Album Review: Alicia Keys - The Element of Freedom

I'm not even going to waste my time and write an extensive review of Alicia Keys' latest effort "The Element of Freedom," I'm just going to say flat out that it is boring!
Please tell me why, on this, Alicia's fourth album, her music has not progressed much, phonically speaking, from her debut in 2001? Never mind... To be fair, Keys did do a small bit of experimentation with different instruments on this album, but she is still stuck behind the piano. It seems as if all the songs blend into the next. I did have high hopes after finding Drake and Beyonce listed as features on two songs only to hear Drake sing background and Alicia place very overused and simple piano cord progressions over a bombastic beat Beyonce probably rejected from her album.
Alicia Keys is a very talented individual, and as such I really expected to hear some creative growth on "The Element of Freedom". What I got instead are a hand full of more piano songs to go along with the rest shes written. The only two songs I can imagine myself listening to on a semi-regular basis are "Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart" and "Un-Thinkable [I'm Read]" featuring Drake on background vocals. "The Element of Freedom" lands in stores today.

Album Review: Robin Thicke's Sex Therapy

This Tuesday, December 15, Robin Thicke will release his greatest album to date, arguably the best R&B / soul album of the past decade. DO NOT take the previous sentence lightly! Robin Thicke is back with his somewhat anticipated new release, "Sex Therapy". The only reason I say "somewhat anticipated" is because I have seen limited promo for the album. I can, however, say that the lead single of the same name as the album has been getting steady airplay on the radio. Whoever told Thicke to step away from the piano and make a concept album about sex deserves a gold medal. Do note that there are two versions of the album; "Sex Therapy: The Sessions", and the deluxe edition, where five additional tracks are mixed in rather than tagged at the end, "Sex Therapy: The Experience".
The album starts off with club bangers such as "Sex therapy", "It's in the Morning", and "Shakin' it for Daddy". Trust, you have never heard Robin Thicke like this before. With production from Polow Da Don, Teddy Riley, and Rich Skillz, Thicke utilizes the first half of the album to establish his self as a force to be reckoned with. He definitely makes an effort to get you dancing, and he succeeds [at least with me]. The album incorporates sultry voice-overs from wife Paula Patton [hes the doctor, shes the nurse], and she even gets her own fairly lengthy interlude, "Start With A Kiss" that precedes the second half of the album where Thicke somewhat pays homage to the early Sergio Mendes sound. After listening to this half, I must say, I see Robin Thicke in a whole new light [he even has his first parental advisory warning lol]. The man might be a pimp! Thicke closes the album with "Diamonds" featuring The Game. This song is used to compare women to diamonds. After naming various prominent women such as Beyonce, Keyshia Cole, Rihanna, Queen LaTifa, Michelle Obama, and Paula Patton, its clear that Thicke has a serious case of jungle fever. "Sex Therapy" includes features from Jay Z, Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj, Kid Cudi, Estelle, Jazmine Sullivan, and The Game.
Overall, I would give "Sex Therapy" four and a half stars out of five. After years of playing the role of underdog, Robin Thicke is definitely on the road to legendary status. I predict years later people will remember Thicke as one of the greats. Check the video for the lead single below.

Ryan Leslie is the New Stephon Urkel!!!

Musical genius Ryan Leslie dropped his sophomore album "Transition" yesterday only months after his critically acclaimed self titled debut album. What really impresses me about this dude is not only his tenacity, but the fact that this man went into the studio ALONE, produced an album by playing ALL the instruments, and came out with a hot album with ONLY ONE feature from another artist! BOW IN THE PRESENCE OF GREATNESS!
He begins the album with [my favorite] a funk inspired "Never Gonna Break Up". This song has probably climbed up my top 25 faster than any other that has ever been imported into my iTunes [currently #11]. I must say that I don't understand why Leslie titled the album "transition", because I would say its more of a follow up to his previous work, which is not a bad thing at all. Ryan Leslie has so much [for a lack of better word] swag for one individual. Not only is he singing on the album, he actually raps too, and it doesn't suck. He did a little rapping on the previous album, but he actually goes in on "Something That I Like" with Pusha T. Other songs of note include "Zodiac", and a Stephon Urkel reminiscent "Rescue U" on the deluxe edition. "Transition" is definitely a must have for any serious R&B buffs. Download it from iTunes here.
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Album Review: In Love & War by Amerie

