 |
American Gangster
An unofficial musical companion to the film of the same name (dir. Ridley Scott), American Gangster traces the rise and fall of a self-made American man. Sound tired? Perhaps, but a dozen albums into his career, Jay-Z can be forgiven his occasional dabbling in shopworn archetypes. A panoramic, cinematic work in four acts, American Gangster bulges with instrumental melodrama. Take "American Dreamin'": despite the Diddy-produced track's sultry, shifty beat, a pile of whining strings and tinkling piano flourishes all but completely suppresses the rhythmic interplay between the vocals and drums. Again and again, Jay-Z's otherwise compelling raps fall prey to a similarly overwrought studio aesthetic. (In this, the album resembles many a Ridley Scott film.) There are exceptions: Bigg D's "Hello Brooklyn 2.0" and the Neptunes' "I Know" and lead single "Blue Magic" are unqualified bangers, and Jermaine Dupri's "Success" (featuring Nas) flaunts a relentless organ lick with 'round-the-way mojo to spare, but the album's overriding sonic melodrama is all Diddy. Still, no one steals Jay-Z's thunder easily. Having long since joined the top ranks of the hip-hop elite, Jay-Z can (and does) ultimately weather the best efforts of another major-league ego and still come out on top. --Jason Kirk
Buy
Tracks| 1 | Intro | | 2 | Pray | | 3 | American Dreamin' | | 4 | Hello Brooklyn 2.0 | | 5 | No Hook | | 6 | Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)... | | 7 | Sweet | | 8 | I Know | | 9 | Party Life | | 10 | Ignorant Sh*t | | 11 | Say Hello | | 12 | Success | | 13 | Fallin' | | 14 | Blue Magic | | 15 | American Gangster |
Copyright © 2009 NetVision. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Statement
|
