Reks - 25th Hour

I don't really know anything about Reks, and have never listened to his older material, but after hearing this, I'm gonna make sure to get to know him better. Great, classic-feeling hip-hop track. Primo bringing his best on the production. Reks' album, "Rhythmatic Eternal King Supreme," will be out March 8th.

MMJB - We Ain't Playing

Favorite track of the 3 Money Making Jam Boys tracks that have come out... Black Thought kills it, as always. Look for the full mixtape, "The Prestige: Jam Boy Magic" out tomorrow (2/3) at noon.

Lupe Fiasco - Words I Never Said

Damn, if this isn't the best song of the year so far, I must be missing out on something... LASERS in stores March 8th. This single will be on iTunes February 8th. There are also special pre-order packages available here.

New Videos

New video for Kid Cudi's "Erase Me" featuring Kanye is PERFECT...

Not a BET fan, but definitely a G.O.O.D Music fan!

The Roots - How I Got Over

9/10

The Roots are one of my favorite groups. They started the “rap band”, which I don’t think I could ever thank them enough for. After all, live instrumentation is my absolute favorite type of hip-hop production. Nothing tops hearing drums, keys, guitars, and horns, instead of Timbaland-esque computer output. Needless to say, I was excited about this album when it was first announced over a year ago, I fought through the frustration of several delays, and after having listened to the album several times now, I can say that it was all worth it.

The Roots haven’t disappointed me with an album in a long time. I don’t think that they ever really have, but the last few have been especially strong. They seem to really fine tune their craft as time goes on. The album is a little on the shorter end, at about 43 minutes, so it’s important that just about every song delivers. Of the 14 tracks (including the bonus track) there are 11 songs, with the intro and 2 interludes. I love at least 7 of the 11, and don’t really dislike any. Production wise, as a mentioned before, you can’t go wrong with the Roots and their live instrument vibe. It’s jazzy and fresh. It keeps your head bobbing along the whole time. While I like the prominence of keyboards on the album, I do wish that there was more guitar. Kirk is a really great guitar player, and to not highlight that on the album is a missed opportunity, in my opinion. With how popular guitars have become on records recently, see Jay-Z’s Blueprint 3 and Eminem’s Recovery, I’m surprised the Roots didn’t feature more of it. Then again, maybe that’s why they didn’t. Either way, while I feel like the production was a little more toned down and smooth on this album than I would have liked to see, it worked really well for the album, flowed excellently from song to song, and sounded great throughout almost the entire album.

I say almost the entire album because there IS a slight hiccup. To me, the album should have ended after 12 tracks, with the interlude “Tunnel Vision” acting as an outro. The last two tracks, “Web 20/20” and the bonus “Hustla”, come out of nowhere and really disrupt the chill vibe. I don’t really understand how they fit in the bigger picture of the album. I think maybe that’s why they chose to put “Tunnel Vision” between them, almost as a divider. I know it may be picky of me, but had “Web 20/20” been labeled a Bonus Track, too, and “Tunnel Vision” treated as an outro, I would have a better feeling about the whole thing.

Lyrically, it’s not hard to believe that Black Thought kills every verse. He’s gotta be top 5 right now, and my only regret is that there isn’t more from him. The songs provide a really interesting mix of dark and uplifting lyrics. A lot of hope for what’s to come. It’s actually pretty motivation at times, without seeming forced or cheesy. Combine the content with the fact that he just really knows how to rhyme and has one of the most dominating flows in rap today.

The Roots have always been really feature-heavy, which, to me, has always been their worst quality. I don’t like albums with a ton of features, and it bothers me on this album just like it did on Rising Down. I don’t have problems with chorus features, so Monsters of Folk, John Legend, Joanna Newsom, Dice Raw, and Patty Crash are all fine. My issue is with having too many rapper features. Blu and Phonte are on two songs each, one together, and I think they both are great on the album. Maybe they should only have one verse on the album instead of two, but I can overlook it because of how much I like the two of them. Truck North, P.O.R.N, and STS, I’m looking at you guys. The first song, “Walk Alone”, is my least favorite, if only because we don’t actually hear Black Thought until the third verse of the album. Poor planning, in my opinion. There’s a combined 6 verses on the album where Black Thought could have continued to be Black Thought. Why are these guys on half of the album? I just don’t get it.

With all that said, it’s much easier to discuss the albums weak points than its strong points. Like I noted, the production is smooth and fresh and Black Thought kills it in both a lyrical and technical sense. Make sure to check out tracks “Dear God 2.0”, “How I Got Over”, “The Day”, “Doin’ It Again”, and “The Fire”. And yes, I really can’t narrow it down under five favorites, they are all so good. It is easily in the top 3 hip-hop releases of the year (so far), for me. The Roots deserve every sale they make, and every ounce of credit they get for this one. While it would be almost impossible for them to outsell Eminem opening week, it would be great to see them make a strong showing. I hope people go out and support good music.

Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives

10/10

Album of the year (so far). Hands down. No competition.

There really isn't much I can say about the album that my friend Tom hasn't already. His review is nearly perfect, and a great read. Check that out at http://thehouseofcoxhead.tumblr.com/post/579577423/nas-damian-marley-distant-relatives

All I can say is that I didn't know people could still make music like this. It's so well put together. The production is complex yet catchy, and fits each song perfectly. The lyrics are so well thought out, with almost no forced lines or pop culture references. It's really the type of album that will always be relevant, and that I will listen to forever.

