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Kanye West has finally graduated from his trilogy of college education-themed albums with "808s & Heartbreak." He has traded intellectual and spiritual enlightenment for relationship hell -- and he has also traded frantic dance-floor anthems like "Jesus Walks," "Gold Digger" and "Stronger" for somber introspection.
But Kanye fans need not despair -- his pain is our gain, starting with the lovely "Say You Will," on which the rapper displays impressive tenor pipes overtop mellow, ambient production a la French electronic duo Air.
"Welcome to Heartbreak's" ominous strings frame a life of materialistic regret: "My friend showed me pictures of his kids/And all I could show him was pictures of my cribs/He said his daughter got a brand new report card/And all I got was a brand new sports car." Must be lonely at the top.
Other highlights include "Love Lockdown," one of the most unorthodox hits in recent memory with its stripped-down percussion and isolated piano; the second single "Heartless," which works well with a beautiful melody and simple but rhythmic rapping overtop a staccato piano riff; "Bad News," an anti-love letter to a cheating partner: "Didn't you know I was waiting on you/Waiting on a dream that'll never come true;" and the suitably stark "Coldest Winter," whose jagged, tribal drums and funeral organ anchor lyrics such as "If spring can take the snow away/Can it melt away all our mistakes?"
This is not the album for those who prefer Kanye's more upbeat style. But West beautifully captures the drama and pain of relationships gone wrong.
-- Michael Hamersly, McClatchy-Tribune
Unrepentant Anglophiles will love the Kaiser Chiefs' third album, "Off With Their Heads." It bustles with bouncy new-wave keyboards, catchy sing-along choruses with plenty of whoa-ohs and hey-heys, accents that proudly display the band's Leeds roots, and good-natured cheeky humor.
It's a fun album, from the opener, "Spanish Metal," which sounds like a James Bond theme crossed with a "Magical Mystery Tour" outtake, through the marching, leaping melody "Good Days Bad Days" to "Addicted To Drugs," a cowbell-driven goof.
There are a few missteps: producer Mark Ronson brings in a gratuitous orchestra on "Like It Too Much" (although give him credit for arranging a Lily Allen cameo), and ballads like "Tomato in the Rain" are mere placeholders between the extroverted rockers.
The Kaiser Chiefs are descendents of XTC and Supergrass and peers of the Futureheads and Franz Ferdinand. You don't have to be an Anglophile to fall for their charms, but if you are, you likely will.
-- Steve Klinge, The Philadelphia Inquirer
The Scottish band's previous CD, "Eyes Open," was so spectacular that it may have set expectations unreasonably high for this follow-up. "A Hundred Million Stars" is certainly more grandiose and ambitious but nowhere near as enticing.
This collection is chillier than its predecessor, evincing a more formal, orchestral approach to pop. It would seem that Gary Lightbody and the boys have spent too much time listening to Coldplay.
The simpler songs, such as "Set Down Your Glass" and "The Planets Bend Between Us" sound better. But at no point is "A Hundred Million Stars" as emotionally gripping or as pretty as "Eyes Open."
Call out the St. Bernards. Snow Patrol sounds lost.
-- David Hiltbrand, The Philadelphia Inquirer
For some odd reason, Ludacris feels the need to prove himself on his latest studio CD.
"Theater of the Mind," the rapper's sixth album, is full of trash talk as to why he is rap's "MVP." But talk is cheap.
Ludacris is not only a platinum rapper, but also he's a major success in film, TV, on the Web and even in the food industry (the rapper opened a Thai restaurant in Atlanta). He's also known as one of the game's best lyricists.
But he disappoints on "Theater of the Mind" by trying constantly to prove it with boasts that are boring and empty, devoid of the cleverness we've come to expect from Luda.
Except for the radio-friendly "One More Drink" with T-Pain, the first nine tracks drag. The CD finally picks up speed as he begins to add the crucial element of storytelling to the equation.
The Scott Storch-produced, Jamie Foxx-featured "Contagious" is a smooth collaboration between the recording artists/actors. And what's left of the CD keeps up the little momentum it has.
"Last of a Dying Breed" is Ludacris at his best -- and although he boasts on it as well, his lyrics are deeper and more confident than cocky; the ubiquitous Lil Wayne assists.
On the CD's top track, "I Do It for Hip-Hop," Ludacris trades bars with some of the best rappers alive: Nas and Jay-Z. Producer 9th Wonder, Spike Lee and Common help close the album with "Do the Right Thang" -- a cool tale where Ludacris advises, "Use your brain homey, do the right thang!" If only "Theater of the Mind" had more jams like this one.
-- Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press
