Mee Blog - Reviews

First off, a statement should be made: It's definitely not a Hip-Hop album and I definitely don't consider it a typical "Kanye" album. So, I wouldn't think it fair to compare 808s and Heartbreak to any of his other solo albums. There's just no rapping on here.

This album has the feel of a side project . He had to get his feelings out about his Mom, his ex-fiance and the way he's dealing with the media attention he gets now. This is what he created. I think we all would have wanted a rap album from him, but instead, we got the musical manifestation of the emo haircut and bright yellow Asics. This can be compare to Outkast’s Andre 3000 venture from rap - The Love Below, although Love Below was more soulful, while this is more synth, more pop, more 80's. Although Kanye's name stamp on the album is redeemable quality, as he's proved himself so far as being someone who puts out quality music and his albums are usually an auto-cop for me because of this. But the album stands on its own merit.

Although It’s easy to lump this album with the T-Pain trend of Autotune, but this is completely different - Drums, rhythms, samples, keyboards, sound nothing like a T-Pain album. T-Pain has played it out on the R&B tip, and Lil’ Wayne has used it somewhat on mixtapes and such, as have countless other artists, but no rapper has made a whole album using it, combining rapping, and singing, with a completely unique soundscape.
Is it the most unique concept ever? No. But I definitely think this album is very different then what is going on anywhere else in the music industry, and I think the album will be huge.

Recommended Track:
“Love Lockdown”: The first single and undoubtedly the best song on the album.

They may be the incarnation of 80's AOR, they may use lyrics which are the equivalent of cerebral palsy and are usually kitschier than Liberace, but Canadian rockers Nickelback know how to write hits, and that means Dark Horse is going to make them another easy bundle.

Actually, it’s not that bad. While 2005’s multi-platinum selling All The Right Reasons was almost unbearable apart from very few and far-between bits, Dark Horse is easily the band’s strongest and heaviest release since their earliest output.

It’s still pop-oriented, just listen to Chad Kroeger’s semi-rap rant in the so-cleverly-disguised-sexual innuendo of “Something In Your Mouth” and you might feel your bowels heave, but once the guitars get rolling, and Kroeger uses his ballsier, slightly gravely voice, it works fine.

Uber-producer Mutt Lange gives this all the perfect shine, making this what is arguably the best sounding album they’ve put out, while also balancing the rock and pop sensibilities nicely. He has a sure-fire formula that worked with Def Leppard and later with Shania Twain, and while sounding a bit dated, it does fit Nickelback‘s retro approach just fine, background vocals and all. “Gotta Be Somebody” as well have been written in the 80’s, but you can’t miss the fact it can’t be anything but a huge hit.

Some solid rock tracks such as “Burn It To The Ground” lend the album a swaggering sense of respectability, the song is definitely heavier than anything they’ve done in the last few years, with a good riff that might have come from a Black Label Society song.

It may not be a classic rock album, but as far as current rock goes, these dollar spewing monsters could have done worse.

Recommended Tracks:
“Burn It To The Ground”: Nickelback actually know how to write a decent riff, as good as anything they’ve ever done in the past.

“Shakin’ Hands”: despite the less-than-half-witted lyrics, it’s still a fun track with a good riff and strong Def Leppard feel.

The British rulers of all that is dark and sexually promiscuous are at it again, continuing what is a streak of successful albums for uber-metal label Roadrunner Records.

While 2006's Thornography was something of a stripped-down, less flashy affair, this one harkens back to the glorious and fustian Cruelty And The Beast.
This time the story revolves around the life and exploits one Giles De Rais, either misunderstood French Nobleman or, as he is more frequently referred to a mass murdered and satanic icon.
Throwing every riff in the book (and several outside of it), the band uses less keyboards this time than in Cruelty, opting for a real choir and to achieve a much fuller and dark sound.
Vocalist Dany Filth is still a love-him-or-hate-him element, with his shrill and high voice that, if not your cup of blood, might annoy you enough to try and copy the said De Rais and perform some sort of a mass murder thing.

In any case, both extreme metal fans and sturdier Goth fans might want to give this one a listen, it's an impressive achievement no matter how much of a Cradle of Filth fan are you.