This album also marks the first time I've ever actually enjoyed a Lil Wayne verse. I didn't think it was possible.

Murs & 9th Wonder - Fornever

7.5/10

I never really got into Murs. Some people absolutely love the guy, but outside of Felt, I just never really cared for him. He’s very average, and talks like he’s the greatest rapper ever. His last solo release, Murs For President, had a couple of good songs, but was overall forgettable, and I feel the same way about this release.

The music is good. Murs is a good rapper, he just doesn’t stand out to me as being any different than a number of other random average rappers. He needs some sort of extra flair to separate himself from the rest, and I haven’t seen that from him yet. He does alright on this album, nothing sounds forced. He’s always been good about sounding smooth and confident in every line. In an album as short as this one, if you are going to have features, they better be worth it. But they aren’t worth it in this case. A few no-name rappers have guest spots. They’re not horrible or anything, I just don’t think they add to the album at all. “Asian Girl” is a really fun song. I’m not into Asian girls at all, but this song had me smiling and bobbing my head along with it. It’s clever and just enjoyable in general. I also really liked the story-telling style songs like “Vikki Veil” and “West Coast Cinderella”. I’m kind of torn on what to think about “I Used to Luv H.E.R. (Again)”. The original is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, nevermind one of my favorite Common songs. They do it justice, and it works, but at the same time, I felt like it was the equivalent of a band putting a cover of “Stairway To Heaven” on their album. It just doesn’t seem right to cover it. On the flip side, “Cigarettes and Liquor” is awful. Just bad. The concept has been done over and over, and its more annoying/lame at this point than fun/interesting.

What really saves the album for me, and sets it a step above Murs For President, is 9th Wonder. The production on the album is great. All of the beats are really well done, polished, smooth, catchy, etc. You can’t help but tap your feet or bob your head. I just kinda wish there was a better rapper on them.

Here are "Vikki Veil" and "West Coast Cinderella":

Vikki Veil

http://www.zshare.net/audio/758599997b36746c/

West Coast Cinderella

http://www.zshare.net/audio/758600411b2644e1/

B.o.B - The Adventures of Bobby Ray

8.5/10

B.o.B has been pretty hyped over the last year or so, yet I didn't know a damn thing about him until about a month ago. It was when I went to the Lupe Fiasco show at the House of Blues on April 7th, and B.o.B opened. I knew people had been talking about him for a while, so I made sure I showed up to see his set, wanting to give him a chance. I was blown away. I think I liked him more than Lupe; they were both great live. I was expecting a rapper, and got a musician. I've been to a hell of a lot of rap shows, and never have I seen a rapper play guitar on stage. I was instantly impressed. His style is just so different from anything else that's out there. I went home from that show and downloaded everything I could find, waiting anxiously for the album to drop.

Which brings us to where we are now. I loved this album. I think I would have liked it even more if the majority of the tracks hadn't leaked over the 2 weeks leading up to the release. And the demos, not even the mastered tracks. It's really unfortunate when something like that happens to an album. But it is what it is. The album has something for everyone, rapping, singing, beats that really bump, and acoustic guitar tracks. The thing that I was most impressed with is the ability to have such a unique style while still having catchy songs. It's nearly impossible to sit/stand still while listening to any of the songs on the album. Also, I was impressed by the way that the different styles transition so well into each other (see: Bet I > Ghost in the Machine).

I was impartial in that I like the more rock-based songs much more than tracks like "Bet I". Personal favorites would include "Ghost in the Machine", "Lovelier Than You", and "Airplanes Pt. 2". "Past My Shades" is probably the most infectiously catchy song on the album. Love that one as far as the less-rock/more-rap songs go. Also, do not forget the bonus tracks. There are 4 total, different songs for different retailers I guess. While "I See Ya" and "Higher" didn't really seem that special to me, "Letter to Vietnam", "Satellite", and "Don't Wake Me Up" are all necessities. B.o.B isn't the most advanced lyricist in the world, but that's not really what the music is about. It's about simple everyday concepts that people can relate to, and about having fun. I can't wait for it to be nicer outside so I can just drive around and play this loud, windows down.

Check out 2 of my favorites, "Ghost in the Machine" and "Past My Shades", below:

Ghost in the Machine

http://www.zshare.net/audio/758597818e02b966/

Past My Shades

http://www.zshare.net/audio/758598355dba3fdb/

Been a While

So I haven't posted in almost 3 months... I've been busy with work and stuff, and just haven't had too much time to write up stuff. Just to catch up on 2010 so far, this is my current running list of albums, a quarter of the way through the year:

1. MGMT - Congratulations
2. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks
3. Los Campesinos! - Romance is Boring
4. Vampire Weekend - Contra
5. Broken Bells - Broken Bells
6. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
7. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach
8. Hot Chip - One Life Stand
9. Spoon - Transference
10. Flobots - Survival Story
-----------------------------------------------------
11. RjD2 - The Colossus
12. Meth Rae Ghost - Wu-Massacre

The order is VERY subject to change... maybe I'll go back and write up reviews on a couple of them if I have time. The only album I've listened to that isn't yet placed is "Go" by Sigur Ros frontman Jonsi. (Both Sigur Ros and Jonsi have crazy Icelandic accent marks on some of the letters, but I don't care enough to figure out how to do that.) It's hard to rank an album like that because it's just SO different from everything else that I listen to. In general, 2010 has been really consistent, musically. There hasn't been an album that really blew me out of the water the way Merriweather Post Pavilion did, but there have been so many really solid 8.5 to 9 /10 albums, in my opinion. I don't like to officially assign scores out of 10 until further into the year, but right now I'd say that everything in the top 10 is at least an 8.5/10, with the top 6 being at least a 9/10. I'm really excited to see how the rest of the year turns out.

