Guns N’ Roses – Chinese Democracy
Easily the most expensive album ever made, and many, myself included, doubted whether this album would ever see the light of day. Numerous lineup changes, studio changes, rewrites, remixing and anything else you can think of going wrong on an album occurred in the making of “Chinese Democracy.” It is only fitting that when most music fans, and specifically Guns N’ Roses fans, had given up hope that the album would ever be available to purchase, that here it is.
As usual, Axl Rose is pulling the strings for each second of the album’s 71 minutes and the amount of guitar solos and genre-blending is simultaneously a marvel and a mixed bag. The title track serves as the opener and is a straight ahead rock affair that gives way to the industrial heavy “Shackler’s Revenge,” which are two of the shorter tracks on the album. Overall, the album is trying too hard to combine all of the best elements from previous records and appeal to both early and late fans of the band. With 14 total tracks there are some quality tunes and moments to enjoy such as “Street of Dreams,” which starts off as a piano ballad that features moments of heavy guitar behind thoughtful lyrics and a well-placed guitar solo. The most schizophrenic track is “If The World,” which features what might be a mandolin at the beginning before Axl starts singing in a falsetto voice. The track just doesn’t work and illustrates the album’s overall lack of cohesion.
“I.R.S.,” is a song worthy of praise for its heavy guitar, and it serves a storytelling purpose where Axl explains that he feels he’s living inside the song and he’s done everything he can do. Regardless, music listeners are left with a diverse experience and perhaps an album that will never get a fair shake or even-handed review. A record like “Chinese Democracy,” will probably be better known for everything except the music. I rate this album 6 out of 10 for some bright spots but overall it’s far too much time and production for not enough product.
Ryan Adams and the Cardinals – Cardinology
Easily the most prolific rock musician of the decade, Ryan Adams has released a staggering 11 albums since 2000, most of which were solo efforts, but a few were done with his backing band, The Cardinals. His albums have ranged from phenomenal (Heartbreaker, Gold and Easy Tiger) to downright awful (Rock N’ Roll, 29) and his latest release lies somewhere in the middle.
“Go Easy” is a track that is easy to listen to because it sticks to Adams’ tried and true formula of earnest vocals over subtle guitar parts. The next track, “Fix It,” features a slick almost slide guitar sound where Adams says “he would fix it if he could.” Adams is the kind of artist who appeals to a wide audience because of his ability cross a half-dozen genres on a single album.
With this latest effort Adams seems to leave behind the personal demons that have plagued his earlier work, namely drugs and alcohol. In the name of sobriety, Cardinology puts on full display the creative genius that is elevated by both its simplicity and lack of ego. By making the songs a bit less personal and tightening up the arrangements without losing the basement recording studio feel Adams takes another positive step in his quest to become the most productive musician in this decade. With sobriety in his corner, Adams is slowly shedding his label as an easy to irritate artist who was once well known for his tendency to blow up at the audience while performing.
Long live this new Ryan Adams who is more focused on his music than ever before. I rate this album an 8 out of 10 and think it’s a must have for any Ryan Adams fan and not a bad place to start for those unfamiliar with his back catalogue.
Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
You have to feel for Kanye West because this has been a tough year on a truly great artist. He broke up with his longtime girlfriend and his mother passed away, which may be reflected in the name of the album. Despite having to endure such personal heart break, West completed the project, and this album is a large departure from previous ones.
West opts to incorporate a lot more electronic and digital effects into these twelve tracks. The opener, “Say You Will,” is a lyrically touching song that is dampened by a constant background noise that sounds eerily similar to the old Atari videogame, Pong. In a lot of ways most of the tracks on the album have an intentional unfinished feel and West relies too much on an Auto-Tune function instead of singing or rapping. The results are decidedly mixed.
It is clear that West could have released an album similar to his others and no one would have batted an eye, so he should be given credit for experimenting and changing his style when many of his peers wouldn’t have been so adventurous. Lil’ Wayne returns as a guest rapper on the track, “See You In My Nightmares,” and even his voice is digitally altered, which makes the entire track sound a bit off. The album has its moments, though, the brightest of which is, “Coldest Winter,” where West pours tremendous emotion into the lyrics over a steady machine drum beat.
Overall there are some standout tracks on the album but there is less cohesion here than on “College Dropout,” “Late Registration,” and “Graduation.” For a man who has proclaimed he wants to be not only the best rapper in the game but the best entertainer on the planet, his latest release could certainly be seen as a disappointment. Some of the tracks take several listens to fully appreciate, but others are simply overdone for the sake of being overdone. I give it a 6 out of 10 because a great artist like Kanye West is capable of so much more.
Brett is a 3L and can
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