodies are well composed and the ad-libs during the final minute near classic Michael Jackson, but, despite backup from a full gospel choir, he sounds less energetic, ironically less Invincible, here.

my rating : 4 of 5

2001

audio review : Invincible ( album ) ... Michael Jackson