Recommended track:
"Midnight Shadows Crawl to Darken Counsel with Life": A track with a long name, but a longer running time, an epic 8 minute monster that will leave no ear un-pierced.

Diamonds In The Rough isn't really a new Avenged Sevenfold album, its actually a collection of unreleased B-sides, cover songs, remixes and alternative takes on previously released tracks from the band's last, self-titled album. It comes with a nifty DVD that allows fans to watch this successful American new-breed metal band perform - all in all, a nice package for the fans, but is it for anyone else?

I can't deny these guys have talent oozing out of their tattooed earlobes, their guitarist - Synyster Gates can out-leak almost every current metal guitarist upon god's green earth, and vocalist M. Shadows has a mean melodic voice, as long as he doesn't out-nasal Bob Dylan. But while some of the tracks are quite impressive, melodic and richly layered, several others just sound too sweet for me to swallow.

It's still a nice touch by the band to add 2 cover versions of two bands that definitely influenced them, "Walk" by Pantera and "Flash Of The Blade" by Iron Maiden, but overall I can't see anyone but a die-hard fan going for Diamonds In The Rough. Non-fans should start out with one of their two previous albums, 2007's City Of Evil or last year's self-titled album, two good examples of the band's music.


Recommended Tracks:
"Flash Of The Blade": the band does a sterling cover of the Iron Maiden classic, the vocals cannot match the original, but overall it's a fine take on the song.

"Demons": an unreleased track that combines some excellent melodic vocals with fine guitar work, better than most unreleased tracks bands leave out of their albums.

If you were a fan of Non-Phixion, or more so if you've been a fan of Psycho+Logical records, you should dig this. It's more of the same from Ill Bill - governmental conspiracies, thug posturing, metal references etc. the lack of Nerco beats isn't really a problem as production is pretty uniformly solid here with sort of an epic gothic feel - not too different than Necro's vibe, but with more emphasis on the epic banger type of track than he usually does.

The only real missteps are the metal chorus from the lead singer of Soulfly on "War Is My Destiny," the chorus on "White Ni**er," (while I like the verses and beat, I could easily get the point and do without the chorus) a couple weak guest verses (Hero on "Too Young" needs to go), and the beats on "UBS" (The original version was laced with a Slayer sample. The album version of the beat is pretty bland). I was a little disappointed with the beat on the Raekwon track too.

Everything else is pretty enjoyable here - that is if you enjoy Psychological records. If not, I doubt this will convert you.
The grimy 90's formula is still present, but updated in a fashion so that it doesn't sound like a relic, or a self conscious throwback like a lot of underground dudes stuck in the 90's.

Recommended Track:
"Society is Brainwashed": Even if you don't like Ill Bill style, you may want to at least check this DJ Premier produced track. It sounds like it was pulled right out of Non Phixion's The Future Is Now sessions.

Every few years a big artist goes to the motions of a "return to roots" album, and probably the most anticipated one in recent years is Metallica's Death Magnetic.
I guess that if the band's last effort - 'St. Anger', wasn't just so damn awful, it would have much less of an event, but since that album is easily the Heavy Metal giants' weakest release in its career, the tension was truly great - can they actually pull it off, or continue a losing streak of mediocre to just plain bad albums?

Well, this isn't a complete retro album; it's definitely no 80's thrash masterpiece as was 1988's 'And Justice' For All or 1986's 'Master Of Puppets', though there are a few similarities. It's purely a 2008 album, with clear yet quite raw sound, and a solid sense of groove that wasn't part of the package back in the 80's.

It starts with a bang, 'That Was Just Your Life' throws in the first great riff the band has created in almost 20 years, Ulrich's drum attack is relentless, there's a classic Hammet Wah-Wah solo and finally - Hetfield's voice is one octave higher than his delivery in years. At this point - it would be very hard for this album to ruin it for the fans, if only the rest of the songs can keep this up.

And they do, 'The End Of The Line' is another fine tracks that combines a great thrash riff with more contemporary passages. What the band does here is actually quite brilliant; they combine the best of riffs straight off And 'Justice For All' with a chorus that would have sat well in the black album.