As far as upcoming albums that I can't wait for, we have a few leading that pack. And I'm just talking about 100% announced and confirmed albums, Detox doesn't count, nor does Kanye's new album, although I am pretty sure the latter will be out by the end of the year. Anyways, I really can't wait for these 4 albums:

- Reflection Eternal - Revolutions Per Minute (out 5/18)

- Nas & Damian Marley - Distant Relatives (out 5/18?)

- Jack Johnson - To The Sea (out 6/1)

- The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang (out 6/15)

My Favorite Albums of 2009

Finally... all done, and confident in my list. I think this is the first time since I've been making these (so like 4 or 5 years) that there is not one single hip-hop album in my top 10. But 11, 12, 13, and 15 are all hip-hop, so they came pretty close. Overall, I thought 2009 started out with a dull outlook as far as music, but I now think it was one of the best years, musically, of my adult life. I listened to 60 new albums that came out this year, and don't regret a single one. Albums in the 30s on my list are albums I really liked and continue to listen to, which is more than I can say about most albums in the 20s on last year's list. I can only hope 2010 can come close to matching it. Feel free to leave comments with thoughts and questions. I'd love to discuss my thoughts.

1. Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion 10/10

2. Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix 9.5/10

3. Phish - Joy 9/10

4. Arctic Monkeys - Humbug 9/10

5. John Mayer - Battle Studies 8.5/10

6. Frank Turner – Poetry of the Deed 9/10

7. Pearl Jam - Backspacer 9/10

8. John Frusciante - The Empyrean 9/10

9. Brand New - Daisy 9/10

10. Dave Matthews Band - Big Whiskey & the Groogrux King 8.5/10

---------------------------------------------------------------

11. Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx II 9/10

Mos Def - The Ecstatic 8.5/10

Brother Ali - Us 9/10

Girls – Album 9/10

Eminem - Relapse 8.5/10

Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown 8.5/10

Bruce Springsteen - Working on a Dream 8.5/10

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 8/10

Wale - Attention: Deficit 8/10

20. Kid Cudi - Man On The Moon: The End Of Day 8/10

State Radio - Let It Go 8.5/10

Billy Boy on Poison - Drama Junkie Queen 8.5/10

Eyedea & Abilities - By The Throat 8.5/10

Rx Bandits - Mandala 8.5/10

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Blitz! 8.5/10

Dirty Projectors - Bitte Orca 9/10

The Prodigy - Invaders Must Die 8.5/10

Grizzly Bear - Veckatimest 8.5/10

Passion Pit - Manners 8/10

30. K-Os - Yes! 8.5/10

Chester French - Love the Future 8.5/10

Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez 8/10

Doom - Born Like This 8/10

Asher Roth - Asleep in the Bread Aisle 8.5/10

U2 - No Line on the Horizon 8/10

Blakroc – Blakroc 8/10

K'Naan - Troubadour 8/10

Yusuf (aka Cat Stevens) - Roadsinger 8.5/10

Gift of Gab - Escape to Mars 8/10

40. Clipse - Till The Casket Drops 8/10

The Flaming Lips – Embryonic 8/10

MSTRKRFT - Fist of God 8/10

Discovery – LP 8/10

The XX – XX 8/10

Bat For Lashes - Two Suns 8/10

Third Eye Blind - Ursa Major 7/10

Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2 8/10

Chali 2na - Fish Outta Water 8/10

Buju Banton - Rasta Got Soul 7.5/10

50. Matisyahu – Light 7.5/10

Monty Are I - Break Through The Silence 7.5/10

The Fray - The Fray 8/10

Taking Back Sunday - New Again 7.5/10

P.O.S. - Never Better 8/10

Mr. Lif - I Heard It Today 8/10

CunninLynguists - Strange Journey Vol 1 8/10

311 - Uplifter 7.5/10

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love 8/10

Ben Kweller - Changing Horses 8/10

60. Peter Bjorn and John - Living Thing 7.5/10

Brother Ali - Us

9/10

This guy just gets better and better. The only albino rapper I know of, Brother Ali is one of the underrated stars of Rhymesayers, my favorite hiphop label ever. This album, like his last, was produced completely by Ant of Atmosphere, who I've already expressed my love for in the Felt 3 review. The production is great. I really really hope some of this style carries over into the next Atmosphere album, and I could even see a little of it on the last Atmosphere album. I love rap production that utilizes real instruments instead of just computers. The first few tracks, and many more throughout the album, are packed with awesome guitar riffs and horn sections that really blow me away. Amazing production on some of those songs. The only song I didn't like the production on was "Breakin' Dawn", but with that said, it matched the topic of the song really well.

