 |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
![]() |
|
| by kenn on 8/30/2005 11:03:00 PM |
|
|
IGN.com reviews: Late Registration
Source: IGN
Roughly a year-and-a-half has passed since Kanye West burst into the mainstream's conscience with his first "official" release, The College Dropout, the quiet kid from Chicago returns with his legitimate follow-up. Seems as if young Mr. West never left us, since his sped up soul chunks have been favoring the high profile rhymes of folks like Common and his mug has been slapped on a variety of magazine covers and flashed across the cathode ray containers scattered throughout the living rooms of the world.
Of note to musicologists, multi-instrumentalist Jon Brion is on board for much of the album. While his presence probably won't mean much to hardcore rap heads, it's safe to say that his eclectic ear adds extra depth and nuance to many of the more stellar tracks included here. West deserves kudos for including him in the process, that's for sure.
From a purely semantic standpoint, the title of West's sophomore effort seems a bit strange. Late registration is usually for those scrambling to get into college classes after the fact, not for dropouts. The title seems as if it would have been more apropos for his debut, not his second outing. Then again it could also signal that he's ready to continue his academic education and this is merely the first step. Strange choice of words, aside, the album begins with a déjà vu hiccup as the cantankerous neighbor character from Dropout rears his ugly head in one of (too) many skits that adorn the proceedings. Thankfully the skit fades quickly from memory as the insanely cool bass wurgle and piano tinkle of the inescapably hypnotic "Heard 'Em Say" worms its way into your soul. The track features Adam Levine from Maroon 5, which on paper might seem like West is grappling for further Alt Rock love, but in reality you don't need to know who Levine is or where he's from, 'cause his warm "oooh-ooohs" and lilting falsetto on the chorus is sweet, sweet, sweet music. West delivers languid imagery in a soothingly mellifluous drawl that fits the music perfectly.
The groove gets a slight bump, thanks to horns and a more energetic stance from West on "Touch The Sky." The track features yet another guest in the form of Lupe Fiasco, who offers up call-and-response chanting in an echo chamber manner before he drops a buttery verse toward the end of the track. While the presence of Jaimie Foxx on "Gold Digger" seems like a rehash of his appearance on the last album, West does a blatantly ironic flip switch by pairing the track with samples of Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman." The loping blues inflected groove is complimented by West's sing-song talk delivery that is bouncy and fluid. It's a strange shift, because just as it eschews the fuzzy warmth of his rhyme style earlier in the album it also embraces it, just in a different way.
West adopts a pseudo De La Soul motif, at least vocally and musically, on "Drive Slow." Swisha House guru Paul Wall and GLC slip into the cut for added vocal bling, meshing well with the sedate, late night jazz vibe of the backing track. Cam'Ron makes an appearance on "My Way Home," which dips more into traditional West terrain, utilizing a vocal sample for the hook that re-emphasizes the title of the song. It's cool, but reels with an altogether different vibe than the first two tracks, which really set the album off. What's more, the song is only 1-minute and 44-seconds long, barely getting off the ground before it fades into "Crack Music," featuring The Game on the chorus. While rolling along to a kinetically stripped down beat, the whole imagery of relating crack to music is somewhat played out thematically.
From the grimy streets the imagery shifts to heartfelt as West sings about his grandmother being in the hospital on "Roses." It's simultaneously tear-jerking and over-the-top maudlin, both musically and lyrically. The purpose is clear, the music is tastefully bittersweet, but it all still borders precariously on being hokey all the same. The mournful vibe continues on the Brandy laced ditty "Bring Me Down," which is rife with strings and a line—"your girl don't like me/how long has she been gay?"--that resonates strangely especially in the wake of West's recent plea on to the rap community on MTV to dispel with all the homophobia. The second track resonating with "drug" allusion comes in the form of "Addiction," which may be one of the most seductively deceptive offering on the album. Even though it features sultry vocals throughout, there is no credit given to the smoky voiced femme fatale who makes addiction seem so needful.
Just when you thought bling was passé, West kicks out the remix of "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." Featuring Jay-Z and rocking Shirley Bassey's James Bond theme from Diamonds Are Forever with a cool electronic burble it intoxicates on a visceral level, but also drags rap back into the materialistic quagmire as the duo praise the sparkle and shine of ice with street poetic precision. Things remain in the same musical vein for the Nas and Really Doe featured "We Major," although the '70s orchestral vibe is a bit overpowering, drenching the track in a soap operatically strange tempo. Furthermore, West persists in adopting an Akineyle stance, dropping his voice on certain words in an annoying stance that's hard to tell if it's meant as homage or a straight bite. Musically speaking, this may be the weakest track on the album. The music and the lyrics just don't mix well at all.
