Rating:
Genre:
Rap
Release Date: 11/09/2004
Five years after their rightfully revered debut,
So...How's Your Girl?, brainiac producers
Prince Paul and
Dan the Automator return with
Handsome Boy Modeling School's a-little-too-smug sophomore release,
White People. Like the title, a good third of the album feels a bit too forced. Another third is fair, but the remainder is stunning -- mostly song-based and mostly non-irreverent. Rappers
Del tha Funkee Homosapien and
Casual catch fire on their tracks, but otherwise it's up to the folks from the
pop and
rock realm to really bring it to the table. They do, with solid songs that could exist outside of
Handsome Boy's heavy-with-concept world. Expect
Jamie Cullum and
John Oates' pop-solid
"Biggest Mistake" to show up on a
Christina Aguilera album sometime soon.
Cat Power's track is so well formed you have to wonder what the reaction will be when a
Handsome Boy fan encounters one of her
indie, skeletal, and spent early albums. Sounding like
Paul Simon for the hoody generation,
Jack Johnson's
"Breakdown" is a surprising success and the last of the album's true highlights. While not as stunning as their debut,
White People still has plenty of signs that these
Handsome Boys haven't lost their touch.
~David Jeffries, All Music Guide
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