In a recent review I read in the alternative-oriented Pitchfork webzine, some guy criticized the album for not doing anything new and taking too much from the band's early works. He completely missed the point.
What makes this one great is the fact they were not going for anything new, it's the fact this is the first time in 20 years the band dared to try and re-explore what made it so great when it started out. While most current bands try and re-invent the wheel, or sound original and unique, Metallica's move needs much more guts - to try and re-create the feel in albums that are long considered milestones of the genre, and that is far more demanding and adventurous than anything other current bands are doing.

What makes this one work, and it certainly does work, is the clear feeling that the guys are once more influenced by what started them off - Punk and NWOBHM, the two genres that helped spawn their earliest material. Unlike the American trad rock and Hard Rock basis the Load and Re-Load albums used, this one moves back to the far more aggressive and subversive music of the early 80's.

The album's first single - "The Day that Never Comes" may come off as a carbon-copy of their great epic ballads, such as "Fade To Black", and someone with just a basic knowledge of the genre such as that guy from Pitchfork may easily dismiss it as such, but there's much more to it. The song features some of Hetfield's best vocals in years and benefits from an almost Prog-rock structure. The up-tempo move in the 5 minute mark is pure NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal), with Diamond Head and Iron Maiden being the most visible influences. The closest thing the band ever did to this is actually their cover of Diamond Head's "Am I Evil back" in the mid-80's.

This album really doesn't let off, with just two minor mishaps. 'Cyanide's mid-section bridge is just to close to Alternative Rock for comfort, bringing to mind some of St. Anger's pitfalls, and 'The Unforgiven III' is just too much Re-Load. Slow and uninteresting hard-rock riffs with an unnecessary symphonic addition.

Suicide And Redemption is a great instrumental piece with some fine Heavy Metal riffs, showing off some possible Joe Satriani influences, proving that these guys can still write a solid instrumental, it isn't a classic such as Ride The Lightning's 'Call Of Ktulu', but still adds a great musical favor to the album.

Last is the absolute fan-pleaser 'My Apocalypse', a real thrash number that throws in fantastic riffs and one of the band's best choruses. Ulrich may not be the most accomplished drummer, but he certainly gives his best here and fits in perfectly with the guitar playing. Hetfield's delivery is quite relentless, the pre-chorus even reminded me of Slayer's Tom Araya, with an amount of aggression and energy that we didn't hear from Hetfield in 20 years.

So it is on-par with Master Of Puppets or And Justice For All? Certainly not, that would be like thinking that Pink Floyd can re-create Dark Side Of The Moon or The Wall. But it's still the best album in years by one of the best Heavy Metal bands in existence, and it's probably better than anything released by other bands in recent years. It seems they actually pulled it off, who would have believed...

Recommended tracks:
"The Day That Never Comes": the album's first single is anything but a typical single, more than 7 minutes long and epic in scope; this is one of the album's most impressive moments.

"All Nightmare Long": another epic tracks that combines some brilliant thrash riffs into an impressive hit to the head.

They may The Rotted now, and not Gorerotted anymore, but the gore is definitely still there.

This album sees the British grindcore merchants growing up, changing attitudes and losing some of their famed sick sense of humor in favor of some serious upgrade in the quality of their music.

The riffs here are some of the best this band wrote, not just shredding but injecting a genuine sense of dread into the proceedings, there’s a slight touch of dark melody and a foreboding melancholy into this violent and hard-edged grindcore album.

The drum-work is staggering as well, the band’s new drummer is easily one of the best in the business, and it’s the combination of ultra-fast aggression with the added girth of quality riffs that makes this one so much more memorable than anything they ever did in the past. Another thing the band did different here is to inject a bit more of their punk roots, with songs such as “Angel Of Meth” being a fine nod to the originators of Grind – Napalm Death.

The album ends on a high-note with an instrumental piece that borrows the theme music from Brit horror flick 28 Days Later, yet another fine example of just how much more mature and disturbing the band is in this reincarnation.

Recommended tracks:
“Nothing But A Nose Bleed”: memorable, catchy and brutal as hell, this one gave me a nosebleed.