Ali is on fire, lyrically, just murdering every track on the album. Some tracks he's doing a little bragging, as he should be, about his rise to underground fame and things like that. There aren't too many of them to the point where you get sick of them, though. My personal favorite is the first song, "The Preacher". Others, though, he really shines as one of the better story-tellers I've heard in years. My two personal favorite story-telling songs on this album are "House Keys" and "Tight Rope". Another track, "The Travelers", is about slavery, which is a really hard topic to cover well and fairly, and Ali knows just how to do it.

I only have a few complaints about the album. I think it's a little bit too long. Actually, it's not even necessarily too long, it's just not even. The first half, for me, was way better than the second half, and so it seemed to drag a little towards the end. This wasn't helped by "Best@it", one of only 2 tracks I didn't really like, being near the end. The song features Freeway and Joell Ortiz, both of whom I don't care for. And in an album with no other features, I was just left wondering why this song was there. The positives FAR outway the negatives, though, and this album lands very very close (but sadly not in) my top 10 albums of the year. (The full list will be posted at the end of the year... I still have about 10 albums to listen to.)

I'm going to break my usual format here and post 3 tracks instead of 2, just because I can't choose between the 2 story-telling tracks I mentioned earlier. So here you go:

The Preacher

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6955779395730dce/

House Keys

http://www.zshare.net/audio/695578174f760c8a/

Tight Rope

http://www.zshare.net/audio/69557844b569b7fa/

A Few New Songs

2009 has been an amazing year for music, in my opinion. A lot of great great albums have come out. 2010 is shaping up, though, and it's looking great, too. So, I thought I'd post a few songs/singles that have been released for albums slated for early 2010 releases.

Spoon - Written In Reverse

http://www.zshare.net/audio/69507442b7a4f2ce/

This is the first single off of the new Spoon album, Transference, which will be out 1/19/10. Spoon is a great band, if you haven't heard them, listen to the albums "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" and "Kill the Moonlight". I just saw them this past Friday night, and I'll probably post a show review later on tonight if I have time. Great indie band. Check out the new single, and look back here for an album review in a month or so.

Vampire Weekend - Cousins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0u11rgd9Q

One of my favorite new bands of 2008 is going to be back in 2010 with their second album, Contra, out on 1/12. Cousins is a fast paced, fun song, kind of similar to what "A-Punk" was on their debut album. Make sure to check out the video for it, because it's even better than the song (which is why I posted a youtube link instead of zshare, haha). Also, I'll post the other song released so far, Horchata, which is a little more laid back, yet equally as good, in my opinion: http://www.zshare.net/audio/69507370acbb5ea6/

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - Even Heroes Have to Die

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6950757436d61879/

I love Ted Leo. 2007's album, "Living with the Living", didn't really live up to what I wanted it to be, but "Shake the Sheets" will always be a classic in my book. His sixth album with The Pharmacists, "The Brutalist Bricks" will be out in March. This is the first single, and I love it.

The Roots - How I Got Over

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6950772079017c3b/

This one has been out for a while now, since the album was supposed to be out a while ago, but got pushed back about 12 times. The album, of the same name as this track, is now supposed to drop in February, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see if it gets bumped yet again. The song is good, though. Not as good as it was live when they debuted it on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, but still good. I love the chill, jazzy vibe. Can't wait for the album.

Felt 3 - A Tribute to Rosie Perez

8/10

"Them Felt boys are back." I don't know if I've ever said this on here, but my absolute #1 favorite hip-hop group is Atmosphere, Slug (the rapper) and Ant (the producer). Felt takes Slug and pairs him with Murs, who is also pretty dope, although I never got into his solo stuff or Living Legends stuff. They have a different producer do each album, and make it a tribute to some sort of fallen star actress. So here we have Felt 3: A Tribute to Rosie Perez, produced by Aesop Rock.

As far as Felt goes, in general, I just love the way that Slug and Murs seem to bounce off of each other. It's never really formulaic, like Slug Verse, Chorus, Murs Verse, Chorus. They go back and forth, and I love that. (It's what makes me excited for the Nas & Damian Marley album, Distant Relatives.) They're both great rappers, and they continue to show it here. Felt seems like a fun sort of release for Slug. A lot of the Atmosphere stuff is a little more serious and toned down, and Felt is where he can just have fun and say whatever he wants. It's really cool to hear another side of him. The production on the album is where it falls short, believe it or not. I really like Aesop Rock, he's a cool guy who does his own weird style of rap and pulls it off pretty well. And as much as I think a lot of the songs on the album are well-produced, they don't fit Slug and Murs. There are several points in the album where it sounded like the guys' flows didn't match the beats at all. It was like they didn't really know how to rap over some of the stuff that Aes gave them. Some of the songs sound great, and they match up well, but there's just those few that don't work. And it's not like they couldn't have cut them out. The album is a little too long for me, going just over an hour. I think cutting it down to 45-50 minutes would've really helped the flow. Personally, Felt 2 was my favorite, but that's really just because Ant (the other half of Atmosphere) produced the whole thing. Still, it's a good album, and definitely worth listening to.