Yesterday Amerie released her highly anticipated fourth album "In Love & War", and I must say that it is one of the best R&B releases this year. This album definitely proves that there is a place for Amerie in mainstream music.
After much criticism and a brief disappearance from the music scene, Amerie is back with much ferocity, and her sound is better than ever. With songs such as "Tell Me You Love Me", "Dangerous", and "Why R U" she reminds us exactly why we like her and rooted for her in the past. Not only does she give us her classic go-go sound, she delivers a different sound on "Higher", a 1960s Jimi Hendrix inspired groovy rock jam, and "Red Eye", a smooth ballad produced by Bryan-Michael Cox. Although I have never pinned Amerie as one of the best female vocals, and she does have some shaky notes throughout the album, she makes up for it with her unique sound. Get it on iTunes here.
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Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel

Did anyone notice that Mariah's latest album "Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel" hit stores yesterday? I didn't either! I really thought Mariah would give me a lot to go in on [especially after the hit and miss "E=MC2"], but after listening to it multiple times I have come to the conclusion that "Memoirs" is a SOLID album!
This album takes me back to when Mariah was the leading lady in R&B / Pop music. With production from Randy Jackson, The-Dream, and Tricky Stewart, Mariah gives us an updated version of her classic sound that we've been craving. I still won't say that I'm a fan of the lead single "Obsessed", but some of the other songs are definitely on their way to my Top 25 in iTunes. "Becha Gon Know" opens the record with sobering lyrics including "I can't believe you just actually did this shit to me /I'm going bout a hundred /Mascara runnin /Laughing out of anger /But it don't strike me as funny /Been too good to you /I've been virtuous and true /To have something like this /Happen in my own bedroom." Other songs worth putting on repeat are "Candy Bling", "Inseparable", and "The Impossible". This album definitely has potential to go straight to number one on the Billboard charts. Lets just hope that her label actually starts doing promo instead of relying on the ongoing beef with Eminem to keep Mariah in the lime light.

Kid Cudi's Album Got Leaked

Kid Cudi's album got leaked last night [ironically on a full moon]. Legally I cant tell you all to download copy-written material, nor can I post a link to it. I will say that Cudi's album is pretty decent. My favorite song off the record is "Heart of a Lion" hands down! I need to meditate on it some more to judge the lyrical content [he did go deep on some of these songs]. I might actually buy it when it comes out next week. Cudi surprised me by releasing a concept album that actually has a good story line. The best part is that this story is narrated by Chicago rapper Common. What really intrigues me is the thought of what this guy will sound like in five years. After reneging on a promise to retire after his first solo project we can only hope that Cudi lasts that long lol.

"Oh shit my album got leaked lol oh well. Enjoy yall :)" - via Kid Cudi's twitter.
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An Open Letter To Trey Songz's Fans

