Almost too much of exactly what you were hoping for
Over the weekend, I was one of presumably millions of people who started their free 30-day trial on Tidal. I'm probably one of the few who's considering actually keeping it, but that's a separate issue. For now, let's talk about the reason everyone's subscribing to Tidal in the first place.
Kanye West has unveiled his 8th album, The Life of Pablo, exclusively on the not-so-popular streaming service. At least for now. He's claiming no one will be able to access it anywhere else, although I have a feeling those with a bit a patience will be able to hold out. But whenever you plan to listen to it, you'll probably enjoy it the same way you've enjoyed all his other records. For better and worse.
Kanye's voice and style have changed a lot over the years, and he seems to know that as well as anyone. He did, after all, write a 44 second mini-song/interlude playing off the very phenomenon. He also says his own name in "I Love Kanye" 25 times. That's once every 1.76 seconds. What a down to earth guy!
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| Wiser words were never spoken. |
His varying styles are on display in The Life of Pablo too, but not quite in the same way. Albums like Graduation and Yeezus were known for their complete sonic overhaul in comparison to albums that came before them. But instead of reinventing the wheel yet again, this time Kanye's taken bits and pieces of everything he's created before. Sometimes even within one song.
Take the fourth track "Famous" for instance. An awesome Swizz Beatz track gives off a very Late Registration vibe, Rihanna's featured chorus is all My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and Kanye's verses literally could have been part of a Graduation song. It's an interesting blend, but needless to say Taylor Swift is not impressed.
The very next track goes in a completely different direction. "Feedback" sounds like the song Yeezus needed but apparently didn't deserve. But the intricacies of the drums give it just a hint of College Dropout-ness that it desperately needs. You see that scattered all over the album, not just in the sound itself, but in who's delivering it.
For all of his musical exploits, Kanye is probably most revered for his success as a music incubator.
He was helping artists reach their potential as a producer before he ever tracked a verse of his own. And his most impressive feat since MBDTF is unquestionably getting Jay-Z his mojo back for Watch the Throne. That commitment to making other musicians shine is on full display in The Life of Pablo.
Sometimes, there are full songs that he just opts to sit out and let another singer take control. That's utterly unheard of, especially for someone so infatuated with his own ego. But so many songs on this album belong to another musician. "Famous" is really Rihanna's. Kid Cudi gives "Father Stretch My Hands" its true spiritual character. Production-wise, several songs have Mike Dean's fingerprints all over them, or Rick Rubin's, or Plain Pat. It's truly an all-star lineup, and that doesn't happen for anybody's album but Kanye's. But while that can be his greatest strength at times, it appears to be his greatest weakness here.
The album is, to put it euphemistically, eclectic. Someone less forgiving might say it's jumbled. I don't want to commit to either extreme, but there's no disputing the fact that The Life of Pablo lacks a consistent voice. That's almost never been an issue for Kanye in any context whatsoever. But here, it's hard to tell who he is and where he's coming from at this stage of his career. I've stuck myself pretty firmly in the anti-Yeezus camp, but I have to acknowledge that it's an uncompromising album. All of Kanye's have been. But by picking and choosing elements from his prior works, TLOP feels shockingly safe.
That's not a good look for someone who's made his living redefining the genre. And what's more troubling is I'm not sure what could have been done to fix it. Maybe cut a song or two? Maybe rework the balance between Kanye being Kanye and taking a backseat? It might have helped a bit, but it still wouldn't have changed the fundamental problem.
The Life of Pablo is worth a listen. Several, actually. But is it worth holding onto your Tidal subscription to hear it after the 30 day trial expires? I'm not so sure.
The very next track goes in a completely different direction. "Feedback" sounds like the song Yeezus needed but apparently didn't deserve. But the intricacies of the drums give it just a hint of College Dropout-ness that it desperately needs. You see that scattered all over the album, not just in the sound itself, but in who's delivering it.
For all of his musical exploits, Kanye is probably most revered for his success as a music incubator.
He was helping artists reach their potential as a producer before he ever tracked a verse of his own. And his most impressive feat since MBDTF is unquestionably getting Jay-Z his mojo back for Watch the Throne. That commitment to making other musicians shine is on full display in The Life of Pablo.
Sometimes, there are full songs that he just opts to sit out and let another singer take control. That's utterly unheard of, especially for someone so infatuated with his own ego. But so many songs on this album belong to another musician. "Famous" is really Rihanna's. Kid Cudi gives "Father Stretch My Hands" its true spiritual character. Production-wise, several songs have Mike Dean's fingerprints all over them, or Rick Rubin's, or Plain Pat. It's truly an all-star lineup, and that doesn't happen for anybody's album but Kanye's. But while that can be his greatest strength at times, it appears to be his greatest weakness here.
The album is, to put it euphemistically, eclectic. Someone less forgiving might say it's jumbled. I don't want to commit to either extreme, but there's no disputing the fact that The Life of Pablo lacks a consistent voice. That's almost never been an issue for Kanye in any context whatsoever. But here, it's hard to tell who he is and where he's coming from at this stage of his career. I've stuck myself pretty firmly in the anti-Yeezus camp, but I have to acknowledge that it's an uncompromising album. All of Kanye's have been. But by picking and choosing elements from his prior works, TLOP feels shockingly safe.
That's not a good look for someone who's made his living redefining the genre. And what's more troubling is I'm not sure what could have been done to fix it. Maybe cut a song or two? Maybe rework the balance between Kanye being Kanye and taking a backseat? It might have helped a bit, but it still wouldn't have changed the fundamental problem.
The Life of Pablo is worth a listen. Several, actually. But is it worth holding onto your Tidal subscription to hear it after the 30 day trial expires? I'm not so sure.
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