Kanye West -- Late Registration: A Review

[Warning: I hope you don’t mind an assault of brief digressions and parentheses, because this review has got a fuckload of ‘em. If you’re only interested in how the new CD sounds, and not my fanatic, perhaps incoherent, ramblings on everything but the kitchen sink, I suggest you scroll down past the next six or so paragraphs to the nitty-gritty review.]

Today while browsing DVDs near Samsung Plaza – trying to determine whether or not to purchase The Machinist and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, two films I haven’t seen (I rarely buy a DVD unless I’m certain that I’ll enjoy it and watch it at least a few times) – I was pleasantly surprised to see that Kanye West’s new album, Late Registration, had been released. I knew that it was due out at the beginning of September, but because of the recent (shitty) weather, I’ve convinced myself that it’s still mid-July. Anyway, I decided to pass on the DVDs for another time (much to the surprise and happiness of my wife) in favor of the CD, which was a sure bet. The album currently has a score of 88 on metacritic.com, and Rolling Stone (yes, I know, Rolling Stone is about as accurate with their reviews as The Source is with theirs. Still.) gave it a five-star rating.

I’m not very surprised. West’s freshman disc, The College Dropout, is, in my opinion, the best commercial hip-hop album released in the past...shit, I don’t know, 10 years? Seriously, what compares to it? The Blueprint? Close, but no cigar. The only albumss that seriously compete are Outkast’s last 4 efforts. However, I don’t consider ATLiens and Aquemini entirely commercial (you’ll note from this review that I don’t see a commercial album as detestable, rather a necessary part of music, and any art form for that matter. But maybe, in the immortal words of the recently-sighted Joe Pesci, that’s because I’m fucked up); Stankonia is fantastic, but I realized a few months ago that it hasn’t aged well, and that I rarely think to throw it on anymore; and while Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is an amazing album/experience, I still prefer Dropout. The funny thing is that I don’t want to like it more: I love Outkast about as much as I love tuna sandwiches (which is to say that I like them quite a lot). But I have no control over what I want to hear.

The reason might be that Speakerboxx/TLB is a double-album, and, to be digested it takes a time commitment which I am unable these days to devote to it. Dropout, on the other hand, is about half as long, and, hence, easier to spend time with. If they were girls, the former would be a drop-dead gorgeous, high-maintenance chick to whom one would have to divest a lot of time, mental energy and cash (that shit cost me USD 32 bucks when it was first released) to keep happy in the hopes of eventually getting some steady; the latter would be a cool-ass college girl who likes to watch sports, occasionally picks her nose unabashedly, is into casual sex, and who can, in turn, drink from a beer bong and discuss the current state of the world.

So...I think very highly of Kanye’s first album. Yes, it’s commercial, but it’s definitely not your average commercial record, or what passes for commercial hip-hop these days. I mentioned in my last post that I don’t like the fact that Little Brother is being touted as the saviors of hip-hop -- because there’s nothing wrong with hip-hop. Shit ain’t broken. Yes, there’s more wack shit these days, both in the mainstream and in the underground, but, as Aesop Rock so aptly stated, “what you’re holdin’ ain’t really broken.” Hip-hop is still here. In the immortal words of KRS-ONE, it will be here forever. Forever and ever, ever and ever, it will be here. Forever.

Case in point: The College Dropout. To tell the truth, I feel like a dickhead for making up excuses as to why the album is both commercial and good. KFC is commercial and good, and no one is shitting on them. Except maybe vegans and PETA freaks.

And, as an aside, for the underground heads: El-P’s Fantastic Damage is the best "pure" hip-hop album produced in the last 10 years (an album which I’m willing to state is sonically as good, if not better, than PE’s It Takes a Nation of Millions). Hip-hop’s just fine, dunny.

Of course, there are some who would argue that Dropout is a piece of shit, and that Kanye West is an egotistical bastard (so was/is KRS, and he’s a legend, possibly the greatest rapper ever). To you I say: you can no longer play in my sandbox. And don’t bother trying to swap sandwiches with me at lunch. Every part of The College Dropout, from its music down to its album cover, is genius. ‘Nuff said.

...