“Fear And Loathing In London Town” :the band runs the gamut from fast and aggressive to slow and oppressive.

First and foremost - It's definitely a ploy by the band's label, releasing a live album for every studio album this band releases, but somehow - this still works.

My Chemical Romance's second album - The Black Parade, was a successful and quite entertaining piece of Teen Rock (emo?) with some Classic Rock aspirations, they certainly showed more ingenuity and talent than most current teen-oriented rock bands in the US, and this - a live album celebrating the end of The Black Parade's tour, reflects the band's energy and stamina when performing live.

So, it's definitely an shameful money-maker for the label, bent on squeezing the band's fans until they release another studio album, but the fact is that these guys perform with endless verb and they actually sound like they're enjoying themselves, so I guess some of it has to rub off on the listener. Cash-in or not, it's still well-worth a listen.

Recommended tracks:

"Teenagers": The band's serious message is well-hidden in this cheerful sounding track.
"Welcome To The Black Parade": Queen meets punk rock with the best of results.

Is this the best G-Unit related album since The Massacre? You Bet. It is shockingly good actually. The latest two G-uniteseque albums, Beg For Mercy and Curtis, were the defining albums of a complacent G-Unit era. TOS is a return to the pre-Get Rich Or Die Trying mixtape steez G-Unit. The beats here are infinitely better than on Beg For Mercy and Lloyd Banks actually has me rewinding verses again - whatever he's doing with his voice, it works. He doesn't sound like Ben Stein any more. Even 50 raps like he still cares.

I can honestly say that I haven't enjoyed much from G-Unit since Get Rich or Die Trying, and although I was not really expecting anything crazy from TOS, especially after hearing the radio joints, I had a lot of fun here, especially in the first half of the album. "Casualties of War", "Piano Man", and "No Days Off" are seriously all bangers. Content wise, it does not sound as if they're trying to justify neither hip hop nor NY, it's not nostalgic or overtly defensive. It's just some hard music which lacks the near-classic joints to keep it in rotation for long, and which occasionally falls through on the production tip, but never by much. I can live with that.

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Disturbed main-man David Draiman said he wrote this album to vent a lot of anger he had during a difficult year in his life, and it sounds like it. This is a much angrier and heavier album than their last one – Ten Thousand Fists.
All the other Disturbed elements are there, the groove-filled metal rhythms, Draiman’s unique vocal delivery, and the catchiness of the choruses that is there in almost every Disturbed song, yet something’s amiss.
It’s a decent album, but in my mind - not a lot more, solid riffs, great productions, but one thing is missing – really good songs, what their debut had in abundance, and Ten Thousand Fists had as well. This one has very few cuts strong enough to make it a worthwhile Hard Rock release for the band.
It’s still good, heavy fun for any Disturbed fan out there, but it seems their writing abilities need a bit of a shake-up at this stage of their career.

Recommended Track:
"Inside The Fire": the first single from the album is also probably the best, heavy and catchy stuff.

This album will probably dominate my summer speakers.
After all of the album leaks, the slew of subpar and on par mixtapes that have been released over the past two years, I didn't think that this album could ever live up to expectations, but listening to this for the first time had me geeked like I used to get back as a youngling for new releases. In fact, the first 7 songs are all phenomenal. The beats are all pretty simple and loveable, allowing Wayne to be his weird ass self. Thank god for drugs.
What I love about Lil' Wayne is how he basically ignores the strict rules of the game that every other rapper lives by: giggling like a girl on tracks, messing around with the vocoder on every other song, and generally sounding out of his brains for the majority of the album. So take that as a warning, this album is unorthodox, and that might turn off some fans who decided to listen to the album due to the "Lollipop" hype. But it has a unique sound to it, and for most part - creative beats and entertaining flow and lyrics from Wayne.

Recommended Tracks:
"Comfortable": this track is the real shocker for me. It's a legitimate love song, from an angle you don't really see songwriters take. It gets to me a little, which is baffling. A Wayne song plucked my heart strings?!