Check out 2 of my favorites, the first single, "Protagonists", and "Henrietta Longbottom"

Protagonists

http://www.zshare.net/audio/6950634044f3d1f9/

Henrietta Longbottom

http://www.zshare.net/audio/69506369ce176f17/

Wale - Attention: Deficit

8/10

Great debut album. Almost better than Kid Cudi's, in my opinion. Cudi has one spot up on him on my list right now, and really it's only because he went and made an album with a style I've never heard anywhere before. But, back to Wale, this album is killer. I kind of expected less of him, to be honest. The dude's been putting out mixtapes like he has nothing better to do, and that material was really good (see: The Mixtape About Nothing), so I couldn't see him having anything left for the album, but I was wrong.

I wouldn't put it on the same level as something from Atmosphere or Mos Def, but it's not supposed to be as serious and conscious as those albums. It's just a good, mainstream rap album. With that said, its a little less mainstream than your everyday 50 Cent crap. (I'm not even listening to Before I Self Destruct, nevermind wasting time writing about it.) The production on the album is good, some songs better than others, particularly the two that Cool & Dre did. Lyrically, you have to listen to the album a couple times to be able to pick up on all of the great lines. My personal favorite, at the end of a verse in "TV in the Radio", goes "fat rhymes everytime, bitch, Roseanna Barrs". I mean, c'mon, that's amazing. Besides the fact that anyone under 20 probably doesn't know who Roseanne Barr is. The content isn't all fun and games, there are some more serious songs, like "Contemplate" and "Diary", which are also great. There are some good features, like K'Naan, J.Cole, and Pharrell, which significantly outway the bad, particularly Gucci Mane. Wale really proved himself to me with this one. You can tell he couldn't be happier with doing what he's doing. And he does it really well.

Check out these links to my favorite track on the album, "World Tour", and "Contemplate":

World Tour (ft. Jazmine Sullivan)

http://www.zshare.net/audio/69482839c9d4c24d/

Contemplate

http://www.zshare.net/audio/694828899a72b81f/

More Album Reviews

Jedi Mind Tricks - A History of Violence 8.5/10
Brand new album from JMT that marks the return of Jus Allah to the group after a 3 album absence. The production was awesome. Usually I'm the one saying that production only hurts a record if it becomes distractingly bad, but this album is proof that great production can also really strengthen an album. Really complex beats with samples and a lot of strings, coming from DJ Stoupe, and sometimes accompanying scratches by DJ Kwestion. Vinnie Paz sounded great on the album. Lots of passion, great rhyming, and some serious topics. It was good to hear Jus Allah back, but his verses were actually forgettable, for the most part. Although I feel he is still important to the group for balance purposes. My only problem is that the best songs are the first, "Deathbed Doctrine", and last, "Death Messiah". While I enjoyed everything in between, I think the flow of the album could have been better. Great album though, definitely glad I checked it out.

88-Keys - The Death of Adam 8.5/10
At first I didn't like the album. But after I was done listening to it, I thought about it for 10 or 15 minutes and realized the genius. I hadn't just listened to an album, I had just listened to a movie. I initially thought the narration between songs was lame, but now I realize how important it was to the story. The beats were very well produced, which was kind of the meat of the album, I think. The lyrics/verses/guest appearances were all good, but nothing special. They did their part to tell a piece of the story. But rather than think of it as an album, like I did originally, you have to think of it as an audio movie. I can honestly see a real movie play before me as I listen to it. You know the whole plot and each scene and even some of the dialogue, and could elaborate from there. Someone should make this movie; it would either be great or terrible. So I'd say its a decent album, musically, but the ingenuity, creativity, and pure genius behind the concept really make it special. I'd love to see something like this about a more serious topic.

The Killers - Day & Age 9/10
Okay. I'm two listens deep, and to be honest I think I need more. But I'll give it a shot anyways. I had slightly different expectations going in, so the first listen threw me off-balance which is why I needed to go back. I was surprised to not hear any Guitar Hero worthy anthems like "When You Were Young". I was expecting the album to be more loud and dance-inducing. However, I didn't hold that against it. I went back and re-listened, knowing what I was getting into, and it resulted in a more enjoyable experience, not to say that the first listen wasn't. The songs are great, both instrumentally and lyrically. Brandon's voice sounds more crisp and clear than it has on any previous work. I think the "experimental" tracks where they tried to do something completely different, like "Joy Ride" and "This Is Your Life", sound a little out of place at first, but I liked them even more the second time around. I think the album is going to really grow on me and I'll end up loving it more than I do now. The only tracks that I don't really feel at the moment are "Dustland Fairytale" and "I Can't Stay". I feel like the most powerful tracks are the first 4 and the last (10th), leaving you wanting a little more "umph" in the middle, even though I love middle tracks like "Neon Tiger" and "This Is Your Life". The bonus tracks, "A Crippling Blow" and "Forget About What I Said", seem to be the louder more anthem-sounding tracks that I was looking for in the album, leaving me unsure of why they didn't want to include them. Overall, the shortcomings are little compared to the quality of all the positives. I had trouble choosing between an 8.5 and 9, but I can tell that this is the type of album that gets better with each listen, so I went for the higher of the two.

Some Album Reviews

After more than 2 weeks of listening to the same old crap on my iPod and becoming bored with it all, I finally downloaded a ton of new music, some old, some brand new.