And with that, it’s on to the review of Late Registration. I wrote the above before listening to a single song on the new album. Let’s see how it stacks up:

The Album Cover: Nice. The CD’s cover popped up online about 3 months ago, and at the time I thought it looked horrible, too comical. But it’s actually pretty nice. Maybe they darkened it a bit or something. A good continuation of the first album’s theme. With guitars!

Track 1: Wake Up Mr. West

A brief and comical intro -- bonus props for the Back to the Future homage -- that mirrors the intro from the first album. I’m happy that the long-ass intros of years past have gone the way of the dinosaur. There used to be nothing worse than popping on a new tape or CD and having to sit through a intro that went on for what seemed like 3 days. Blame Prince Paul.

Track 2: Heard ‘Em Say

Nice piano keys. Nice bass line. That piano grows on you, too. It’s not The Symphony or Knuckleheadz, but it has a nice bounce. Bonus points for the way the track briefly mutates at the end. Minus points: the dude from Maroon 5 crooning over the chorus. It’s not terrible, but upon initial listen it irks a tad. By the way, did the guy purposefully model his vocals after Jamiroquai’s Jay Kay? The only time I’ve ever heard Maroon 5 was when they were the musical guests on Saturday Night Live, and at the time all I could think of was “I guess the dude from Jamiroquai hooked up with a new band.” I was shocked to discover the next day that he had also changed his name to Adam Levine.

Track 3: Touch the Sky

Oh snap! Someone finally sampled Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Move On Up.’ Why has it taken so long? Must have been the tempo. Seriously, the original is one of my favorite songs of all time. I’m at odds...I like how he used various portions of the song, most notably the original’s bridge. Don’t like hearing Mayfield’s voice beneath the lyrics, though. And the rapping is a little off-beat with the chopped up percussion. It’s decent. The chorus grows on me. Still, dude kind of fucked up ‘Move On Up.’ For a lesson in how to do a classic soul song justice when sampling it, he should peep ‘Can I Live’ (which samples Isaac Hayes’s amazing ‘Walk On By’) from Jay-Z’s debut, Reasonable Doubt.

Track 4: Gold Digger

[Ah, here’s the track I’ve been hearing about. Apparently FLOW 93.7 in Toronto (holy shit! Toronto finally has an urban music radio station! The poles surely will reverse any day now) has edited the song so that the lyrics “white girl” cannot be heard. Because, you know, “white girl” is a dirty word.]

After the sampling near-debacle that was the last track, I was very relieved that this song didn’t rehash EPMD’s identically-titled song from their album Business As Usual. The beat is nice (I only have a handful of adjectives when describing hip-hop beats. Needless to say, “nice” is my favorite). A compelling drum track helps propel a vocal sample, which takes the place of a melody. And then it kicks it up a notch (thanks again, Emeril) during the second verse with some jabbing and stabbing synth hits. Sweet. The humor reminds me a bit of Bitties in the BK Lounge from De La Soul...Is Dead). The best track of the album so far.

Track 5/6: Drive Slow

A brief skit preludes this song, fucking up the disc/liner notes track listing. I hate that. The song uses a sample that sounds eerily familiar to Eminem’s ‘No One’s Iller Than Me*’ The saxophone adds some ambience. Mediocre.

* It is indeed the same sample: Hank Crawford’s ‘Wild Flower’

Track 7: My Way Home

Is it just me, or does Common sound like he’s falling asleep when he’s rapping? Not only on this song, but on every song he’s been on since Resurrection (De La’s ‘The Business’ not included). It’s a dope (see, I have more words than “nice” to use to describe a song) track, the further pussification of Common notwithstanding. Kanye doesn’t rhyme on it, which, I’m shocked to say on a track featuring Common, is disappointing. Man, Common really has become Kanye's bitch, huh? The beat mutates at the end, and I was pleased that it didn’t go on any longer than it does, because, while still a good (there are those million-dollar adjectives again) track/interlude, it’s an anchor threatening to sink the album’s ambience. Thank god the following track is:

Track 8: Crack Music

The Game (the rapper, not the WWE’s Triple H) makes an appearance here. If you haven’t heard his debut CD, The Documentary, do yourself a favor and go and purchase it. It’s solid like my dooks after a pizza binge.