"Nothin' On Me": Dope beat with an 80s meets 2K sound. Almost sounds like something the Neptunes would drop back in the "Superthug" era, and as a bonus, a dope Fabulous verse.

Bun B's second album came a few months after the death of his partner in rhyme, Pimp C, one half of UGK. And it seems that Bun has done everything to pack his new album with every kind of replacement for him, and filled the track list with guest appearances.
After admitting that he is not adapting at singing hooks and constructing full songs, he partnered with Lil' Wayne, Jodeci, Lupe Fiasco, David Banner and many, many more for a little help.
The album has a feel of a "Bun B Hosts..." more than a real solo effort by an artist that's molding himself a new career path after his group demise. But don't get me wrong – there are some great individual songs, and Bun seems a lot more focused, in terms of rhyming and production than the first Trill, while the production feels more intense. And although nothing is really touching the obvious bangers of his debut, such as "Draped up" or "Get Throwed", the album as a whole is more coherent and stable. So this is where Bun B stands: familiar production, solid rhymes, but overall a little rudimentary compared to what is expect of an artist of his caliber.

Recommanded Track:
"Damn I'm Cold": Not Bun's usual surrounding – Hammond Organ and a soul sample accompany Lil' Wayne and Bun's rhymes, but the result is astounding. Soulful rendition of everything that's right with southern rap right now.

It’s not every day a Dutch death metal uber-group is born, but Hail of Bullets is exactly such a band.
Members of a few important and legendary Dutch death metal bands such as Asphyx, Gorefest, Pestilence and Thanatos came together with this album, which takes the listener to a ride into the glory days of European death metal, way back in the early 90’s.

There’s not much variation or complexity here, it’s just a barrage of aggressive, old-school riffs, crushing drums blasts, and sick-sounding vocals courtesy of Martin van Drunen, one of death metal’s most unique voices.

The album may be a concept album dealing with the German-Soviet battles in World War II, but what really matters here is the heavy artillery these guys bombard your auricle with, some of the most relentless, merciless extreme metal you can imagine.

Recommended track:
"The Lake Ladoga Massacre": this is death metal. It starts slow and eerie, then bursts into an all-out aggression assault.

36 Crazyfists fourth album delivers exactly what it “says” on the cover - it crashes into submission anyone even remotely into good metalcore.

The band’s fourth full-length, their first for Ferret Records, is the epitome of what the metalcore genre can be – aggressive, loud, yet melodic and meticulously planned.
Any comparison to Killswitch Engage is understandable, but the fact is that Crazyfists are one of the few bands to actually stand on their own proverbial two feet in this genre, and they deliver with this one, in spades.

"Opener The All Night Lights" delivers enough break-downs and catchy choruses to satisfy anyone, while "Waiting on a War" starts out deceivingly calm with some melodic acoustic guitars before bursting with rest of the aggressive yet melancholic track.

A Fine outing for a fine band, these guys have always worked well together, but they just sound better this time.

Recommended track:
"The All Night Lights": great verses that flow into great melodic chorus, one of the band's best.

The Lucky Ones marks Mudhoney’s 20th anniversary, and fittingly enough – it’s a throwback to some of their noisiest and rawest efforts from the early 90’s.

Though the album sounds less harsh because of the rather clear production, it still throws in enough aggression and fuzz-heavy guitars to satisfy the most ardent Mudhoney fan, especially those who were unhappy with 2002’s Since We’ve Become Translucent and its rather radio-friendly approach.

Only a band as experienced and well-congealed as these guys are can deliver an album like this in less than 4 days, the time it took them to get this one recorded. From the punky and very 80’s sounding up-lifter “I’m Now” to the rather complex and psychedelic leanings of “And The Shimmering Lights” which brings out a completely different facet of the album – this is a band which honed its craft in its 20 year career, yet chooses to sound almost identical to its earliest roots.

Recommended Tracks:

"I’m Now": The perfect opener for album, jaw-breaking fuzz guitar with some added cheerfulness courtesy of a piano.

"Next Time": sludgy assault on the senses, vocalist Mark Arm really rips this track a new one.

