Even though he’s been in prison for the last seven months, Lil’ Wayne has kept a pretty strong presence in the public eye. Recording a trove of material before being sent to prison for possession of a weapon, along comes I Am Not A Human Being (Cash Money).
It’s being released in a couple different configurations. This review is based on the 10 track digital version; on Oct 12th a 13 track version will be released on CD.
Wayne has a deep, rabid, dedicated following that can’t wait for any Lil Wayne material to hit the market and rightfully so. He’s still one of the few hip-hop artists who has been unique and original in a genre that’s constantly changing.
Originally meant to be an e.p., the set was released on Lil Wayne’s birthday September 27th. At times he’s still relying too much on AutoTune, it’s a tight, little concise release that’s a damn good welcome for hip-hop fans.
Standouts include the title track “I Am Not A Human Being” as well as “Hold Up,” “I’m Single,” and the ballad “With You.”
So until Lil Wayne gets out of Rikers Island next month and starts work on his highly anticipated Tha Carter IV, the sequel to the best selling album of 2008, I Am Not A Human Being will adequately hold you over.
Neil Young has been following the beat of a different drummer from the very first day he burst on the national scene. His latest, Le Noise (Reprise) continues this trend.
On the paltry eight selections here, Young is captured in the studio accompanied simply by whatever guitar he has hung around his bloated ego. err, I mean neck. Working with producer Daniel Lanois, who’s been better, the idea here is simply to catch Young in a closer more personal setting than what working with a band has to offer.
Hey Neil, ya wanna get that personal and skip the band? Release it as a book of poetry instead, that way we can skip you. I must admit that I enjoy Young’s solo performances but the problem here is that it’s more than just acoustic guitar; it’s also electric guitar with buzz, fuzz and static which becomes a distraction to the material.
It’s great on “Peaceful Valley, Boulevard” and “Love and War” but nowhere else. Then it’s like he’s defeating his own purpose.
That being said for his fans, this will fit nicely along side all his other CD’s, otherwise, it’s very much an okay record, not even interesting. Well written songs include the above mentioned as well as “Walk With Me.”
Anyone who’s read this column over the years understands that we think The Roots is one of this countries underrated wonders. Originating from Philadelphia, they were the first hip-hop band that opted to play real instruments instead of relying simply on samples and turntable scratching.
Their albums Game Theory and Phrenology are essential. Their latest, hot on the heels of this summers awesome How I Got Over, is the John Legend collaboration Wake Up (Columbia).
A very simply idea, crooner Legend hooks up with a tight, smokin’ live band and knocks out 10 r&b socially conscious classics. These ’70 era songs written by the likes of Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye and Donnie Hathaway, along with a fittingly Legend original, are very timely in the wake of what’s happening around us today.
The band can blow and they cruise here at 100mph. I can take Legend in doses but here, he fits into a group concept as opposed to his usual stand alone style. Produced by Roots drummer Amir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, he perfectly merges both 70’s r&b sentiments with hip-hop excitement.
Standouts include first single “Hard Times” as well as “Wake Up Everybody,” “Wholy Holy” and my favorite “I Can’t Write Left Handed.” Wake Up is a damn good and more importantly, a timely album.
Egads! This is a major disappointment. I have no problem with geezers being successful in the marketplace. I’m all for old guys releasing CD’s, selling out concerts and lunch boxes. Then again, with releases like Eric Clapton’s Clapton (Reprise) I can see where people would want to see old guys retire.
The success of his multi-platinum release Unplugged gave Clapton the ability to record and release records he deems worthy – regardless if they’re aimless, pointless and unemotional. Who’s gonna question the guy that sold 10 million copies and won 6 Grammys for that album alone?
What makes this so frustrating is that Clapton still has his chops, that white boy can play the guitar like a black man. The problem here is that it’s all over the map, which in most cases, it’s what you’d want from a tried and true artist. Instead it’s just rambling, it’s just very listless.
Produced by Doyle Bramhall II (a killer guitarist himself), he should’ve known better than to cater to what Clapton wants and instead get him focused and motivated.
There’s not much here worth getting into with the exception of “Can’t Hold Out Much Longer” with a killer Kim Wilson harp solo and “Run Back To Your Side” with Bramhall and Derek Trucks joining Clapton on guitar, otherwise stay away.