Album Review: Late Registration-- Kanye West



Okay, these aren't my words, because I'm not exactly sure I'm going to purchase. I figured it was an accurate review though... since I've heard the majority of the album online...

Bragging Rights: Kanye West's 'Late Registration'

By J. Freedom du Lac
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, August 31, 2005; Page C01

Kanye West knows from vainglorious.

In the 18 months since the release of his chart-topping, Grammy-winning debut album, "The College Dropout," West has become as well known for his egotism as for his critically acclaimed music ("Jesus Walks," "All Falls Down," etc.). The 28-year-old rapper and producer is hardly diminishing that reputation with the arrival of his second album, "Late Registration."

Just consider some of his recent comments about the album's place in the pantheon.

"Music hasn't been taken this far in years -- since Stevie [Wonder] did it. Since Prince did it." (USA Today)

"I wanted to change the sound of music." (Billboard)

"I think this is the best-produced record. Ever." (Newsweek)

Hey, kids: Papa's got a brand new brag!

But for all of West's boastful talk, he backs it up pretty capably. With its blend of stunning, symphonic hip-hop/soul and engaging lyrics that veer from socially conscious to caustic to crass (sometimes in the span of a single, self-contradictory verse), "Late Registration" is audacious, ambitious, adventurous and awfully good. Borderline great, even.

But it's not quite a classic a la Wonder's "Innervisions" or Prince's "Sign 'O' the Times" -- or, for that matter, De La Soul's "3 Feet High and Rising," the 1989 hip-hop album that broke sonic and thematic ground.

For one thing, West -- a fine writer and outstanding producer who may be rap's Quincy Jones -- is not a great vocalist. His diction has improved, and so has his timing. But his flow isn't in the same league as that of Jay-Z, Nas or Common, all of whom take guest turns on "Late Registration."

The album is badly in need of an editor, too: With 21 tracks and a running time of about 75 minutes, it's bloated, from the Rolodex-length guest list and the dueling versions of the first single, "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," to the pointless and braggadocious "We Major," which drags on for more than five minutes . . . before the coda!

The album also features a senseless series of skits about being broke -- weird, given that the obsessive West spent a reported $2 million on production, missing multiple deadlines along the way. Originally scheduled for a spring release, the album should have been titled " Really Late Registration."

What the album lacks in self-discipline and cohesion, though, it makes up for with generally compelling lyrics and a complex, consistently rewarding soundtrack.

Discarding the sonic formula that made "College Dropout" such a success, West brought in an unlikely collaborator in co-producer Jon Brion, best known for his orchestral work with the artsy pop singers Aimee Mann and Fiona Apple. Brion added swelling, freshly recorded strings and other instrumental flourishes to West's drum loops and distorted samples -- and the result is arresting.

On the brooding "Crack Music," a gritty gospel sample, a marching-band beat and some brassy punctuation frame West's slow, seething screed about crack in the black community ("We invested in that, it's like we got Merrill Lynched / And we been hanging from the same tree ever since") and hip-hop's role as the new drug of choice.

"Roses" alternates between a tinkling lullaby and Patti LaBelle- and Bill Withers-fueled gospel as West laments his grandmother's decline while railing against a health care system that penalizes her for not being rich and famous. The endearing "Hey Mama" pays tribute to West's mother (a recently retired English professor) over a "la-la-la"-ing, folk-song-sampling, vibraphone-ringing backing track.

The foot-stomping, kinda misogynistic "Gold Digger" features Jamie Foxx channeling Ray Charles, as well as a raw sample of the real Genius's "I Got a Woman." "Bring Me Down," on which West and the R&B singer Brandy both sound more than a little paranoid, features a massive wall of symphonic sound that would make the equally paranoid producer Phil Spector proud. And "Addiction" is a psychedelic, Latin-tinged, Etta James-sampling reflection on West's own vices: Women, weed and money.

Alas, West -- otherwise so honest -- doesn't fess up to his adulation addiction.

5 Songs That Describe My Mood


Once again it's on!

1. For Real-- Amel Larrieux-- I love this song simply because it is quite possibly the most beautiful love song recorded in the last 5 years. That is, however, my own opinion...