Cat Stevens - Tea for the Tillerman 9.5/10
I love Cat Stevens, but only ever had his greatest hits album. This album, which propelled him to fame in 1970, is supposedly his best, so I wanted to try it out. Coincidentally enough, 5 out of the 11 tracks appear on his greatest hits compilation, and after listening to the album, I don't know where the other 6 fell short. He was one hell of a folk singer. While I wouldn't say he is "better" than Bob Dylan, I can admit that I prefer him. (Voice is better, lyrics aren't). The album is all about living in the world, but disregarding everyday concepts and ideas in search of a more spiritual fulfillment. It's beautiful. "Father and Son" is one of my favorite songs of all time... I've heard it at least a hundred times and yet it still gives me chills. My only complaint is that its awfully short, at 36min, which may have been normal in 1970, I'm not sure. The two tracks that are barely over a minute long each leave you wanting so much more out of them, and had they been longer and on the same level as the rest of the album, it would be perfect (to me).

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing: The Very Best Of 8/10
Greatest hits albums are supposed to be great (obviously). I feel like they should be 10/10s or else they aren't really doing their job. They need to include the best songs by the artist, but try and make them seem cohesive rather than just a collection of songs. I had never listened to Dire Straights before, but this album did all those things. They were good songs, and the flow of the collection worked really well for me. The reason I give it an 8 is because I just don't think Dire Straights are all that special. I really liked listening to them. Mark Knopfler's voice sounds kind of in between Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, to me, which I liked, and the instrumentation was cool and laid back but not too simple. They were good, just not great. They didn't stand out to me as a band that's any different from all the rest. Some greatest hits albums leave me wanting more so I go out and get the artist's actual albums (see: Cat Stevens, Steve Miller Band), but this one, while it was a good album and I'll listen to it again, didn't make me feel that way. I feel like the 16 tracks are all the Dire Straights that I will ever need. I guess this review turned more into an artist review than an album review, but maybe that's what a greatest hits album review really is.

Q-Tip - The Renaissance 8.5/10
I'm impressed. I didn't think he still had it in him, seeing as it's been 6 years since he officially released anything. I didn't expect this album to be good when I heard about it, but was still going to give it a shot. Positive reviews started pouring in and I began to wonder if it was really a good album. It is. As an album, its so complete, even though its just a little bit short for my liking. The songs work together well and couldn't be in a better order. Start to finish, it's kind of like taking a trip. I really enjoyed it. The beats, all produced by Q-Tip himself except one by Dilla, are fresh-sounding, not too-synthy and "new school" but not too old where you think its ATCQ. I've always been a fan of his unconventional voice and delivery, and they work well here, with some great lyrics on several songs as well. My only issue is that I don't know if the album has any replay value. While it sounds really great as a whole, I can't think of any tracks that stick out as catchy, possible singles, except for Gettin Up, which was the lead single. It's the same problem I had with Oasis' "Dig Out Your Soul". As an album, it sounds great, I just wish there were more catchy stand-out tracks.

Jay-Z vs. Coldplay - Viva La Hova (Mixtape) 7/10
I had to listen to this twice before I could really say anything about it. It's basically the same as all other Jay-Z mash-up projects (besides The Grey Album). There are some tracks that sound amazing, and some that are too forced and sound weird. It's what I expected. I really don't like tracks that just loop 10 seconds of a Coldplay songs or chop it up so that it is almost unrecognizable. Why does "No Love Coming Home" has someone that isnt Chris Martin singing the chorus from Homecoming? "Science is Ignorant" would be amazing if they could get the chorus to actually sound like Chris Martin; it's extremely frustrating. But on the other hand, when they find a Jay verse that works perfectly over a longer Coldplay instrumental with limited tempo changes and chopping, it comes out sounding so good. Unfortunately, the majority of the songs don't sound as good as I wish they did. Lost+ and Beach Chair, the two official collaborations between Coldplay and Jay, are the best tracks, which is unfortunate. But the other good tracks, like "Take the Hill", sound awesome, and almost make up for the bad ones.

The Roots

One of my favorite groups has always been The Roots, simply because they transcend genres. They are such a great hip-hop group, with Black Thought being, in my opinion, one of the best rappers out there, and at the same time they are a fun band to listen to, with a great horn section. The first time I saw them live ranks in my top 5 concerts that I've been to. So over the last two days, I listened through their entire discography, a lot of which I had never heard before, and wrote more mini-reviews on each album.

The Roots - Organix (1993) 7.5/10
The little-known, often forgotten, indie label debut from The Roots. I really didnt know what to expect going in, since I know the Roots have changed as a group so much since the beginning. It was a good album, though; especially for a debut. Its soulful and jazzy, not to mention I'm a sucker for "real" instrumentation on hip hop tracks (as opposed to computer-produced beats). Lyrically, Black Thought isn't quite as good as he is now, but still sounds great and is still better than most people out there. Even ?uestlove raps on a couple of tracks, which I wasn't expecting at all. My only problem was the it seems to drag a little and becomes kind of repetitive. Nothing really pops out at you and it just kind of keeps the same tone throughout instead of mixing it up.