The important (and nearly impossible) thing to do in order to enjoy the album, it to throw off any pre-conceptions of what an album of Tom Waits interpretations should sound like. And for that matter, what we should expect from Scarlett Johansson as a singer. Yes, these are still Tom Waits songs, but Johansson takes them in a completely different direction than the original version.

The music on the album, orchestrated and produced by Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio, can be best described as contemporary dream pop (think Low, Talk Talk or For Against) with ambient influences spread throughout. It lends an interesting and vastly different interpretation to Waits usual sound. And although the music stays the tried-and-true area of the genre, it is in top notch form, thanks to the skillful ear of Sitek, who managed to suit the right sound, echoing and reverbing lush synth pads, string lines, or brass throughout the album to sonically complete Johansson's rather flat voice.

And on that topic - Johansson's singing – well, she isn't a great singer. Her monosyllabic singing, on songs like "No One Knows I'm Gone" can be almost fit inducing at times. But the number of times when she and Sitek do manage to pull it off is much greater than the number the duds in the album, and that, eventually, makes the album a worthwhile listen.

Recommended Tracks

"I Don't Want to Blow Up": Johansson's singing stays monotone, but the usual Sitek noise, fuzz and detuned strangeness that skip around the mix turn this to a great song.

"Fallin' Down": Bravely eccentric and delicate synth pop.

The Roots have survived through nearly two whole decades of hip hop music by never caring about what the popular aesthetic was. In the beginning some may argue that they grew out of the Native Tongues mold and stood in opposition to what was popular in the industry and I think the average listener can hear that in their first three records. As their career has grown and changed they've switched their vibe and overall sound up with every record, more drastically with each release post-Things Fall Apart.

Phrenology was the record that convinced me they'd jumped the shark for some indie/ghetto rock fusion, for me Tipping Point was Thought's magnum opus and the closest thing they've ever done to a record that could've been accepted by the mainstream audience (had they picked the right singles and videos, which they did not). Not surprisingly it's probably their most hated record on the internet.

Game Theory was arguably their best album ever from start to finish. Very little filler, a really powerful dark sound, great guest spots, and Black Thought exhibiting his vocal/lyrical dominance while continuing the cultural/quasi-sociopolitical insight he started delving into on Tipping Point. But more than anything it showed that they were not concerned with trying to appeal at all to a mainstream audience, even with their single choices (even though they still want more sales).

This time around, with Rising Down, they took the darkness of Game Theory and delved headfirst into it - Kamal experimenting with new synths and abandoning the Fender Rhodes as his primary weapon of choice. The drums are, as always, brutally hard. And although there are two, maybe three bad hooks on the album, it isn't a significant concern considering it's always been an issue for the Roots.

Despite the Tribute to Lyricist Lounge '98 guest list, the sonic integrity and the lyrical perfectionism of Black Thought make sure that even the fallen hip hop coffee shop all-stars (Common, Talib, & Mos) all step their game up, and don't provide the same disappointment that they have with their own recent releases. Newcomers P.O.R.N. & Truck North hold their own, although they sound a little outclassed amongst the talent showcased across this album. Malik B is thankfully back again to provide two of the most ferocious performances on the album, leaving die-hard fans to yearn for another full on Black Thought Malik Roots album. Dice Raw is here, sounding as hungry and unsigned as ever. Saigon, Wale, & Styles P provide the same kind of heat here as they have with their own recent material, over production that they should all be so lucky to have on their own releases one day.

In many ways the album is reminiscent of earlier Roots releases in format. There are a lot of guests, and all the familiar cats are here. Unlike their last two releases, where Thought seemed the main focus, the sound is what drives this album, and the MCing, while very solid, is really secondary to the music. And the music is excellent.

Recommended Tracks:

"Criminal": although I'm not a big fan, Saigon's verse blew me away. If rap was less saturated and people spent more time with songs, his verse here would be career-defining.

"Get busy": This is wonderful. The drums knock hard and the production here reaches a pinnacle in an album that will probably be considered as the best "produced" of 2008.

The 11 year hiatus these Trip-Hop giants have been through seems to have resulted in a different band altogether – Forget the Portishead you knew, this isn't it.

