CD Reviews

Jay-Z American Gangster 2007 ♥♥♥♥	Retirement homes usually don’t have recording studios. Don’t tell “retired” rapper Jay-Z, though. His most recent effort, American Gangster, is a return to the “Jigga Man” of old, bringing back memories of his hungriest and grittiest (not to mention first) album, Reasonable Doubt. A “concept album” for the movie by the same name, American Gangster is less of a movie soundtrack than it is more tales of hustler sprinkled with Frank Lucas (the main character of the movie) references. A complete departure from the sub-par effort of his last album, Kingdom Come, Jay-Z comes strong repeatedly on this LP, showing all sides of the hustler’s life. The production (Bad Boy’s production team, The Hitmen, and super-producers Just Blaze and Pharrell Williams) is vibrant and melodious on the tracks glorifying the perks in the lifestyle of a drug kingpin but also coarse and powerful when illustrating the burdens of said lifestyle. Jay-Z’s flow is as velvety smooth as ever. As a lyricist, Jigga is the self-proclaimed “Master of the Double Entendre,” he has at least a few gems on every track that will make you say “Oh my damn.” Simply put, Jay-Z fans and rap fans in general should go pick up one of Jay’s best, and the best rap album of the year. Michael Badejo
Britney Spears Blackout Jive Records / 2007 ♥♥♥	The absence of her long blond locks has hampered Spears’ ability to provide catchy, unforgettable, and upbeat pop tunes, or perhaps it is her new junkie status. A pop junkie myself, I feel as if Brit’s comeback album does not match up to her prior success. That being said, there are still a small amount of pop gems that are uncovered in Blackout. We all heard about her blundered performance of “Gimme More” at the VMAs, but there is no fault in having this song as the starting track. This song is a success; it is scintillating and fun. We will be hearing it for months in bars and popular radio alike. The song “Radar,” however, would have made a better first single; it mirrors that catchy sing-along beat from the chorus of Outkast’s song “The Whole World.” The production team helped amp up songs like “Heaven On Earth.” Starting out with an ’80s synth sound and Spears’ sexy spoken lyrics overtop, the song’s a total guilty pleasure. Skip over the slow pop dirges and head straight for the dynamite dance tunes. There are rumours of an upcoming tour, and the task at hand for Brit is to see if she can perform these gems on stage. Leah Werier, volunteer staff
Blaqk Audio CexCells Jive / 2007 ♥♥♥	Based on the abundance of Depeche Mode covers by other artists that exist out there (seriously, look them up some time), I figured that they were just about the band to pay homage to. Blaqk Audio uses tone and composition to honour Depeche Mode, and their ilk, rather than just covering the tunes. Comprised of two members of goth-punk outfit AFI, this side project comes off as a labour of love and not just boredom with their usual band. CexCells is littered with pretentiously unusual and slightly punny song titles (and album title), but that hardly matters, for it is the ’80s-inspired, electronic music that stands out for its ability to grab the listener without deeper, lyrical meaning. The techno beats and melodies are deft and suit the high-pitched wailing of frontman Davey Havok. Though not terribly odd or alienating from the masses, this album is certainly not geared for mainstream (like AFI seems to be these days). In fact, comparisons between the two are not truly fair because they aim for totally different approaches to music. If you’re looking for something to mourn the lost Die Maschine experience, then this album will help bring a teary mascara line to your cheek in electro thumping and atmospheric remembrance. William O’Donnell, staff