How many times has an artist, regardless of genre, age, and skill said something that resembles, ‘man, you can just listen to this album front to back.’ We’ve all heard it, and here at Ruby Hornet, we don’t trust anyone. So, instead of taking these artists at their word, we’ve come up with a way to measure an album’s front-to-back ability. We went out and got a new stereo system with a multi-disc changer, and loaded it up with the new arrivals to see which can actually be enjoyed throughout, and which ones were better off as EPs. In this edition we return with a multi album piece, taking you through Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3, Kid Cudi’s Man On The Moon: The End of Day, self-titled debuts from Anjulie and Slaughterhouse, as well as the G. Files from Warren G. Check it out below..
The rating system is as follows.
Let It Ride: Just press play and relax…A near perfect LP (0-2 skips)
Breathe & Stop: A couple joints here, a couple joints there…But overall a solid LP (3-5 skips)
One & Done: There maybe a hit single here, but not much else… (6 or more skips)
Artist: Jay-Z
Album: The Blueprint 3
Rating: Breathe and Stop
Synopsis: “D.O.A.” premiered on Hot 97. We thought BP3 was gonna be awesome. Then some Timbaland email issues caused a couple tracks to hit the internet and we thought it was gonna suck. Then the album came out and we actually listened to the whole thing. After weeks of being the only CD in my car stereo, I’ve come to the conclusion that BP3 is neither the awesomeness we may wish it was, nor is it an album to be shrugged at. Jay’s farewell to the Blueprint series is truly that, and also represents a new era in his career and a new Blueprint on how to age with the crown in a field dominated by younguns. Jay-Z is truly in uncharted territory and on the Blueprint 3 he invites us to take a ride with him. Gone are the early days of drug innunedos, tough guy talk, or macho boasts. What remains is clever wordplay, poignant commentary on Hip Hop, more artful boats, and skillful delivery that again demonstrates why Jay-Z has proper claim to the best rapper alive title. It’s refreshing that Jay also maintains grounded in his new reality, and enjoys the comfort that being Jay allows. While many aging artists of various genres attempt to continue to make songs appealing to the kids and posture as if they are still in their 20’s, Jay goes the rap Sinatra route and reps for grown-ups, but in a way that is still fresh and youth ready. No more is Jay getting his Sinatra on than on the album’s second track “Thank You”, which plays as though it is lounge ready, just cue up the house band. Where the album lags is with tracks such as “Off That”, “D.O.A.” and “Reminder” which are not thoroughly bad, but grow somewhat stale after repeated listens. “A Star Is Born” featuring J. Cole is story-telling at its best, as Jay takes us through Hip Hop’s timeline and gets extra points for including Ma$e. The Swizz Beats assisted “OnTo The Next One” is a bounce ready joint, that should be the next single and is certified club ready. Take the fluff out of Blueprint 3, edited a couple pages, and you’re left with a plan to truly follow.
RH Favorites: “Empire State of Mind”,”Already Home”, “Run This Town”, “Onto The Next One”
Artist: Kid Cudi
Album: Man On The Moon: The End of Day
Rating: Let It Ride
Synopsis: “Simple as,” raps Kid Cudi track 3 of his heavily anticipated debut album. The LP, which comes a year after Kid Cudi was working a real 9-5 and rose from Cleveland obscurity to a cornerstone of the G.O.O.D. music family, is a heavily conceptual album that is split into 5 acts and narrated by Common. Such actions smell of self-importance and can come off corny if not executed properly, but for Cudi, everything makes perfect sense and serves to ground the album and provide listeners with listening cues that make the songs easier to full understand. Not that Cudi is passing out science exams on Man On The Moon, quite the contrary. Cudi puts himself at the center of the music and sings, raps, and does things in between that detail his passion and insecurities in relation to finding himself in a world that he doesn’t necessarily fit in with. Who can’t relate to that? On “Soundtrack 2 My Life” Cudi makes life-long fans out of any kid with bedroom aspirations as he retells his childhood in Cleveland entertaining himself as others questioned his coolness, and girls not so subtley passed. The music is rich and orchestrated, and while an easy comparison is 808’s and Heartbreaks, Cudi’s album seems to come from more a genuine place musically and excels beyond such a comparison. The Kanye and Common assisted “Make Her Say” is the only song that could be described as pure beats and rhymes, opening Cudi to a lane all his own. We don’t yet have words to accurately categorize Cudi’s music but it is more Paul Simonish than anything else. Cudi admittedly struggled with finding himself and his own happiness, and that struggle always makes for great music. But as for now, Cudi is in his zone, and oh, it sounds so good.