The Roots - Do You Want More?!!!??! (1995) 8/10
This was a little better than "Organix". They obviously had better production because they were signed to a major label and it shows. Everything sounds cleaner and more fine-tuned. Black Thought is evolving as an artist and songwriter. It just sounds like a more complete album. Also, Rahzel was a member of The Roots at the time, and he adds that extra pop that I mentioned "Organix" not having. Overall, a solid album, some good tracks, but nothing really memorable.

The Roots - Illadelph Halflife (1996) 8.5/10
This is the first album I recognized a song or two on. While many people regard it as one of the best, if not the best, albums from The Roots, I didn't really see it being too special. It's really just the first album by The Roots that we know today. Almost like the first two albums were warm-ups. It's got a much more commercial sound with R&B hooks and whatnot. Some tracks, this works really well on, but on a lot of them it just makes them seem fake. It doesnt have the chill jam-band feeling of the previous 2 albums. So while its overall a much better album with some great tracks and a great new direction, the fact that they lost the sound of being an "indie band", for the lack of a better term.

The Roots - Things Fall Apart (1999) 9.5/10
One of the best. Its like they took "Illadelph Halflife" and perfected it. They somehow find a happy medium between sounding commercial and sounding like a band. It goes back to being funky and cool and jazzy, but keeps the upbeat mainstream sound that makes it fun. There are several memorable tracks, obviously including "You Got Me" ft. Erykah Badu, which won a Grammy. Other great guest spots by Common and Mos Def help round out the album. Its just so good. My only complaint is that it runs long, at just over 70min, and I can see where cutting out a couple of tracks would've made the album perfect.

The Roots - Phrenology (2002) 9/10
My favorite Roots album. Its the perfect length, and is basically more of the all-around complete greatness that was captured on "Things Fall Apart". 2 Kweli features are both awesome. The flow and feeling of the album is a little more well-rounded and complete than "Things Fall Apart". I think the only thing I didn't like was that it wasnt really anything new. They didnt really grow between albums at all, and as much as they didn't have to because both of these albums are amazing, I like to see artists try new things. Great album though... I really love it.

The Roots - The Tipping Point (2004) 8/10
Underrated. I feel like nobody ever talks about this album, and its pretty good. With that said, its not nearly as good as "Things Fall Apart" or "Phrenology". It sounds a lot more mainstream, which in this case isn't really a good thing. It sounds like they tried to preserve that groovy Roots feel and it just didn't work out that well. It's also too short for me. The production sounds good for a mainstream rap album, but bad for a Roots album. The rapping is on point stylistically, but content-wise I wish it were stronger. Its a good album, and actually the first Roots album I ever heard in full, back when it came out 4 years ago.

The Roots - Game Theory (2006) 8/10
I forgot about this album. I really like it, even though its not "classic" material or anything. It's really serious and to the point, covering some deep/heavy topics. Its more tied together as an album, with a lot of seamless transitions between tracks, which I like. There's a handful of good songs, but also a bunch of songs I already forget about. As it is the Roots 7th album, I'm not really impressed. But if I heard this having never listened to them before, I'd probably be blown away. So I'll settle somewhere in the middle, like I did with "The Tipping Point."

The Roots - Rising Down (2008) 8/10
Another solid album. I hadn't listened to this is several months, but I really liked it. It's in my Top 10 of the year, though dangling on at number 10. In the same way that I saw "Phrenology" being basically "Things Fall Apart" Volume 2, I think Rising Down feels a lot like "Game Theory" Volume 2. It has the same serious tone and heavy subject matter, with the rhymes and production both tight and really enjoyable. My problem with the album is that there are too many features. Although almost everyone featured does really well on the album, I just hate it when people have features in almost every track. I need more Black Thought verses. I don't listen to the Roots because I wanna hear Dice Raw or P.o.r.n. So its a good album, but clearly not the Roots' best.

Common

It's been almost a month since I wrote anything down in here, mainly because I've been busy and really just haven't had anything worth writing down. But over the last 2 days I listened to and reviewed all 7 albums by one of my favorite rappers, Common. So let's get right into it:

Common - Can I Borrow A Dollar? (1992) 7.5/10
Common's debut album. It's so weird to hear him like this. Its kind of raw and gritty. Makes him sound like he's from the streets. His topics aren't as intellectual as they are these days, at all. He raps really quickly, with sort of a sing-songy style at times. The production is simple, at some times too simple, but overall it fits perfectly. Lyrically I love it, even if it is less "smart" than his most recent two albums. His pop culture references and perfect wordplay make it fun to listen to. It's a good record, and definitely an underrated debut album, but at the same time, there's nothing really special about it, which might be because I'm listening to it 16 years too late.

Common - Resurrection (1994) 9/10
The beginning of the Common everyone knows and loves today. The rapping is more relaxed and steady, the lyrics are much more intellectual, and the wordplay is just as clever as ever, making it a really fun listen. The production is almost all by No ID (as was Can I Borrow A Dollar?) but he steps it up and polishes everything nicely; it sounds really jazzy and I love that. I felt like it dragged just a little bit in the middle, though... that's my only problem. "I Used to Love H.E.R." is one of my favorite rap songs of all time, and it never gets old. Overall, it's a great album, and deserves all the critical acclaim it got.