2. Since I Seen't You-- Anthony Hamilton-- I'm gonna just quote my favorite part of the song... Ever since the day you walked into my life/ I've never been the same/Then and not again/Hope and pray to God/ That you stay a while/ With me, yeah.... I mean, isn't that how you feel when you meet somebody and you are like really, REALLY into them? I love that song...

3. Stars-- Kindred-- What can I say? I'm on some ole romantic shit right now...

4. Rush Over-- Me'Shel Ndegeocello-- I've been listening to my soundtrack lately... and this song always stood out to me... The guitar is so sexy... the vibe is sexy.. shit, the song is sexy! "Your voice makes me wanna/ Do things I'm much too shy to say/ You leave me to question/ If you feel the same for me/The way I feel for you/ I'll rush over..." I love it.

5. Love Calls-- Kem-- Like I said before, I'm on some ole romantic shit. If you've ever heard this song, you know what I mean...

That's if for now, for your listening pleasure. Enjoy!

I've Been Spammed!!!

Recently, I've noticed span in my comments section, so I decided to add word verification to ward off any unwanted automated responses to my entries.

Just thought I'd let my readers know, so don't be suprised.

Love Ya

J

When 2 R N Luv....

So, I've been in an overly romantic and loving mood these last few days, and all thanks to a young man that I've been linked to... and believe it or not, it's not the one I wrote about in my last edition of "5 Songs"... I know, I know... I'm fickle... but that's actually not my fault. Keith has some unresolved ex-wife issues, not to mention he's got some extra females he's dealing with other than yours truly. The son of a bitch didn't even come to my birthday party. Said it "slipped his mind". Hmph, musta been otherwise "occupied". Case and point, I'm not playing second fiddle to neither the broad that left him nor the bitches he's fucking with on the side. If it's gonna be about me, then it's ALL about me. That may sound conceited or self centered as hell, but why should I play #2 if he's number #1? Not gonna happen. Been there, done that. Not about to recast that movie with a new leading man. Like I said, it's a new beginning and I'm on some new shit.

So, anyway... let me get off my tangent about THAT nig and tell you about this other young man.

I met him in May of 2004. His name is Hakeem. He was sweet, talkative, cute, funny... I was instantly drawn to him. I was going through whatever with Dick, so he was like a breath of fresh air. He told me he was moving to North Carolina within the week, and he wanted to spend time with me before he left. I'm thinking "Cool." Little did Miss Jessi know within the week meant the next goddamn day. I wasn't exactly devastated, considering I had not even know him 24 whole hours, but I was disappointed. And I could not get him off my mind for weeks.

I had given him my cell phone number. But at the time, I was unemployed and the cell phone got disconnected the day after he left. Shit. I had no way to contact him. He had no way to contact me. There went any hope of any connection...

I was looking for someone to do micro braids for less than both my legs and my first born (or not trying to pay $300 to get my hair done), and my girl Desiree suggested her cousin Khalidah. Khalidah is one of Hakeem's 6 sisters (there are 10 children in all). So I go over to the house, get my hair twisted, and since I'm there like 12 hours, I get to meet 3 more of his sisters and we all get really cool. Maybe 3 weeks later, his sister Amina, Desiree, and I decided we were gonna go have some drinks. When I got to her house to get her, we were sitting around talking and she gets a phone call. It's Hakeem!! They talk for a while and I guess she mentioned I was there, and he asked to speak to me. The connection was made once again. I had a new cell phone, a new job and all that good stuff, so we exchanged numbers. Communication was back on. Just like that, all those butterflies from the night we met came back.

Over the next few months, I talked to him 3 or 4 times a week. Then I got the call I was waiting for... he was on his way home.... and he wanted to see me. To be with me. Unfinished business, he said. He returned in October. From October to February, we were inseparable. Then he started doing ignorant dick shit (refer to the link, provided by my beautiful cousin Safire to find out what dick shit is if you don't know.) and I just couldn't take it. That's how I ended up fucking with Dick again. And we all know that was a HUGE mistake.

