I hadn't gotten any music in a while but in the last few weeks I have been all about it. Here are a number of quick reviews. As school has recently started I will use a boring scale of A-F.
Wale - More About Nothing: A great followup to A Mixtape About Nothing. Wale has amazing talent and can rhyme to lots of different styles of beats. He also does a good job of using so many words and themes that I completely disagree with but then switching and making some "social conscious" music (see NaS). Grade: A-.
State of the Artist - Seattlecalifragilisticextrahelladopeness: This is a legitimate new Seattle hip-hop group. (really long album title) is a great eclectic mix of different styles. Good use of guest MCs, and I like the PSmoov beats. Check out this awesome video "ExtraHellaDope" Grade: A
Das Racist - Shut Up,Dude - I will be honest, not that big of a fan of these guys. Yes their lyrics are witty and clever but I generally prefer beats and the beats they use are not good...at all. I even don't like the songs that have beat by Sabzi (producer for Blue Scholars). I give credit to their lyrics however. Grade: C-
Lace Cadence - Launchpad: This dude is a poor man's Drake. I downloaded it because he is from Seattle and I thought I would give it a chance. I have a serious thing against mixtapes that constantly have shout outs to their twitter account, facebook account, etc... Glad this was a free download. Grade: F
David Gray - Foundling: What? A singer-song writer album? Not hip-hop? I am a David Gray fan and this album is only for people that already like his work. If you don't like David Gray, don't bother. This album is nothing exciting as it is all stripped down and very basic but it is consistent. I appreciate his song writing even if he does over-write it at times. Grade: B+
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty: Back to hip-hop. I think Big Boi is one of the most creative lyricists. His beats tend to sound the same but I dig the sound so I am cool with it. This is a good album from beginning to end. "Follow Us" "Shutter Bug" (Nice Crown Royal shout out) Grade: A-
Drake - Thank Me Later: Speaking of songs sounding the same, Drake has perfected it. He has found his niche and made millions doing it. So if you like his sound (and I do for a little bit at a time) this is all great stuff. After about three songs though it becomes really repetitive. Grade: C
Linkin Park - A Thousand Suns: Linkin Park's last album was a pretty solid album. They decided to go away from screamo/rap-rock and try making real music. They were greatly rewarded for it with high reviews and lots of sales. I was hoping this album would be in the same direction but unfortunately they have gone back to the screamo/rap-rock. Absolutely terrible. Grade: F
John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up: This is a great combination of super talented band and singer. This album is an excellent collection of reworked classics. Fantastic work. Put it in and rock out. "Our Generation" Grade: A
Zac Brown Band - You Get What You Give: This whole band knows how to play, and they know how to play lots of different styles. This is an entertaining album that does a good job of showing off everyone's musicality. Grade: B
Warren Zevon -Wind: Warren wrote this album in 2003 while he was dying of mesothelioma. You can tell this album was written by a dying man and it is beautiful (the album was released two weeks before he died). Great originals and a very good cover of Knockin' on Heaven's Door. This has been out for a while but I just got it last week so I'm quite a bit late to it. Keep Me In Your Heart is an amazing song. Grade: A
A really quick roundup of a few more albums:
Method Man, Ghostface, and Raekwon - Wu-Massacre: Good Wu-Tang stuff. Grade: B+
Pete Murray - Summer at Eureka: Pete Murray stays consistent with his laid back style. Grade: B
Das Racist - Sit Down, Man: Again, I'm not really into these guys. Grade: C-
Pete Yorn - Pete Yorn: Consistent album but nothing stands out positive or negative. Grade: C
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