Thursday, December 16, 2010

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Almost an entire year after taking a beating from fans and the media for his 2009 VMA fiasco, Kanye West wasted no time climbing from rock bottom right back to the top of the charts. With the November 22 2010 release of " My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", Kanye has proved to fans and foe alike that nothing can stand between him and making great music
This brilliant album features a refreshing variety of sound from bone chilling choral melodies to the well mixed beats and rhythms one would expect of Kanye. Mix in some powerful and somewhat controversial lyrics and some well placed auto tune and ladies and gentlemen we have a chart topping comeback.
Opening up the album is the title track "Dark Fantasy" a spoken word intro followed by captivating choral melodies "can we get much higher... so high" are the words sung as a majestic opening is formed, then like a curtain rising the beat drops and in comes Kanye delivering both powerful and provocative lyrics. The listener can't help but feel a sense of wow at this point as Kanye grips their soul and the journey begins.
Following the grand opening we have "Gorgeous" followed by Track 3 & 4 "All of the lights" with interlude. This is one of my favorites and I personally recommend it to those of you wishing to get a feel for this album. This track features the typical Kanye sound from 2005's "graduation" album mixed with some amazing harmonies and some melodic beats. Soul, Rap and Rock 'n' Roll combine to bring us "All of the lights" a masterpiece and of course one of this albums singles.
The next three tracks Monster, So Appalled and Devil In A New Dress bring the listener back to 2005 and the sounds of "Graduation", all the while mixing in some clever rock riffs and vocal harmonies providing a fresh yet familiar listening experience, a deja vu if you will for the long time fans. Don't forget to factor in the guest appearances by artists like Jay-Z, Pusha T, Da Prince and new comer Rick Ross just to name a few.
This brings us to track 9. "Runaway" starts with an almost erie sounding intro to snap the listener out of the past and back into the new and fresh sounding present. This track featuring Pusha T takes the listeners back into the melodies and tunes we found at the beginning of the album. This song keeps to the powerful lyrics and ramped up beats providing yet another fresh erie soul provoking track.
"Grab my hand and baby we'll live a hell of a life" Just one example of the cocky and provocative lyrics from West in Track 10 " Hell of a life" another one of the albums chart topping singles. This track takes an electronic sounding rap beat and mixes in the controversial lyrics fans have come to expect from Kanye West giving listeners a rush and leaving them with a thirst for more.
In the next track, West heads back to some of the softer melodies we found earlier in the album. Track 11 "Blame Game" mixes a soothing blend of rap beats and R&B style song.
Listeners take an intense journey as track #12 "Lost in the World" Featuring Bon Iver starts up. This song has a dramatic feel about it and features the raw emotion and soul that we saw earlier along with Kanye's rap roots. This new found harmonious and chilling sound leaves the listener emotionally provoked and wowed. The clever use of auto tune provides a truly unique experience for everyone that will allow themselves the opportunity. The album closes out with " Who will survive in America"a short but controversial finish to an all together amazing album.
All in All this album was a thought provoking adventure through the many styles of Kanye West. With critics raving about the album and fans all but doubting his success I encourage everybody to listen to at least one of the songs before condemning this masterpiece.
This album has many gems that are sure to captivate any fan. Three songs in particular grabbed my attention as the heart and soul of the album "Hell of a Life", "Lost in The World"and All of the Lights. If you are going to judge the album without listening to the entire thing be sure to check these songs out.
-Article by Greg Banman of Gbandz Entertainment

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