Dear Trey Songz Fans,

I'm truly sorry if the following letter angers or offends you in any way. In an attempt not to appear to be a hater, I will not straight rag on Trey Songz's new album, "Ready". Instead I will give an honest review of what I felt after listening.
First and foremost, the only song that stood out to me after listening the first time was "LOL :)", and that was only because of the off the wall collaboration with Soulja Boy. After a second attempt to listen to it "Jupiter Love" stood out a bit more. But, the fact of the matter is that this album is nothing special. I couldn't listen to it the second time all the way through. Not because its terrible, but because its simply mediocre. After hyping this album for the better half of this year, Trey Songz has failed to deliver amazing material. He does try to go for more of an edgy, rock R&B sound on some songs such as "One Love" and "Black Roses", but it doesn't quite push the genre anywhere. Keep in mind that I'm a guy that actually does listen to various genres of music. I cant listen to an amazing album from Radiohead, Kanye West, Bjork, Black Eyed Peas, and Amy Winehouse and then listen to mediocre work and appreciate it. I know the preceding artists are all in different colors on the musical spectrum, but as the saying goes, "real recognizes real" [if that makes any sense]. Even as I write this letter, I wonder, what separates Trey from the average run-of-the-mill R&B artist? His vocal abilities and arrangements are EXTREMELY reminiscent of R.Kelly, he doesn't produce any of his own music [which makes him dependent on the abilities of others], and he doesn't come off as a musical genius at all. To me, a great album is one that I can listen to for three days straight and still like it enough to listen to it again the next week. I'm sorry if you don't agree, but "Ready" is not an album that I will be listening to next week. Furthermore, another thing that turns me off is the fact that Trey only finished recording this album several weeks ago. In my opinion, an artist should record a lot, take a break, reflect on their creation obsessively, and then tweak it before releasing it. I'm not going to tell anyone not to buy this album, I just want you all to listen to it and come to your own conclusions. Especially you female fans. Would you really go so hard for Trey Songz if you thought he was ugly? Trey probably wonders the same thing. After all, check the album cover!

Your favorite N*E*R*D,
malik|alexander
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Whitney Houston "I Look To You" Album Review

Well, shes back with a new album in stores today. And if you're wondering why folks are coming out with albums today, a Monday, its because August 31 is the cut off date for Grammy nominations 2009–2010.
With production from Akon, Danja, R. Kelly, StarGate, and Swizz Beatz Whitney returns to the scene with a lukewarm album. I'm sorry to dash anyone's hopes [how many of my readers are long time Whitney fans anyway?], but the album is not that great. To me it really doesn't have that signature Whitney attitude/ swag/ funk/ whatever, and maybe that's because she only has writing credits on two of the 11 songs. Just about all the songs are all lovey-dovey. One would think that after all the drug problems and the divorce from long time husband Bobby Brown, Whitney would be singing a different tune. And this is Whitney Houston; "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", "I Will Always Love You", "Greatest Love of All", "I'm Every Woman", "You Give Good Love", "I Have Nothing", "Saving All My Love for You", etc! Don't hate me for ragging on the lyrics, cause they don't quite cut it. She actually sings, "I'm a soulja girl" in the albums final track, "Salute". I did say I could faux with it, but after hearing it twice ,I don't know. Over all, I would give this album 2.5 stars out of five. Sorry Whitney...


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I Can Faux With Lady Love!

Y'all, this is so unexpected for me. I wasn't really feeling the first single, not really feeling the current second single, but this one right here might be the charm! I picked up the album yesterday, and this song, "Regret", with Ludacris has been on constant repeat. Although I would loosely compare the melody and lyrical rhythm to Kelly Rowland's 2007 hit-and-miss "Ghetto" featuring Snoop Dogg, LeToya's song is a hit. The whole album is hot. It has production credits from Ne-Yo, Ryan Leslie, Chris Brown, Marsha Ambrosious as well as songs featuring Estelle, Mims, and Slim Thug.

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Kristinia DeBarge 'Exposed'

I wanted to do a review of this album because there is a fair amount of hype around this young one. Not only is she a member of the legendary DeBarge family, people are also throwing around comparisons between her and Rihanna [which is understandable after listening to the lead single, Goodbye]. I wont say that this chick is without talent, but I will say that the lip-synced, heavily produced performance on So You Think You Can Dance a few weeks ago had me a bit skeptical. Is Kristinia DeBarge just as manufactured as the early Rihanna? I think so. The only thing that separates the two is that Kristinia can actually sing! As with any other 19 year old music act, I didn't expect her to have much writing credit for her album. And my suspicions were proved correct as she is listed as a co-writer only on two tracks, "Cried Me A River" and "Its Gotta Be Love", with Babyface. After about halfway through the album its clear that Kristinia is more comparable to Jordan Sparks who both worked with front man to OneRepublic, Ryan Tedder. Over all, the album is OK. Its good for kids to listen to [which explains the heavy rotation on the Disney channel], but as always, I'm more so interested in longevity. What will the Billboard charts say next week? What amazing things will this album yield? And I know I'm jumping the gun, but what will the next album sound like? How long will she keep the squeaky clean image? We shall see ladies and gents, we shall see.


