Rating:
Genre:
Rap
Release Date: 08/21/2007
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.
~Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
Average Review:
Number of reviews: 2
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Dubz
from Orlando, FL
Amazing...
Talib Kweli has always been one of my favorite artist right next to Mos Def. This album has so much to offer, and I strongly dissagree with what the main review says. Real Hip-Hop started off with chill, relaxed sounds and real lyrics, not this loud yelling, vulgar stuff that's around now. Eardrum sticks to those main elements of Hip-Hop, and is unique and refreshing epecially durring a time of big club banger hits. This album has a good positive vibe that informs people, not dumbing down like most others. Talib Kweli has always stuck to the roots and talked about real things. This is music that'll make one think instead of just carry on with life and what not.
Eardrum, really sets in with a wide array of sounds and artists. From Roy Ayers to Will.i.am, and everything in between. "Hot Thing" will keep you feelin good for hours, and the bonus track "Nature" featuring Justin Timberlake, will really make one think about life and how one is living theirs. Eardrum has something for everyone and is really I belive is a higher order of music that posses soul and depth.
Brian
from Albuquerque, NM
The Bomb!
I am going to have to strongly disagree with all that Marisa Brown, All Music Guide, had to say about this album. Eardrum gave all that I had hoped to receive, if not more. It's refreshing to hear an MC talk about more than his loot, his gat, his manhood, or how many brothers he can bury. To quote Ms. Brown "....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." Ms. Brown, Until these problems get fixed, I don't think we can here enough about them. If your a true hip-hop fan, and your looking for more depth, you will absolutely love this ablum! Don't sleep!!!
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