Nickelback
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Album: Dark Horse
Rating: ★★★ (57 out of 100)
Review: Canadian post-grunge band Nickelback is doing it again with their sixth studio album “Dark Horse”. The album was released in Australia first, then Europe, and finally made it to the U.S on November 18th. Gotta Be Somebody, the first single off the album has all the
proper ingredients of a modern rock hit. The song reached #1 on the American iTunes Rock Chart and charted well domestically and internationally. The second single, Something In Your Mouth, is a fast-paced, guitar-heavy anthem that has yet to be officially released to radio. As you may have guessed from the title, the song features some rather suggestive lyrics such as “you’re so much cooler when you pull it out, cause you look so much cuter with something in your mouth.” Super producer Mutt Lange essentially tracked the entire album with the help of Joey Moi on a few tracks. I’d Come For You is enjoyable as the first slower rock ballad on “Dark Horse”. Lead singer Chad Kroeger delivers clever lyrics through his powerful voice on Just To Get High and offers a more emotional side on Never Gonna Be Alone. It’s hard to match the intensity of Nickelback’s debut mainstream single How You Remind Me, but the boys did a good job staying relevent on “Dark Horse”. A few more popular rock tracks to listen for include If Today Was Your Last Day (originally planned to be lead single) and This Afternoon.
Beyonce
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Album: I Am… Sasha Fierce
Rating: ★★★★ (76 out of 100)
Review: Beyonce’s third solo studio album is half slow, stewing introspective Beyonce Knowles and half clubby, upbeat diva Sasha Fierce, Beyonce’s alter ego!? Honestly, we like Sasha Fierce better. She’s edgy and ultra provocative on Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), especially in the music video (Here’s the link to Justin Timberlake’s SNL parody just for shits and giggles). Radio lets the new-age production sound with drum rolls and trance influences steal the show. Diva is the female version of Wayne’s A Millie where Beyonce explains a “diva is a female version of a hustler.” Beyonce…errr…. Sasha Fierce asks you to “watch her on your video phone” on the track Video Phone. Sweet Dreams is a more poppy, less aggressive track that rounds out Sasha’s side of the album. Beyonce’s half is a slower, more emotional style of r&b. Billboard magazine wrote that ”Beyoncé devoted half of the tracks on this double-disc set to her feisty alter ego Sasha Fierce… But, it’s the classic, more timeless R&B songs on the [I Am...] portion of the album that seem like a much-welcomed stretch for the singer.” That’s a tough call, but the classic r&b side is defintely decent. Afterall, it is supported by the album’s lead single If I Were A Boy, which peaked at #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. Halo and Broke-Hearted girl are two of the more powerful songs on the softer side. Overall, this album is a succes from an R&B Diva who has so firmly established her position at the top that we cant even seem to remember who Destiny’s Child was.
Ace Hood
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Album: Gutta
Rating: ★★★★ (82 out of 100)
Review: The debut studio album from DJ Khaled’s protege Ace Hood overachieves in nearly every aspect of a good hip-hop album. Ace receives solid production support from The Runners, Cool & Dre, Shawty Red, The Inkredibles, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, DJ Infamous, Kane Beatz and more. The featured guest list reads like a who’s who of Florida rap stars: Rick Ross, Akon, Trick Daddy, T-Pain, Plies, Trey Songz, Brisco, Lloyd, Dre, Rock City, Flo Rida and more. The album produces three bona fide singles including the smash hit with T-Pain and Rick Ross titled Cash Flow, the popular R&B jam with Trey Songz Ride and the banger with Brisco I Cant See Yall. The collabo with Plies titled Stressin is another single off the album that has received regular airplay. Besides the hit singles and an all-star list of co-stars, Ace Hood produces some really good album material as well. Listen to title track Gutta featuring Trick Daddy and the first song off the album I Don’t Give A Fuck. The album was well promoted via DJ Khaled’s ever-present endorsement and a popular mixtape titled “All Bets On Ace”. DJ Khaled’s We The Best Music group in exclusive association with Def Jam released music videos for the singles Cash Flow & Ride. We’re showing 4-star Broward County love to “Gutta”. Go pick this one up!
David Cook
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Album: David Cook
Rating: ★★★½ (75 out of 100)
Review: David Cook, 2008 American Idol champ, has come out with some really good popular rock music on his self-titled sophomore album. He does look slightly more ”David Blaine” than ”David Cook” on his album cover, but we’re willing to give him a pass on that. Check for Mr. Cook’s likely second single Declaration, which is an enjoyable jam on the album. Declaration first premiered on Saturday Night Live and is a must-listen. The first single off the album Light On shows Cook’s maturity as both an artist and a human being with reflective and introspective lyrics; It reached top 30 or better in the Hot 100, Pop 100, Hot Digital and Adult Top 40 U.S. Billboard Charts. Say what you will about American Idol winners, but they all come battle-tested and unabashedly ready to rock. Cook has proved himself to America and continues to entertain with strong lyrics and wordplay such as on the song Come Back To Me. Emotional songs like Life On the Moon and Mr. Sensitive permeate throughout the album and are nothing short of addicting. This album is deep and David holds little back. Make sure to check out Lie and Permanent also, two tracks that round out Cook’s second, very solid, studio effort. Collaborators including Johnny Rzeznik, Gregg Wattenberg, Kevin Griffin, Raine Maida, Cathy Dennis, Chris Cornell, Espein Lind, Brian Howes and several others.
