Talkie Walkie's detachment is still, well, pretty -- virgins might commit suicide to it, but most likely they'll just swoon.
It includes some of the most thoughtful music of Eminem’s career, and some of the butt-stupidest, and while there’s a lot to like about both, the album feels transitional and muddled, the work of an artist cleaning out his closet while mulling over his next move.
On Medulla, her voice is in constant motion, in sync with the beat, rather than battling it, whether she's running uphill (the orgasmic gasps of "Pleasure Is All Mine") or just bobbing weightlessly ("Vokuro").
At its core, Showtime is a classic sophomore album in the hip-hop sense: puffy with bluster, brimming with indignation.
The album feels confident and spacious where Bright Lights felt claustrophobic.
The toughest record ever made by a former mainstream country artist ... If all the songs don't rival her finest work, the arrangements pull them up.
Most producers who approach the mic do so at their peril, but on Dropout, West turns out to be a full-service hip-hop artiste.