I like to have a say in the music at any social gathering I take part in, whenever at all possible. And from 2004-2008 (when everyone started to get sick of the Graduation album) virtually any Kanye song was enough to pump some energy into a room. If I needed songs to fill a playlist, Yeezy was my go-to-guy. I was like Denzel in training day, “I can’t miss!”
And then he released “808’s and Heartbreak”. I consider it a decent album, but it had no business being played before a night out on the town. That is, unless you wanted to pump even more drama and emotion into the heads of your drunk friends.(I will make an exception for “Amazing”… that shit gets me hype, no matter what)
Fast forward to November 2010… “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is released. After a few listens all the way through, I am pleased to announce that Kanye is once again party-approved.
Upon first listen, you will notice that he starts it off with a very pleasing intro song that instantly gives you an idea of what the album has in store for you, reminiscent of “We Don’t Care”, “Heard ‘Em Say” , and “Good Morning”. The next track is “Gorgeous” feat Scotty (Kid Cudi) and Raekwon the chef – this beat is pretty filthy and the song is wrought with elements of a good Cudi song, not to mention the chef. Of course, “Power”, the first single, is the most recognizable song off the album. Though the song sounds really good, I see it as a “Diamonds from Sierra Leone II”, in that, it is almost impossible to discern the message that the song is trying to send because of a poor choice of lyrics. “All of the lights” is just like any song with Rihanna – extremely catchy and if you’re not careful, you will find yourself grooving to it. “Monster” is eh… it’s like the hip hop equivalent of a Dave Mathews song… wayyyy too much going on.
“So Appalled” is just sick. Sick, I tell you… Especially Jigga’s verse. “Devil in a New Dress” is a chill track that you can just let ride out. “Runaway” is easily my favorite song on the album. Though slower-paced, it is, overall, a great song, suitable for any situation. The two other songs I like are “Blame Game”, which has a pretty entertaining Chris Rock rant at the end of it, and “Hell of a Life”. But, the album is most definitely worth a listen, merely due to the presence of “Dark Fantasy”, “Gorgeous”, “So Appalled”, and “Runaway”.
Give it a try and let me know if I’m wrong (I’m not).
Musically,
-Bill