RH Favorites: “Soundtrack 2 My Life”, “Pursuit of Happiness”, “Up Up & Away”, “Hyyerr”
Artist: Anjulie
Album: Anjulie
Rating: Let It Ride
Synopsis: Canada is on a hot streak lately. While I always joked about moving up north after Bush stole the 2000 election, then repeated the feat in ’04, I’m seriously considering a move again. Canadian bacon must have something in it that produces musical talent. While Kosher laws prevent me from digging on swine, I am digging on Anjulie…er…her new self-titled debut album. Anjulie was commissioned to write songs for other people, but her tunes were too personal so she kept them for herself, enlisted gurus such as John Burk and Jon Levine (who worked with Nelly Frutado) and turned in a gem of a debut record. The songs, many of them centering on love in various forms are poppy without being watered down, and groovy without entering into Crazy Town territory. Her voice fits right in, and saves us from inaudible crooning or overly dramatic crying. “Rain”, which recently got the video treatment is a slightly errie song about leaving and re-entering a relationship that is carried by a boom-bapish beat accompained by the a musical arrangement that gives it appeal across the board. The album’s first track “Boom” is also nightclub ready, or the wild wild west for that matter as Anjulie’s voice and the song’s melody contains a retro feel without being caught in the past. Anjulie succeeds by being so personal without needy (“Some Dumb Girl”), as well as sexy without over doing it (“The Heat”). Score another one for Canda.
RH Favorites: “Rain”, “Day Will Soon Come”, “Fatal Attraction”
Artist: Slaughterhouse
Album: Slaughterhouse
Rating: Breathe and Stop
Synopsis: You can’t say anything about Slaughterhouse’s lyrical content. The foursome full of underground emcees is chock full of rhymes. Perhaps too many. Best described as ‘rapping ass rappers’ Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Royce da 5’9″ succeed together how none of them have on their own. They’re album acheived a strong buzz, and some commercial success. It’s way too early to tell if this will translate into solo stardom for the group’s members but does provide each with a platform to showcase their talents. It’s just a little bit too much on the self-titled record, as you simply can’t listen to this front to back in one sitting. Slaughterhouse would be better suited to split the tracks up, as most follow a formula in which they all have their own verses and they are all featured. “The One” witnesses the two J’s splitting a 16, while they take the rock heavy instrumental and conintue the theme into their rhymes filled with musical metaphors and shout outs. “Sound Off” introduces the album, as well as the crew and features a pattern in which each member starts their rhyme over a building beat before the drums kick in and they switch to a double-time rhyme. “Pray (It’s A Shame)” is a stand out track that comes near the album’s end and rather than rhymes centering on Slaughterhouse’s lyrical sharpness, the soulful song centers on the pitfalls and despair of each crew member, and is carried by Joe Budden. Slaughterhouse’s album came with a great amount of on and offline hype, as well as controversy and the LP delivers on quality content, it’s just a lot to handle and at times too much.
RH Favorites: “Pray (It’s A Shame)”, “The One”, “In The Mind of Madness”
Artist: Warren G
Album: The G. Files
Rating: One and Done
Synopsis: Warren G. struck musical immortality with his 1994 debut, spawning hits such as “Regulate” and “This DJ”. Both songs still get rotation spins, and the ever so popular and nostalgic ‘ohhhhh’ when put on during a set. But, we can’t live off past success, and The G. Files feels like something that’s been done before. Utilizing his standard funk heavy production Warren raps about the return of the West, getting high, getting girls, and so on and so forth. There’s not much wisdom in the message, and some of the tracks could have easily been done and released in ’94. Where the Blueprint 3 shows growth, maturity, and a new perspective from an industry heavyweight, The G. Files lack a cohesiveness or a very personal look into Warren’s life that would serve as a reason for the title. The album’s best cut is “100 Miles & Runnin'”, which is saved by a verse from Raekwon, who too is able to embrace his new position as a veteran. Warren could stand to a gain a thing or two from incorporating some of the blueprint into his own files.
RH Favorites: “100 Miles & Runnin'”