Dido
Release Date: November 18, 2008
Album: Safe Trip Home
Rating: ★★★★ (85 out of 100)
Review: It should be no big surprise that this album is very good, extremely easy to listen to and feels like a sunny Sunday morning the entire way through! Dido’s characteristic laid-back vocal demeanor and candid, witty lyrics really shine on “Safe Trip Home”. The lead single Don’t Believe In Love is a strong track with a catchy hook that was a good choice as the album’s lead off track. Some of the songs are production-focused and Dido does well to let them breathe such as on Grafton Street, which was co-produced by Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, best known as “the father of ambient music.” It Comes And It Goes is an unreal track that you must listen to. Also check out Let’s Do The Things We Normally Do with its upbeat melody and soothing vocals. The collabo with Citizen Cope titled Burnin Love is a great chilled-out ballad with some relaxed acoustic guitar complementing it. If you are an existing fan of Dido’s music, this album is entirely what you may expect, an ambient masterpiece that will surely delight coffee shop goers worldwide.
Kanye West, DJ Benzi & Plain Pat Present “Sky High: The Kanye West Remix Project” Mixtape
Release Date: November 17, 2008
Album: Sky High Mixtape
Rating: N/A
Review: About a year ago, Kanye West hollered at Michigan-based DJ Benzi and asked him to start matching producers and DJs to acapella’s from Kanye’s previous albums “Graduation” and “Late Registration”. The end-result of this worldwide artist collaboration is Kanye’s “Sky High” mixtape, which has dropped just two weeks before the release of Kanye’s highly anticipated experimental album “808s & Heartbreak”. Notable producers on the official remix tape include DJ A-Trak, Stretch Armstrong, Diplo, Kenny Dope, DJ Godfather and Eli Escobar. The first track Sky High Introduction contains samples from various Kanye West hits and is a good introduction into the clubby, dance-inspired hip-hop mixtape. Good Morning is one of the better remixes on the album which has an almost jam rock feel to it. Listen to We Major and Throw Some for two songs that maintain the quality of the original versions but are obviously influenced by the DJs. Love Lockdown is a notable addition to the tape, which is featured as an ultra-dance heavy track with repeating vocals and characteristic trance sounds and rhythms. The Flashing Lights remix is arguably the best track on the tape; again, it is a trance-based track mixed by DJ Diplo. Addiction offers a more mellow, loungy vibe that is easy to listen to. Stronger, Workout Plan and Impatient Boy (a reworked version of Kanye and Estelle’s American Boy) are all enjoyable tracks with serious international appeal. The hardest hitting club remix is probably Discotech’s Homecoming remix featuring Chris Martin. The furthest reaching track is DJ Godfather’s jungle remix to Can’t Tell Me Nothing. Overall, this official mixtape from Kanye, DJ Benzi and Plain Pat should go down as one of the better hip-hop remix projects. The sound is unquestionably electronic with various DJs contributing techno, trance, house, dance, disco and other club-friendly sounds to the tape. “808s & Heartbreak” is scheduled for a November 24, 2008 release and is supported by the hit single Love Lockdown which is remixed on “Sky High” by Tom Wrecks. Heartless and Amazing featuring Young Jeezy are absent from “Sky High” but should be strong offerings on 808s. This tape can be streamed from its official page on imeem and should be available for direct download soon (check back for download links). A full tracklist as well as the history behind the mixtape can be found on VH1 here.
Lil Wayne & DJ Drama “Dedication 3″ Mixtape
Release Date: November 14, 2008
Album: Dedication 3 Mixtape
Rating: N/A
Review: Ahhh yes, the highly anticipated 3rd installment of DJ Drama and Lil Wayne’s now legendary ‘Dedication’ series of mixtapes is finally here and the internet is swarming over this tape. This mixtape took its sweet time in getting here and Wayne & Drama had the streets getting real antsy on this one. A pre-release video showing the packaging and distribution process helped build the hype. Weezy offers the following introduction to D3 “Yo, What’s poppin? Hello World. As I usually say my name is… it’s not important, what’s more important is what I told ya’ll, and what I told ya’ll was, on The Carter I and everything else, I said I’m the best rapper alive, quote, unquote, now ya’ll believe me. It’s been so long and since ‘05 ‘The Dedication’ has been in your life. The Carter has been in your life, Gangsta Grillz has been in your life, so the game has existed before us but it was never the same after us. Don’t you agree? Well without further ado, I’m gonna shut the fuck up and we gonna get into this trilogy, Dedication 3 baby!” Check out the track that bears the mixtape name Dedication 3, which is a heavy-horned track featuring Mack Mane, Willie The Kid and Gudda Gudda. Wayne has a snippet in which he details some of the women that he desires, including Sarah Palin, making reference to her sexy glasses. Wayne and Jae Millz kill the track Dick Pleaser with a slow drum pattern and piano roll. Wayne takes a moment on the sixth track to explain that he isn’t better than everyone, just different. When you see him in the club it’s not cause he wants to be there, it’s because he’s paid. He explains how he stays home or in the studio, everything else is just a job. Listen to My Weezy featuring Shanell, LiL Twist and Tyga. She’s A Ryder featuring Gudda Gudda is another tight track fashioned from Plies’ hit Who Hotter Than Me. Still I Rise featuring Nicki Minaj is good track, so is Get Bizzy. On the skit Do’s & Don’t Do’s Of Young Money Wayne describes rules #2 & #3 of the “young money/cash money no-nos” as “rule #2, don’t fuck wit nobody’s girl and rule #3, nobody has a girl.” Wayne spits over T.I.’s Whatever You Like, produced by Lollipop producer and fellow Wayne collaborator Jim Jonsin. The tape is filled with hilarious skits, especially on the second half of the tape. A breakdown of Wayne’s ramblings throughout the tape reveal that he will be dropping some “real rock shit” soon and Weezy addresses the mixtape community saying “you made my mother fucking ass… no homo.” Wayne definitely used D3 as a chance to Put On his Young Money all-stars, especially over Jeezy’s Put On with Tyga and Gudda Gudda on the track. D3 has arrived. “Milk & Cookies.”