Both a consciously-charged shot at the government and a sober look in the mirror at today's hip-hop. The beat goes on far after the lyrics, but it allows for some reflection (and nose-picking). The Game only provides the chorus. This is the song that is growing quickest upon me. AGAIN, the beat swerves and curves near the end. Looks like dude is making that his new signature.

Track 9: Roses

I know you like to think your shit don’t stink/but lean a little bit closer and roses really smell like poo-poo-oooohhh!

Sorry, I thought for a sec that I was reviewing a different song.

Initially I thought the song was a straight poetry reading. Then the beat kicks in with numerous R&B crooners (one of whom I think is Cee-Lo, though if it is he’s uncredited. I used to like his singing, but it grates on my nerves these days. Go back to rapping, fat man. Or rejoin Goodie M.O.B.)

Track 10: Bring Me Down aka That Song With Brandy

The difference between other peon producers and Kanye West? West has better drum tracks on his R&B-tinged joints. Seriously, I wanted to punch this song in the face until the drums kicked in. Then I only wanted to slap it around a little. It’s a sub-par song, no doubt, but it has potential staying power because of those drums.

Track 11: Addiction

Rolling Stone gave this album 5 stars? Seriously? This song sucks. No, really, it sucks. It sounds like a song Kanye might come up with while in the studio at 4am, half asleep and possibly high on drugs. Shitty-music-making drugs. I can’t take it anymore. This song goes on for 4 minutes and 26 seconds too long.

(This album needs Captain Save-a-Hoe. It’s good, but...)

Track 12/13: Diamonds from Sierra/Sergio Leone (Remix)

I’m so witty. Let’s hope this song doesn’t suck...

...Dope. Love the political statement. Love the Bond sample. Only criticism: West’s interpolation of Andre 3000’s “forever” chant (from 'Ms. Jackson') goes on too long, so that he sounds like a hyperactive, spoiled kid. It’s annoying.

Track 14: We Major

Possibly the best song of the album. And a sweet guest verse by The Artist Formerly Known as Nas. I have to admit that when the beat first started I didn’t like it very much, but got into it after about 20 seconds. I love the song for its length, too (it’s about 7 minutes). I'm dying for West to do a collaboration with The Mars Volta. THEN we'll see some shit. Another track where the beat changes – slightly, in this case – at the end.

Track 15: Hey Mama

It’s getting a little dusty in here. Props to Kanye for not putting on the “a very special episode of…” voice on for this song. It’s no 'Dear Mama', but few sentimental “I love my moms” songs are. Extra bonus points awarded here because West sings the hook and seriously does a good job of it.

Track 16: Celebration

This song reminds me of another song...I just can’t at the moment recall what it is. Nice synths on the track. It’s not really a track more than it is a playful pseudo-closer (there’s a bonus track, see). It’s 20 times briefer and a lot more welcome than the "overstayed its welcome" outro on The College Dropout (thought that beat was a tad better).

Track 17: Gone

This song maybe should have been placed before 'Celebration' for better cohesiveness (something which Registration lacks considerably when placed next to Dropout), but whatever. An above-average track: nice soul hook, nice subtle piano stabs. Will probably grow on me, but for now I think it should have been placed a lot earlier on the album. Unless it’s supposed to be considered a bonus track (though the liner notes don’t list it as one).

Bonus Track: Diamonds of Sierra Madre/Leone

Same beat as the “remix,” but with no Jay-Z. And there’s no conflict diamonds commentary here as far as I can tell.

Bonus Track no. 2: We Can Make It Better

Seriously, what’s the fucking point of putting a bonus track on your CD if it sounds as though it could fit in anywhere on the disc? If dude made a rockabilly song, I’d understand, but this makes no sense: it's not a hidden track; if one lets the disc play, one'll hear it. This has become commonplace, at least on hip-hop CDs. Dumb.

The Verdict:

It’s a good album. Not great, no matter how much I want it to be. It doesn’t flow as nicely as his previous album, and there are a few tracks that range from “mildly disappointing” to “completely un-fucking-listenable” (I’m looking at you, 'Addiction'). But, much like The College Dropout (which I only sort of liked upon first listen), I have an impulse to listen to this again, and soon. Maybe my overall opinion of it will change over time. Two things, however, are certain: even though it comes close in places, it’s not nearly as good as his first CD, and Rolling Stone is either taking payola or smoking rock.

Sparkles’s rating: 4/5