Common - One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997) 8/10
Another solid album from Common. Not as great as Resurrection, but still really good. Its a little too long, and the rhymes and production arent quite as tight as they were on Resurrection, but overall its still a step in the right direction, as you can tell that Common is evolving as an artist. There's a few good features, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, Q-Tip, Black Thought. The two stand-out songs, to me, were "Retrospective for Life" ft. Lauryn Hill, a really touching description of how Common feels about the impending birth of his first child, and "G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" ft. Cee-Lo, which is just an awesome, intellectual, inspiring song.

Common - Like Water For Chocolate (2000) 9/10
This is my favorite Common album. To me, its a lot like Resurrection, but with better production. Dilla and ?uestlove do the majority, with additional help from dj premier. The lyrics are tight again, with just as much soul and meaning and social consciousness as ever. Even though the albums are no longer produced by No ID, they still have a soulful, jazzy feel, which I liked about them. "The Light" is one of my favorite hip hop songs ever, and there are so many other great tracks on here ("The 6th Sense", "A Song For Assata"). I do feel however, like with "Resurrection", that it drags just a little bit and needs something extra to make it pop out at you.

Common - Electric Circus (2002) 8.5/10
This album is underrated. In the same way that people are going to hate on "Universal Mind Control" for being different than what they are used to hearing, people hated on "Electric Circus". The only difference being that "Electric Circus" moves toward a less commercially accepted sound while "UMC" is doing the opposite. Its basically the same production team as before, ?uestlove and Dilla, with 2 tracks from The Neptunes. There are great features by Cee-Lo, Mary J Blige, Pharrell, and even P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval. It feels like such a cool, soulful, eclectic album. Common's not as intellectual, but still enough to not worry people. There are still amazing lyrical songs, including probably his most serious/deepest song ever, "Between Me, You, and Liberation", where he discusses sexual abuse, homophobia, and cancer. The last track, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists discussing their thoughts on heaven. The album such a different sound, and I admit that the first time I wasn't totally bought, but after my second listen, I really enjoy it.

Common - Be (2005) 9/10
What an album. While it seems short after just finishing "Electric Circus" (73min vs. 42min), I would rather have an album be a little too short than a little too long. Production is all Kanye except for 2 Dilla tracks, which is great. My only qualm besides the length is that its a little less instrumental than other albums, which had a great jazzy feel with horns and instruments, but I have been saying I want Kanye to go more in that direction for a while now. Lyrics and flow are on point, with some great conscious rhymes as well as some great storytelling. I literally get chills at the end of "Testify". I don't know what else to say. Every song could be a single and be successful, and every song is so well put together and well thought out with almost no fluff or filler. It's great.

Common - Finding Forever (2007) 8.5/10
This gets my award for Common's worst album cover, haha. My first instinct is to say that while its a great album, its nothing new, its like Be...continued. But I have to think about it as a separate entity in some right, so I will. Like I said, its a great album. More great Kanye production (though still not as jazzy as I want), with other production from will.i.am and Dilla. Where this album falls off compared to the others is that I think it's too poppy. While there are still some soulful tracks, it's not as universally soulful as Common's previous work. There is too much name-dropping and too many pop culture references. While the majority of the album is still intellectual and smart, the added fluff upsets me a little bit.
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Just a reminder that Common's 8th studio album is due to be released in November. It's titled "Universal Mind Control" and includes recently released singles "UMC (Universal Mind Control)" and "Announcement".

I think I am going to continue on with this big discography review thing, its kind of interesting. Starting Monday I'll get into the 8 albums from The Roots, then all 6 Atmosphere albums, all 9 from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and who knows where we'll go from there...

The Game - LAX

Now I like to think that I listen to a wide variety of music... but I haven't really been into commercial rap in a while. I always kind of bunched The Game in with the whole G-Unit/Lil Wayne style of trying to be hardcore and gangster when they arent and their music isn't all that good anyways. I downloaded the "Dope Boys" music video because I like Travis Barker, who is featured on the track, and I thought the track was catchy and actually sounded pretty good. So when I was bored the other day, I downloaded the new album from The Game, LAX. I was wrong about him. I'm listening to the album as I type this right now for probably the fourth or fifth time in two days.

It's definitely a great album. I mean, I don't think its like revolutionary or classic or anything, and it probably wont make my top 10 albums of the year because its not really my style, but seriously it was good. I didn't skip any tracks like I thought I would end up doing. The production is all perfect, the features are awesome (Common, Nas, Ice Cube, Raekwon, etc), and the album has that tied-together feel that I love about good albums. I might actually go back and get The Game's first 2 albums and see if they're more of the same. I think he's really the closest thing I've heard to "gangsta rap" in a long time... it was really refreshing to hear music that gritty and raw again, NWA style. I love NWA, and wouldn't put Game anywhere near their level, but he's better than anyone else trying to make gangsta rap right now.

To be honest, I think my favorite song on the album, at least one of them, is "My Life" featuring Lil Wayne. That's right, Lil Wayne. I HATE that guy... like with an undying passion... but somehow he fits the song. It works. Not to mention that he does the chorus, not an actual verse (thank god). "Dope Boys" is great and is going to help Travis Barker become the next big feature on a lot of rap songs. Overall, I was just really surprised by how much I liked the album. Its definitely worth checking out if you miss the NWA gangsta rap days.