Album Results
Album Reviews
T.I. has been playing with the split-personality concept for years, most notably on 2003's "T.I. vs T.I.P.," where the only strict differences were laid out like this: T.I.P.'s women sell weed and have gold teeth, while T.I.'s women have jobs and good credit, and T.I.P. is neither as paid nor as laid-back as T.I. Four years on, after getting real paid (King was the most successful rap album of 2006), the MC constructs an entire album around the penthouse and pavement concept, dividing the program into three acts: T.I.P. (seven tracks), T.I. (seven tracks), and T.I. vs T.I.P. (four tracks). This is also signified in the album's outer sleeve and booklet photos. Roughneck T.I. scowls from a beat-down stoop, gripping a wad of cash; dapper T.I.P. kicks back in a plush den, holding a shot glass. T.I.P. tends to scowl through his rhymes, while you can picture a heavy-lidded T.I. in the vocal booth. Otherwise, the concept is only somewhat perceptible through the sequence of songs, and it's the only way of positioning the album as something beyond just another T.I. release. After the sustained greatness through Trap Muzik, Urban Legend, and King, a fall-off of some degree had to be expected -- especially after reaching the top after a steady climb -- and that's exactly what happens. Though he undeniably remains one of the top MCs, T.I. tends to either reheat familiar material with less fire or tread dangerously close to unrelatable Kingdom Come-like "Look at who's obnoxiously shedding his underdog status!" routines (as on "My Swag"). The productions similarly do not match up to past successes, and even some of obvious choices for singles fall short of past tracks that were never thought to be released as singles. The album is generally enjoyable, and it's doubtful T.I. has to worry about being dethroned within the near future. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
Track Listing
more| Featured Review | |
|
Dear Science TV On The Radio |
| On the way to be established as the best American band of the decade, TV on the Radio's third album has arrived surrounded by five star reviews. Good news is the music totally justifies this level of hype. The Brooklyn-based combo has not abandoned their experimental nature; albeit "Dear Science" sounds deliberately shinier, funkier and more accessible than its, already polished, precursor "Return to Cookie Mountain." Lyrically, though, is quite a darker proposition. Many see on its tone a suitable metaphor to describe their country's collective mood, demoralized and confused, right at the end of Bush's presidency. The band's eclecticism is on full display: electro hooks next to D&B touches; shoegaze's atmospheric layers mixed with post-rock's bass lines via P-funk, often all in the same song. This sonic fusion can be as impressive as disorientating; rich and dense, but also the key that makes TV on the Radio's work improve with repeated listening. Main vocalist Tunde Adebimpe, often helped by guitar player Kyp Malone on second vocals, appears as a sort of missing link between Peter Gabriel and Prince; whereas David Sitek recently turned into producer du jour, applies his multi-instrument playing skills. Members of Antibalas guest on horns, highlighting the romance a new generation of US bands is having with African music. Celebration's Katrina Ford also helps in the mighty single "Golden Age" and the ballad "Family Tree", another of the album's many standout moments. . | |
 more
|
|