Hakeem and I still would talk, but we didn't hook back up until Mid July. Then this past Sunday, he finally got off his dick shit, and admitted to me that he had feelings for me, that he loved me, and he wanted to make it happen...

With that conversation, we made it official. I have a boyfriend. Damn. What do I do now? I haven't had a boyfriend in so long... just a series of "friends"... but I care about this man lots... even though he did get on my LAST nerve with all his craziness last winter... we'll see how it goes...

Go Shawty, It's ya birthday....



Yup, today's the day I leave my fabulous twenties behind... and boy am I glad. I'm not one of those people desperatle trying to hold on to my youth... well, maybe my youth, but not my 20's. That's for damn sure. Too many crappy memories. I can leave those behind in the last decade of my life. Time to start fresh, time to start new. This is a new beginning so to speak. And I'm gonna have fun with it.

So... Happy Birthday to me!!! I'm 30 in this bitch!!

5 Songs That Describe My Mood

So... if you've been a reader of my blog for a minute... you've read about the idiot that I had had the unfortunate pleasure of calling myself in a "relationship" with for the better part of this here millineum... he has been and will continue to be out of the photo, simply because I've decided that I'm better than anything he can put me through at this point... and being 4 days from 30 has put alot of things in perspective... but that's another post...

Back to the lecture at hand...

There's this guy that I've known for about 12 or 13 years. His name is Keith. I met him when he used to live down the street from my grandmother. We always had our way of flirting back then, but he had a girlfriend. And she was one of those rough ass girls... you know the type, always fighting, always into something, never took her ass to school... she was very pretty, but she was rough, and I wasn't even TRYING to get into it with her. I was the honors student, good girl type (that's the part I played, anyway ..::evil genius laugh::..) that was not ABOUT to fight over some dude... but he was foine... dark chocolate brown, about 6'1, slim build, chisled features, dimples (and I got a thing for dimples)... and I heard he was packing something serious in those Levi's he wore on a regular... umph, umph, umph...

We never really got together... I had boyfriends, he had girlfriends...I got married, he got married... whenever one was single, the other was not... so we always had this unofficial link to each other if you will. And we said that if we ever ran across each other again and we were both in a position to make it happen, we would. This is where the sory begins again...

So, about 3 weeks ago, I ran into him. And he still looks damn good, but I knew that he would. And we are like a couple teenagers... late night phone calls that last 2 and 3 hours... butterflies when we see each other... the "I miss you" voicemail in the middle of the day... and I am giddy like a schoolgirl...

This edition of songs are all songs that remind me of Keith in one way or another... for your listening pleasure I bring to you...

The Luv Struck Edition

1. Lose Control-- Silk-- This song reminds me of a house party all of my friends in my granmother's old neighborhood went to. For some reason, Keith and I ended up dancing to this song... and he whispered the lyrics in my ear the whole time... where his girl was at this time, I don't know... didn't matter... to me, there was no one in the room but me and him at that point in time...

2. U & I-- Jodeci-- I was really into Jodeci back in the day... and he used to always play this song for me when we'd all be chilling over his house. Nobody else would want to here that lovey dovey shit, but he'd play it for me... and to this day, everytime I hear this song, I think of him... I know, that's pretty fucking sappy, but it's the truth...

3. Didja Know-- Groove Theory-- I say this song reminds me of him because he after I saw him 3 weeks ago for the first time in 2 years, that' exactly how I felt... "Didja know/ I would go/ Anywhere you roll/Cause with you is home/ Didja know it?"...

4. Wanna Be Where U R-- Floetry-- "You're the one that I want/Now baby/ I want you to give me your heart/ Cause you mean everything to me I/ Wanna be where you are"... When we see each other, it's like magic.. I can't describe it really... and I never want him to leave my presence. I love to be with him... I odn't know, he just has this effect on me that... wow...

5. Infatueighties-- Musiq-- Just reminds me of how our relationship was back in the day and what it's developing into now.. how we would flirt and smile at each other back in the day and now... sweet kisses and the look of adoration in his eyes... let me stop...

There you have it... 5 songs that describe my mood... enjoy!