balogun's Full Review: Loso's Way [PA] * by Fabolous
No way, this can't be happening. Fabolous? F-A, B-O, L-O, U-S? Loso? The dude with the matinee-idol looks and multi-syllabic monotone swagger who can't seem to knock it out of the park every time he steps to the plate?
It's about time, though. The way this guy opens his fifth studio album, Loso's Way, you would think he has a chip on his shoulder. No, scratch that -- try a boulder. I'm sure Fab knows that he's never quite fulfilled his potential ever since he broke through with that hit that cleverly appropriated ‘Pac's "Ambitionz as a Ridah" hook. Commercial success? Not to worry: Fab has had plenty of that, from an envious string of hits to every single one of his albums going gold or platinum. No, with Loso's Way, Fab seeks respect. Check out the opening lines he delivers over the StreetRunner/I.L.O.-helmed beat of triumphant horns and marching-style drums, bubbling with venom yet glistening with his trademark punchlines: "Y'all done turned a Good Guy to a Chucky Doll/I would have been your friend ‘til the end, b***h!" Run for cover.
If you think Loso's Way is a loose, hip-hop-laced adaptation of that retroactively hailed 1993 crime thriller starring Al Pacino (Carlito's Way), well, you're both right and wrong. Yes, Fab appendages a short film of the same name to the album; and there is a track about betrayal that is appropriately named after a backstabbing Carlito character ("Pachanga"). But that's pretty much where it ends. Really, the movie theme, even with his "Loso" alter ego, is a mere conduit for his real-life feelings about the rap game and his foes, real or imagined. Thus there are tracks he does like the Jeremih-featuring "It's My Time" (which rumbles with a "We Will Rock You"-esque drum thump) and "Feel Like I'm Back," where he celebrates his return, yet turns around to wish his adversaries permanent naps in the incredibly chilly "Lullaby," the six-minute crime epic "I Miss My Love," and "Imma Do It," where he hilariously snaps, "Now who are you to tell me how to conduct myself/Why don't you go practice safe sex and go f**k yourself?" Ziiiiing!
This is not to say that Loso's Way is all about revenge and retribution, though. Heck, a Fab album is never complete without some fun tracks, especially the ones for the ladies. This time, it's the brutal intercourse-themed "Makin' Love" and the commitment-torn "Last Time" (featuring repeat guest Ne-Yo and Trey Songz, respectively), plus the magnificently breezy "Money Goes, Honeys Stay" (which features Jay-Z delivering the chorus). There's also the celebratory "The Fabolous Life," the club-ready tinge of the Keri Hilson-featuring "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere," and "Throw It in the Bag," which works as a mercifully short materialism ode with its sparse piano melody and The-Dream's choral contribution. And Fab gets a little sentimental, too, vowing in "Stay" (and with immense help from Marsha Ambrosius) never to repeat the negligent behavior of his father by being there for his newly born son. It is a track that, unlike past like-minded efforts, does not feel forced or contrived.
Of course, props go to the production which, while not groundbreaking by any measure, gives this project a lot more cohesion than it otherwise would have possessed -- running the gamut of traditional Southern soundscapes (e.g., "Salute" and "There He Go") through the live instrumentation of Ryan Leslie (e.g., "The Fabolous Life") to more of an ‘80s synth-pop vibe (i.e., almost half of the album). Truth is, age is catching up with Fab. Sure, he's not quite as drowsily monotonous as years past, appropriately injecting agitation in his voice during the more lyrically aggressive tracks, and moving away every now and then from his usual flow template (check out his half-sung verses in "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere" and the more stringent rhyme construction of "The Fabolous Life"). However, he is not quite as nimble with the multi-syllables as before, and his metaphors and similes are still embarrassingly hit-or-miss. "I let my chips Pringle up"? Seriously?
Also, the album could have done with some trimming of its 67-minute length. Even discounting middling tracks like "Feel Like I'm Back" and "Pachanga," I bet that several people who crowned Lil' Wayne last year as the third coming of the rapping Christ are kicking themselves for their lack of foresight upon hearing him ruin an already inconsequential "Salute" with his wimpy, utterly useless vocals (not to mention the drivel he's been peddling so far this year). And "There He Go," while possessing a terrific hook, is really more of a showcase for Fab's homies than a necessary album inclusion, especially considering that their hit-or-miss ratio with figures of speech is more lop-sided than that of their mentor. "Stones clear like her mama was Liz Clairborne"? "Fly as a G4 plane"? "She so bad, she got ‘em staring like she alien"? These folks are not going to win Big Daddy Kane awards anytime soon.
So yeah, Loso's Way will -- and is -- facing accusations of being an American Gangster clone, not to mention a light derivation of the Mafia-fueled rap albums that dominated the East Coast scene during the mid-'90s. Well, at least, given that it is hard for anyone to wholeheartedly recommend any of Fab's past efforts (yes, that includes you, Real Talk!), this album looks like a ruby among pebbles. Thus this is the closest to being fabulous that Fabolous has ever gotten -- yeah, right, definitely pun intended.
TRACK LISTING:
1. The Way "Intro" 2. It's My Time 3. Imma Do It 4. Feel Like I'm Back 5. Everything, Everyday, Everywhere 6. Throw It in the Bag 7. Money Goes, Honeys Stay (When the Money Goes Remix) 8. Salute 9. There He Go 10. The Fabolous Life 11. Makin' Love 12. Last Time 13. Pachanga 14. Lullaby 15. Stay 16. I Miss My Love
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