smarterthan3's Full Review: Graduation [PA] by Kanye West
I'm gonna stop short of calling "Graduation" a concept album. But there is definitely a constant stream of mood followed throughout the conclusion to Kanye West's academic album title trilogy. It all begins with a yawn on the Good Morning Intro and ends with personal lines that one could imagine being jotted down inside a journal that same morning's night as the album concludes with "Big Brother." Graduation day is a monumental 24 hours in one's life, but it only rolls around once or twice. Because it seems to hold a similar light inside its cupped hands, "Graduation" thrives off of the sensation that you've had these feelings before, and now their portable and available upon personal request.
I can't offer up much perspective on Kanye West or this producer's added tag-on of rapper to his job description, but I will say what I dig and don't dig about him, regarding his previous release, "Late Registration." Please spare the Captain Obvious gags when I point out that the dude has an oversized head. You'll hate him when he whines about not winning an award for his "Touch the Sky" music video, but you'll find him and his production irresistible when you listen to that same skittering snare/horn casserole. His beats are too loose and slow for some (at least those are some complaints I've heard) but only if you don't enjoy interwoven tapestries of bass and dusty track samples that I don't have near enough the knowledge on to point out and reference. That being said, Kanye's flow is also good enough for some and completely detracting for others. There's an arrogance that, ninety percent of the time, has it's foundation in the beats. The dude definitely isn't complicated, either, but if I were to call it, I'd say that what he lacks in classic flow or intricate lyricism, he more then compensates for in his beats. So he crosses the finish line; definitely a plus in the sagging music industry/scene of 2007. And Mr. West earns a double-point space for not including interludes or any other pointless waste of track numbers on his junior release.
Like mentioned earlier, things get started with somber recollections of the area at hand on "Good Morning (Intro)." This is by far the best intro I've heard in a while, and I'm curious as to why the parenthetical suffix was thrown on since the opening number makes it over the 3-minute mark. "Morning's" presence and overall effect lends hand to the hype of the overly-upbeat opener "Champion." There is a fantastic use of a "" sample that adds rays to the yellow sun chalked in by the symply shining synth beat. It's a triumphant greeting, with some pop culture references and humorous bars:
"And I ain't saying we was from the projects
But everytime I wanted layaway or deposits
My Dad would say when you see clothes close your eyelids"
"Graduation" boasts two impressive singles at the time of it's debut: There's the better of the two, "Stronger," which is a creative ball of fire, and the more laid-back "Can't Tell Me Nothing." "Stronger" is alight with a blazing techno beat that's right off the fire but extremely cool to the touch, made even more ferocious with Kanye's attired flow. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" is almost a polar opposite, but still equally effective. There is the electronic sound of light iron being pounded along with a soulful vocal snippet (and some "'Ey" and "Hahaa" clips from Young Jeezy that do nothing but add to the song) load on an added layer of emphasis to Kanye's lyrical muses.
"Good Life," boasting the time of T-Pain, is a song I love. I don't really know how else to put it. Pain adds his gliding vocals that defy gravity without ever approaching shrill territory and, with Kanye confirming that "the best things in life are free", the song is awash in a fresh bask of a summer where one truly accomplished something without the tax of strain. "Drunk and Hot Girls (Ft. Mos Def)" is a smoky number that isn't quite as misogynistic as the title would imply. The beat at first would appear to be club worthy, but the foggy sparks of electronic notes is too dense and, thankfully, never spreads itself thin enough to speed up the sluggish pace. "Flashing Lights (Ft. Dwele)" has a fabolous beat made up of mounting synth and, as usual, Kanye adapts his tone, this time into a black-and-white silhouette that the continually rising beat washes with color. The smooth R&B-esque chorus by Dwele is a nice change of pace as well. "Barry Bonds (Ft. Lil Wayne)" has the right attitude to make the reference to Kanye's haters successful, but the beat is scratchy and unorganized, Kanye's overblown head boasts most often here and the Lil Wayne verse is a bar below unimpressive (and this is coming from someone who is known to minimally enjoy some of his other tracks).
"Everything I'm not made me everything I am."
That's the moral of "Everything I Am," and the piano, DJ scratches and swirling of several engroved vocal samples create a mood where you can't help buy agree with West. It's not the most candid track you'll hear him spit, but it's a personal piece the more you get into it, and by the time you unravel the whole listening experience you see that it might be the most underrated track on the whole LP. "Everything" starts the celebration of the event of graduation, if you will, and the album slides down to its conclusion on a diamond-studded water slide. "The Glory" is a soulful box of manufactured bliss, but everything up to this point is shamefully dwarfed by the favorite of this album: The spectacular "Homecoming." Maybe it's Chris Martin (Of Coldplay fame) and his exceptional, albeit short and not shockingly original, chorus, the starkness of the piano riding soundwaves up and down, or simply West's relating tale of a childhood lover whose many levels range from metaphorical to life-changing recounts. My conclusion is that it is all those great things colliding to make an audio track above and beyond any one thing. If you only listen to one track off this album (talking to a general audience here), make it this one. After the croons of "Homecoming" fade away, one might be surprised that they decided to keep the album alive for one more song...But that'll be the last thing on your mind after hearing "Big Brother." After the whirlwind of accomplishment sweeps by, one's natural reaction is to reminisce on how we arrived there. And "Big Brother" does this in the grandest fashion possible. I don't think I'd be off base to say that this is probably Kanye's finest lyrical moment as he looks back on his career and relationship and career intertwinement with Jay-Z. It's a subtle piano buried underneath a couple layers of synth and other electronic muses that works as the beat, and the mild volume level gives center stage wholly to the lyrical recollection:
"When I kick a flow, it was like pick and roll
'Cause even if he gave me the rock, it's give and go"
"Graduation" is one sick album. There's almost anything someone who would want here, and I think the hype machine will call this an even balance when it consumes this album. If you've dig either of the singles, I don't know what you're hesitating for. A hip-hop album that can be enjoyed by those in and out of the genre, and a contender for the Top Album of the Year. How good and wholesome is this album? I haven't been able to listen to any of the hip-hop on the radio in this past week since I've listened to it because it dwarfs it...Because it shows you can have at least decent lyrics to hold hands with a fiery beat that doesn't have to have booming bass to influence. No classic, but it adds to the theory that I've been hearing around here that 2007 is the year that real hip-hop is popping up its head from the underground again.
Given the remarkable critical and commercial success of 2005 s Late Registration, Kanye West s rich, rewarding Graduation. Ever savvy, West flouts tho...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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