Trick Trick
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Album: The Villian
Rating: ★★★ (50 out of 100)
Review: Through his hard and heavy lyrics and completely uncensored style of rap Trick Trick comes across as one of the grittiest and grimiest to do it on his new album “The Villain”. Trick Trick’s latest single Who Want It featuring Eminem is a ‘must listen’ where two Detroit-influenced, fire-spitting styles of delivery collide. Let It Fly, the first single off the album featuring Ice Cube is produced by Trick Trick and definitely warrants a listen; make sure to peep the music video shot by Ghettonerd. This is Trick Trick’s second studio album and was released via independent hip-hop machine Koch Records. Hailing out of Detroit,Trick Trick has strong street following and has made a career out of appealing to the streets and delivering heat to his fans. In addition to numerous self-production credits, Trick Trick is joined by legendary beatmakers Eminem and Dr. Dre on the beats. Features off the album include Royce da 5′9, Kid Rock, Guilty Simpson, Paradime, Diezel, Esham and Guilty Simpson. Other honorable mention tracks include Sumthin 4 Da Hataz, Let’s Work and Let Go.
Gnarls Barkley
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Album: Who’s Gonna Save My Soul EP
Rating: ★★★★
Review: The latest six song EP from Atlanta-based duo Gnarls Barkley contains four versions of their eerie hit Who’s Gonna Save My Soul. The original version is a 5 star must listen and is supplemented here with a great gospel and bluesy MTV 52 Live Version and a Demo Version which sounds more like signature Gnarls Barkley. The Instrumental is included at the end of the EP which sounds great too. Mystery Man is a more upbeat song on the EP and Neighbors is a smooth and soulful showcase of Cee-Lo’s voice. This is a rare treat from Gnarles Barkley and the different versions of Who’s Gonna Save My Soul make this an appealing EP disc. Check it out.
T-Pain
Release Date: November 11, 2008
Album: Thr33 Ringz
Rating: ★★★★½ (92 out of 100)
Review: Teddy Gasoline! Before you listen to “Thr33 Ringz”, listen to “The T-Wayne Show” & “Pr33 Ringz“, the two mixtapes leading up to the third studio album by Nappy Boy T-Pain. The singles off T-Pain’s “Thr33 Ringz” include the smash hit with Lil Wayne Cant Believe It, the timely jam Chopped N Skrewed featuring Ludacris and Freeze featuring Chris Brown. Karaoke is also looking single-worthy and several tracks including the collaboration with Kanye West titled Therapy and the collabo with fellow Nappy Boy Entertainment artist Tay Dizm Digital are generating hype. Pain’s Welcome To Thr33 Ringz Intro is Stankonian and leads perfectly into Ringleader Man, a track described as a “promotional single” with an addicting and relentless rhyme. Teddy P. stays true to the stripper sub-culture that helped launch his career on the track Long Lap Dance. Check out Keep Going, which features a stripped, auto-tune free T-Pain performing acoustically. Reality Show featuring Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn and Jay Lyriq is another track that is definitely worth listening too. Karaoke is a song that appeared on the mixtape circuit a few weeks ago as a reworked version of a song off “The T-Wayne Show”. With Distorted, Phantom and Change featuring Akon, Diddy and Mary J. Blidge rounding out the list of solid songs off “Thr33 Ringz”, this album is undoubtedly and unsurprisingly one of the best popular hip-hop albums of 2008! Other featured artists include DJ Khaled, Young Cash, T.I., and Ciara. Notably missing from the album is the controversial Silver & Gold, the radio hit Beam Me Up and notable collaborations with Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes & Rihanna. T-Pain, a graduate of Full Sail University in Orlando self-produced the entire CD and the production is top-notch. Put this on your list of CDs to get this holiday season!