The buoyantly inescapable "Hey Mama" is musically mesmerizing even while it succumbs to another rap cliché; the obligatory song tribute to one's mother. While not in the same vein as "Roses," it still comes off as a song that might have been better served sung to his mother privately rather than shared with the entire world. The album continues to slip into the slow, dainty musicality that has slowly taken over the effort. It's as if West can't figure out if he wants to kick it on the streets or between the sheets. The refrain of "You know what this is…it's a celebration bitches!" seems forced, as well. "Gone" keeps the tempo in the same vein, yet the musical backdrop is less forced and despite the dainty nature of the groove, it provides a cool juxtaposition to Cam'ron and Consequence's rough-around-the-edges guest shots.
The album is rounded out by three "bonus" tracks. The original version of "Diamonds of Sierra Leone" more or less sounds the same as the remix except there's no Jay-Z. This is rather disappointing. Used to be a time when a remix was almost indistinguishable from the original. Since West is the producer du jour in rap circles it would have been nice if the remix had been given a different musical stance beyond the inclusion of Jigga. "Late," the "hidden" track on the album, is sweet, sweet, sweet and falls right into the best of album category, both musically and lyrically. "Make Her Feel Good (Remix)" just feels like more filler and could just have easily (and to much better effect) been replaced by a twisted, psychotic remix of one of the album's tracks or left off entirely.
From the grimy streets the imagery shifts to heartfelt as West sings about his grandmother being in the hospital on "Roses." It's simultaneously tear-jerking and over-the-top maudlin, both musically and lyrically. The purpose is clear, the music is tastefully bittersweet, but it all still borders precariously on being hokey all the same. The mournful vibe continues on the Brandy laced ditty "Bring Me Down," which is rife with strings and a line—"your girl don't like me/how long has she been gay?"--that resonates strangely especially in the wake of West's recent plea on to the rap community on MTV to dispel with all the homophobia. The second track resonating with "drug" allusion comes in the form of "Addiction," which may be one of the most seductively deceptive offering on the album. Even though it features sultry vocals throughout, there is no credit given to the smoky voiced femme fatale who makes addiction seem so needful.
Just when you thought bling was passé, West kicks out the remix of "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." Featuring Jay-Z and rocking Shirley Bassey's James Bond theme from Diamonds Are Forever with a cool electronic burble it intoxicates on a visceral level, but also drags rap back into the materialistic quagmire as the duo praise the sparkle and shine of ice with street poetic precision. Things remain in the same musical vein for the Nas and Really Doe featured "We Major," although the '70s orchestral vibe is a bit overpowering, drenching the track in a soap operatically strange tempo. Furthermore, West persists in adopting an Akineyle stance, dropping his voice on certain words in an annoying stance that's hard to tell if it's meant as homage or a straight bite. Musically speaking, this may be the weakest track on the album. The music and the lyrics just don't mix well at all.
The buoyantly inescapable "Hey Mama" is musically mesmerizing even while it succumbs to another rap cliché; the obligatory song tribute to one's mother. While not in the same vein as "Roses," it still comes off as a song that might have been better served sung to his mother privately rather than shared with the entire world. The album continues to slip into the slow, dainty musicality that has slowly taken over the effort. It's as if West can't figure out if he wants to kick it on the streets or between the sheets. The refrain of "You know what this is…it's a celebration bitches!" seems forced, as well. "Gone" keeps the tempo in the same vein, yet the musical backdrop is less forced and despite the dainty nature of the groove, it provides a cool juxtaposition to Cam'ron and Consequence's rough-around-the-edges guest shots.
The album is rounded out by three "bonus" tracks. The original version of "Diamonds of Sierra Leone" more or less sounds the same as the remix except there's no Jay-Z. This is rather disappointing. Used to be a time when a remix was almost indistinguishable from the original. Since West is the producer du jour in rap circles it would have been nice if the remix had been given a different musical stance beyond the inclusion of Jigga. "Late," the "hidden" track on the album, is sweet, sweet, sweet and falls right into the best of album category, both musically and lyrically. "Make Her Feel Good (Remix)" just feels like more filler and could just have easily (and to much better effect) been replaced by a twisted, psychotic remix of one of the album's tracks or left off entirely.
Free
Apple iPod Program
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
