808's, Heartbreak, Heartbeats, And Jo Dee Messina.

I remember talking to my dad once, years ago, about writing. And my dad is not the inspiration for my love of writing, but his insight is always quality. I remember he told me, as I was struggling through writing poetry for a class, that I couldn't possibly have anything that anyone would care to read. And when I questioned this, he told me I hadn't paid any kind of price. Everyone wants to make great art, but no one wants to pay the price that comes with that task. If you haven't had something you love shattered by the world, then I don't know if you can create anything that really would move people. I didn't get that when I was 14, but a couple of lost ideals and broken hearts later, I get it.

So, we then fall on Kanye West. The most polarizing artist of this time. The wildly ambitious "808's And Heartbreak" was released on the 24th, pushed ahead from 12/16, due to West's anxieties on getting it released. On "Barry Bonds" (Track from his previous album, Graduation), West rhymed 'They say I'm going crazy/and they seen it before/but I'm doing pretty good as far as geniuses go'....I don't know if a year later, that's the case. After the success and critical lauding of Graduation (I'll admit...it's an instant classic), things tail spun. West's mother passed away, and the following month, his engagement to his fiance' was broken off. West talked of losing his mind over constant scrutiny that came with the pop star status that he strived for (Which, I personally have little sympathy for...he wanted to be the biggest star on the planet, and when he got there, he couldn't take it. Can I admire his honesty? yeah, but he stepped over anyone to get to the top...) So, out of all of this comes lack of companionship, loneliness, pain, and a dark, dark album of West mostly singing, and using autotune to correct pitch effects, and give vocals a more robotic sound.

I should hate this album, I really should. But, it's hard for me to. It's a rap album. That's pretty much sung, by a guy who can only kind of sing...and it's depressing, for God's sake. I mean, really depressing. The second track is even called "Welcome To Heartbreak"....When I heard (first single) "Love Lockdown", it was cool, but I didn't get it. But it's what Kanye West wanted and needed. I mean, at it's core, this is an experimental pop album. I remember reading where West stated that he'd rather be Brian Eno than Dr. Dre. After I got over the shock that he was familiar with Eno, I thought of that, and I take this record, and have to think that he's there. Hip Hop purists may not see the genius that lies in this album, but it's there. West finally got his disdain for pop music back. He lost it somewhere in between Hurricane Katrina and sampling Daft Punk. If you don't hate the genre that's hailing you as it's savior, you can't change it. He's creating a different musical genre here. That may seem dramatic, but I can't think of anything to fit this into (West calls it "pop-art", but that's taken, and he should know better.), which is what Eno was all about. I mean, really....really...us as hip-hop fans. How many more brilliantly produced albums filled with samples could we really take? I mean, we know he's a brilliant studio guy. (Bold statement time...) Next to Phil Spector, and Brian Wilson, I don't know if anyone works better in a studio than Kanye West. He surpassed Quincy Jones last year with Graduation. But what everyone wanted was feeling. I think people always wanted him to make a record that wasn't overwhelmingly selfish and caused you to cringe with lyrics like, well, "I'm doing pretty good as far as geniuses go". And while in some ways, this album IS selfish, because he's dealing with self centered feelings, and it's all therapy...it's selfishness that we all feel. And in some ways it shows that yes, Kanye West is human, and not just an arrogant monster of a pop star.

All that said, Critical reactions were very mixed. Mostly positive, but this is the first album that hasn't been overwhelmingly lauded by critics. Harsh critics have just said "I don't get it" or "Well this is a great album if you're heartbroken, otherwise it just doesn't work", and it's generally seen as West's throwaway experimental album. But there's some real musical growth in this record, and even if you despise West, I'd recommend giving it a try. It's pop-art for the sake of pop-art. And at the end of the day...name one legendary artist that didn't have an experimental album?

The other side of this blog....I love Jo Dee Messina's new(er?) song, and I'm ashamed of this. I heard it at my friend's house 2 weeks ago, and I may buy her new album. I don't feel I should be ashamed though, 'cause the woman can SING. It's a struggle, but the other thing that came out of that night....Music movies are great, right? But as far as fictional bands, is any group better than The Five Heartbeats? the group that Robert Townsend made a movie based loosely off of the Temptations? I mean, they were outrageous. They fought on stage, ripped off each other's clothing on stage, and they had more cocaine than Tony Montana. And....AND they had a tiny dance instructor that threatened everyone with violence. I mean, I think you've got to check for the Oneders, because "That Thing You Do" is the catchiest tune ever, and Steve Zahn is the man ("You gotta watch me! I'm quick!....I'm from Erie, PA"), and Stillwater in Almost Famous....although they were kind of only good because the guitar player got out of control and screamed "I'M A GOLDEN GOD!!!" from the top of some kid's house, and then tried to deny it. Plus, Jason Lee as a frontman? I had a hard time with that one. The Five Heartbeats is a film classic. If you haven't seen it, run out and see it. And if only the Temptations could have ended so well....

Hopefully everyone had a great holiday.