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Electrik Red "How To Be A Lady: Vol. 1"

It seems like Electrik Red is not doing so well. Their album debut at 100 on the Billboard charts with a whopping 5,000 record sales its first week and has to date sold only 6,000+ total. That's just embarrassing. I'm listening to the album now, and so far its pretty good, I just want to know where is all the promo. To date I have only seen / heard one single from these chicks, but my research tells me that they have released four singles including the remix of "So Good" featuring Lil Wayne. In fact, I'm starting to like these chicks. They make me think of a present day EnVogue. The album was largely produced by The-Dream and his partner Tricky Stewart. Check it below and decide for yourself.

The E.n.d. Is That Shit!!!!! I PROMISE!!!!!

I swear on everything I own; every fiber of my being, this new Black Eyed Peas album is that shit!It is that album that I've always wanted somebody to make! These two songs in particular have already shot up my top 25 in iTunes today. If you don't get it on Tuesday you are a fool! BEP [Will.I.Am] is so underrated in the Black community. Every album they come with that heat! They always produce that one club banger that never dies. This whole album is that banger! I give it a 10 out of 10. Electro hip hop can get no better than this.
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Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling"

The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies) in stores Tuesday June 9th. This album goes so hard. You must get it.....

Bjork "Volta"

In short, this album is a muthasuckin EARGASM! Absolutely amazing! Although released in 2007, I'm just now hearing it. I cant believe how incredibly mastered these tracks are. As I sat and listened to it I literally got goose bums all over. This is art! Of course I'm not advising everyone to listen to this album, because everyone is not going to like it. But, if you really want to take your perception of music to a higher plane, dive right in. My favorite tracks are Dull Flame Of Desire, I See Who You Are, Vertebrae by Vertebrae, and Pneumonia. This album gets a 10 out of 10 [and I don't give 10's]!
Check visionary masterpieces [music videos] of Bjork here.

Rick Ross "Deeper Than Rap"

Ok, ok, ok.........so I'm currently listening to Rick Ross' latest album, and I cant even lie, the shit is hot! Seriously! I'm not even a fan, I just got it to see if his music was better than 50's. Well, I'll let y'al1 be the judge. Check the preview below.
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Deeper than Rap hits stores April 21 this Tuesday....

I Now Know Why Que Was Mad All the Time......

.....Its because the album sucks!!!! Well, it doesn't really suck, its just not that good at all. The whole album is slow. There are no bangers at all. The guys did try to throw a little rock star shit in there with the use of mild guitar riffs on "Just Getting Started", the first track. And they did do a Baltimore club song with Jermaine Dupree, "Need That", which is only a mere two minutes and 37 seconds smph! Other than that, Forever in a Day is pretty much a continuation of their self titled debut album. I give it two thumbs down. the sophomore slump still exists

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Coldplay Viva la Vida Album Review

Well, I must say, this is a pretty exciting album. I've had this on and off thing going with Coldplay since my early high school years. I remember my first time hearing "Yellow" off their debut and critically acclaimed Parachutes. It was one of the most lyrically amazing songs I had ever heard. Their follow up album A Rush of Blood to the Head was alright, and I kinda fell off the bandwagon around the third album X & Y. But, I believe again!
Their latest release is entitled Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, commonly shortened to just Viva la Vida, which means "Live the Life". The band began to work on their fourth studio album as early as December 2006, with Brian Eno as their producer. In addition, music producer Timberland was rumored to be collaborating. Coldplay took a break from recording and toured South American in early 2007 including shows in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico. The band has revealed that the album seemed to be shaping up with Hispanic influences, after having recorded in churches and other areas in Latin America and Spain during their tour; after which they spent the rest of the year recording the new album, mainly with producer Brian Eno.