While Beth Gibbons remains herself - as morose as humanly possible - the music around her has gone from the recognizable trademarked trip-hop the band is famous for to something more akin to Experimental Psychedelia, but unlike anything you know.
Layers above layers of sounds, noises and reverbs, and most rhythms are gone – resulting in a truly unique aural experience, it seems that the two men in the band - Barrow and Utley understood that everything around Gibbons can change - and it can still be Portishead.

It takes a lot of guts to try and pull something like this off, but I have a feeling that the band's (now older) fans are the right people to accept the change they've been through, the basic melancholy and retro-vibe that made this band such a force 11 years ago is still there, it just metamorphosed into something new, harder to digest, but in no way less original or mesmerizing.

Recommended Tracks:

"Machine Gun": The first single's Machine Gun-Like beat is a prefect contrast to Gibbons' ethereal voice, this is a lullaby for the 21th century.
"We Carry On": Gibbons and a war-like drum are added to the soundtrack of what sounds like car-horns, depressed genius at its best.

Let’s be honest – Whitesnake is David Coverdale, and it has been since the beginning.
The band hosted some serious heavy weight musicians in the past, such as Cozy Powell, John Sykes, Steve Vai and Rudy Sarzo but the bottom-line has been, and always be – Coverdale’s voice.

It’s been eleven years since the band’s last album – Restless Heart came out, and I think the time and effort put into this one are easily visible. Though musically it’s definitely a step back to the band’s glorious success in the 80’s the Blues and traditional Hard Rock elements in the music are stronger and set a good old-fashioned tone to the album.
The fact a strong Hammond keyboard is also present on most tracks serves as another reminder this band is a true seventies child.

It’s definitely kitch, it’s also seriously cheesy, but they just don’t built them like this anymore, in a sea of current and fashionable music, Whitesnake is a refreshing breath of stale air.
Grab a bottle of beer, light ‘em if you got them, and crank up the volume, Whitesnake’s latest is to be played loud – or not at all (if you’re into their kind of thing, anyway…).


Recommended tracks:
All I want All I Need – Big hair and makeup power ballads are back, this is straight from the “Is This Love” school of thought, great campy fun.

A Fool In Love – bluesy hard rocking anthem, great guitar work and Coverdale’s larger than life voice, this is what the band is about.

"When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold" star isn't the cool booklet of children stories found in the 40 page hardback or DVD that both come with the deluxe edition, or the mature raps displayed here, but rather in the production of the album, by Rhymesayers in-house beat maker, ANT.

ANT has always come correct with beats, but he never really worked outside the Rhymesayers collective so he didn't develop into a household name. He should be, but he isn't. The beats on this album prove that he clearly deserves to be mentioned alongside star producers like Jake One, Madlib, RJD2, and 9th Wonder. From "Lucy Ford", his first album, you could sense that ANT has a really gifted ear and a knack at pulling the right samples. On When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold he puts in one of his best efforts I've heard

The other side of the duo is Slug, the MC, now closer to 40 than he is to20, and it shows in his raps, since there is only so much groupie talk or bathroom throwing-up you can take per artist. I think Slug is at the point in his career where he reckoned he can make more mature music. The average Atmosphere fan may not appreciate the album on first listen, but the older ones (like myself) will actually enjoy the growth. His singing is an abomination, but nonetheless seems to work in some cases (take "You" for example). "When Life Gives You…" shows Slug with confidence in his flow and a more relaxed rhyme pattern. From the bluesy melodies to the soft-spoken raps, Sean seems to have adjusted his comfort zone. I'd imagine that at about 8 minutes into the album you'll see what I'm talking about.

The album starts off good, but finishes great. This is worthy of one of your few 2008 purchases. I'm not labeling it classic or the best album of 2008, I am saying this is a really good album that can only get better with each listen. From the structure of the beats to the ripe raps Slug has given us, "When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold" does not disappoint.

Recommended Tracks:

"The Waitress": Slug moves to 3rd person mode, and laments on an unstructured relationship on a wonderful jazz sample.

"Painting": On some mellow summer time tip, this song has that intangible infectiousness that will get into your head and haunt you.