I was pretty disappointed in Lasers, although I have only listened to songs on youtube so nothing has been given the chance to really grow on me. Overall, I agree with what most people are saying - that the production was way to electronic/autotuned/glossy and aimed at a pop audience which he is probably never going to win over.
But, from listening to most of the songs, I also have to say that lyrically he is pretty weak most of the time. He does spend a lot of time delivering powerful messages, but I'm not seeing the story telling or wordplay or out there metaphors that really set him apart. Whether or not that is Atlantic's fault is hard to tell, I get the feeling he was just uninspired on this release.
To me, All Black Everything is the standout - good production (strings at last, haha), and a decent concept even if the latter part of verses do get bogged down in switching black and white concepts.
Words I Never Said has an awesome theme, and a fairly catchy hook - definitely a good single. But even though I respect how out and out direct he's being, his lyrics are very simple compared to his best stuff.
Anyway - moving on and looking forward. I heard somewhere that Atlantic is not going to interfere with his next album Food & Liquor II: The Great American Rap Album. And I'm going to say that this track is awesome, especially the 1st and 3rd verses.
The chorus is pretty good, but ends on a cheesy note.
|