1. "Life in Technicolor" - Just an intro. No singing...

2. "Cemeteries of London" - The first song on the album starts us off with sort of a medieval folksong melody. I really like the piano ending.

3. "Lost!" - This is a very interesting song. This is one of the tracks that I can actually envision the band recording in a church. The pipe organs add a really nice melody. It reminds me of David Hasselhoff in is prime [in a good way lol]. This is not a typical Coldplay song.

4. "42" - "Those who are dead are not dead, they're just living in my head." 42 starts off with a slow melodic tune, then gracefully speeds up, then slows down.

5. "Lovers in Japan / Reign of Love" - Dare I say that "Lovers in Japan" is too happy; too bluegrass. Its too upbeat, and I have trouble listening to it. Sorry. "Reign of Love" is too soft. They could have cut this track all together.

6. "Yes" - Whoa.... Is Chris Martin singing in baritone?

7. "Viva la Vida" - Jeez! This is my shit! The music is so original, the lyrics are thought provoking, and the iTunes commercial is sick! It doesn't get better than this.

8. "Violet Hill" - More medieval melodies mix with the likes of The Rolling Stones.

9. "Strawberry Swing" - This one is a little country, but I'm still tapping my feet.

10. "Death and All His Friends" - Quite possible the darkest title of any previous Coldplay song [and album].

Overall this is a stellar album. Even the album cover [La Liberté guidant le peuple by French painter Eugène Delacroix, 1830] reeks of style and energy. I predict that this album will practically fly off the shelf when it is released June 17, 2008.

N*E*R*D Seeing Sounds Album Review

Man, I've been a fan of N*E*R*D for a while now. The first album, In Search of...., got me through high school. I really connected with that one. The last album, Fly or Die, was an introduction to a different genre of rock that I never listened to before. I would like to think that it sparked an interest that made me want divulge myself into every type of music I could get my hands on. I've been waiting for this new album to drop for four years now. No matter how much I like these guys, I'm still going to give an objective review.

1. "Time for Some Action" - This song starts off with an interlude with Pharrell describing his first time seeing sounds when he was seven. Cool beans.... This is a mellow song with a crazy hook.

2. "Everyone Nose"

3. "Windows" - First off it sounds like a song from the Rolling Stones era. In fact, this song could have been on the last album. The percussions in the hook are so catchy.

4. "Anti Matter" - I really don't know what to say about this one. Its alright.....

5. "Spaz" - In one of my previous posts I said that this was better performed live, and that it lacks a certain energy. Well, its growing on me, but they still could have used live instruments to record this track. By this point in the album I'm still looking for the "amazingness" that I've been waiting for.

6. "Yea You" - THE AMAZINGNESS!!! This is a nice jazzy track.

7. "Sooner or Later" - Starts off slow, but picks up eventually. It gets very classic rock towards the end. I like it. This is a solid track.

8. "Happy" - Sounds like something Avril Lavigne would do.

9. "Kill Joy" - Sounds like some dance rock from the 70s.

10. "Love Bomb" - More amazingness.

11. "You Know What" - More dance rock. This one kinda reminds me of the music on Kenna's album Make Sure They See My Face.

12. "Laugh About It" - This is somewhat of a cliche way to end an album. Its like "Ha ha ha ha. Lets reminisce on all the crazy things we've been through."

It hurts to say this [especially since I have the N*E*R*D logo tattooed on my wrist], but I'm mildly disappointed with this album. I remember in a article a while back Pharrell was saying how he wanted to get back to the chaotic sound from the first album, I don't think they succeeded. Seeing Sounds is more or less a continuation of N*E*R*D's last album, Fly or Die. This album doesn't even have any hidden tracks on it. I'm still gonna buy this on Tuesday when it drops only because I feel obligated [especially since I have the N*E*R*D logo tattooed on my wrist!!!!]. Seeing Sounds in stores this Tuesday June 10, 2008.