|
Disco de Talib Kweli: “Eardrum [Clean]”
| Información del disco : |
|---|
|
|
Fecha de Publicación:2007-04-10
|
|
Tipo:Desconocido
|
|
Género:Hip-Hop/Rap, East Coast Rap, Underground Hip-Hop
|
|
Sello Discográfico:Blacksmith / Wea
|
|
Letras Explícitas:Si
|
|
UPC:093624445326
|
Análisis (en inglés) - :
Although the most salient attribute of {\hip-hop} is the words, the production behind it is equally important. It turns rhymes into song, into something you can feel, something that moves you. And while {$Talib Kweli} certainly has the lyrical aspect down, often his albums -- and to be fair, those of other so-called "conscious MCs" -- tend to suffer from a dearth of good beats. Of course there are still decent tracks, great tracks even, but there's also a lot of filler-sounding material, warm and slow and utterly boring, that deadens the overall flow and power of the album and twists {$Kweli}'s powerful vocals into dripping preachiness that lacks oomph behind the pretension and self-indulgence. This same affliction besets {^Eardrum}, the MC's first release on his own {@Blacksmith} label, which, despite its wide selection of producers -- {$Kanye West}, {$will.i.am}, {$Pete Rock}, {$Just Blaze}, {$Madlib}, and {$Hi-Tek}, to name some -- never quite seems to take off, to claim the beat and make it its, and {$Kweli}'s, own. The most egregious example of this is in the {$Afrika Bambaataa}-alluding {&"The Perfect Beat,"} which sports the worst production on the entire record, simple and cheap-sounding, {$KRS-One}'s tired rhymes not helping matters. Nothing else is quite this bad, a lot of it is good in fact, but it is this lack of subtlety, of giving the superlative and then failing to measure up, that bogs down the album. {$Kweli}'s trying to single-handedly save {\rap}, practically calling himself its messiah, like in the intro, {&"Everything Man,"} where different people talk about the first time they heard him. It's more than a little self-indulgent, but fortunately the MC quickly moves into other territory, discussing social problems, generally those that revolve around poverty ({&"Eat to Live"}), the state of {\rap} and his own place in it ({&"Listen"}), and women ({&"Hot Thing"}). But these are topics that have all been heard before, and perhaps because of that {$Kweli} expands his themes, trying to diversify his rhymes, from the not as catchy {&"Jesus Walks"} ripoff of {&"Hostile Gospel, Pt. 1"} to the tiresome tribute to his children of {&"Oh My Stars"} to the half empowerment, half celebration of a one night stand (featuring none other than {$Norah Jones}) of {&"Soon the New Day."} Unfortunately, these same moments are also where he seems to be stretching himself too thin, going too far, trying too hard. At 20 tracks and nearly 80 minutes, {^Eardrum} is both too much and too little, never quite understanding exactly what it needs to be. There are certainly strong moments here: {$Kweli}'s flow and rhymes are outstanding, and beats by {$Just Blaze}, {$Hi-Tek}, and {$Kanye West} (who, despite his generally abysmal MC skills, comes out with a pretty decent line in {&"In the Mood"}: "Only {$Michael Richards} saying, only much blacker/So if he say nigga, then I'm a say -- /Is this a Ritz? Carlton dressed like fresh like just like") are all good, clearly produced by well-practiced and knowledgeable minds, but maybe it's an over-aggrandized sense of purpose, the desire to be and do too much, that keeps the album and the rapper from truly achieving much at all. [{^Eardrum} was also made available in a "clean" version with all profanities removed.] ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
|
|
![Disco de Talib Kweli: “Eardrum [Clean]”](http://www.rapmusiczone.com/covers_yaT/talib-kweli/2007_170_167_Eardrum%2520%255BClean%255D.jpg "Disco de Talib Kweli: “Eardrum [Clean]”")