Hip hop/pop hybrid Nicki Minaj’s much awaited sophomore album, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, may have many moments of musical glory, but the songs in between are likely to leave you feeling like you’ve just glimpsed into Judy Garland’s mind after a handful of Seconal. Minaj’s prestige and elevation to fame after the ascendancy of the first Pink Friday may have gone to her head just a bit. Otherwise, I doubt the majority of Roman Reloaded would be characterized by shrieks and unintelligible yelling. But then, I suppose only Roman can be blamed for that.

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With “Roman Holiday,” an opener that will make you feel like you’re in a demented version of the Audrey Hepburn movie of the same name, Minaj reprises her role as Roman’s mother, Martha Zolanski, urging, “Take your medication Roman, take a short vacation Roman. You’ll be okay.” The most horrifying clincher is when Minaj digresses into a sinister version of “Come All Ye Faithful.” Then there is, hands down, the worst track on the album, “Come On A Cone,” in which Minaj tells us all about a “dick in your face.”

Nicki Minaj, you know, levitating at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

Thankfully, the third song, “I Am Your Leader” featuring Cam’ron and Rick Ross, begins to steer the album in a more bearable direction. It may actually be Cam’ron’s best musical effort since “Hey Ma.” As Minaj chants, “I am your leader,” you quickly start to believe it’s true. She then forces you to realize, “I’m a brand bitch, I’m a brand.” At least she owns up to that fact. “Beez in the Trap” featuring 2 Chainz follows, faintly smacking of Fergie as Minaj raps, “Bitches say shit and they ain’t say nothin,” which sounds an awful lot like, “Fergalicious definition: make them boys go loco.”

“HOV Lane” opens with a futuristic beat and segues into one of Minaj as Roman’s more harder-edged raps as she asserts, “I’m in my own lane, you ain’t in my categor. You like a RAV-4, I’m like the Inventador” (yes, that’s a car name she made up). The other noticeable track with “hit appeal” is the title track featuring Lil’ Wayne, “Roman Reloaded.” With an aggravated backbeat and an addictive chorus (“Bang, my shit bang, it bang bang”), this is the most ear-catching song next to “Stupid Hoe.” Minaj even references her controversial Grammy performance, questioning,  ”Is it me or did I put these rap bitches on the map again?/You mad ’cause I’m at the Grammys with the Vatican.”

Nicki Minaj's most memorable collaboration on Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded is with Lil' Wayne.

Another remarkable collaboration comes in the form of “Champion” featuring Nas, Drake (no stranger to the Minaj fold), and Young Jeezy. The emphasis of the track is contingent upon the contention: “Came back to Queens to head up a new state.” As someone who proudly recognizes where she is from (Jamaica! Queens, that is), Minaj also comprehends her responsibility to make it a better place now that she has the means and resources to do so (“This is for the hood, this is for the kids”). Chris Brown makes a cameo on the subsequent upbeat anthem, “Right By My Side.” Ironically, Minaj delivers her most Rihanna-like tone as she sings, “I’m pourin’ my heart out.”

Rick Ross is just one of numerous guest vocalists on Roman Reloaded.

“Sex in the Lounge” featuring (yet again) Lil’ Wayne and Bobby V. is perhaps an homage to Minaj’s occasional boyfriend/promotional guru, Safaree “SB” Samuels, considering her observation,  ”He addicted to hustle, I’m addicted to fame.” The Billboard chart-topping song, “Starships,” in which Minaj will vocally resemble Katy Perry as much as she ever will, is another album highlight, if not slightly on the superficial side. “Pound the Alarm,” one of the rare instances where Minaj sings unaccompanied, is another feel-good track in the vein of “Starships.” Once again, Minaj affirms her superiority over other females in her genre: “What I gotta do to show these girls that I own them?/Some call me Nicki, some call me Roman.”

She won't stand for your bull shit.

In a nod to Devo, “Whip It” bolsters the dance rhythm of  Roman Reloaded, evocative of a party that might take place in Ibiza or India as Minaj shouts, “Hey stranger over there, I really like the way you whip it” (insert whip-cracking sound effect here). “Automatic” mimics the inflection of Rihanna’s “We Found Love,” continuing to propel the more buoyant side of Roman. “Beautiful Sinner” (coincidentally a similar title to Madonna’s “Beautiful Killer” from the recently released MDNA, on which Minaj collaborates with M.I.A. for “Give Me All Your Luvin’”) is Minaj’s love letter to Trinidad, allowing her to tout, “South Africa is where I am from/Get me my banjo, get me my drum” and “Trinidad, Trinidad/My island.”

Relishing her moment in the spotlight.

Yet another connection to her fraternization with Madonna as a dancing Marilyn Monroe in the video for “Give Me All Your Luvin’” is the track named for said blonde bombshell. In it, Minaj laments, “Sometimes I feel like Marilyn Monroe: I’m insecure, I make mistakes.” As the pace of the album continues to slow down, “Young Forever” (in keeping with the Marilyn Monroe theme) signals the third act, so to speak, of Roman Reloaded. Singing some of her more maudlin lyrics, Minaj croons, “Frozen in time, always be mine/Baby boy, you’ll be young forever.”

Performing "Give Me All Your Luvin'" at the Super Bowl with Madonna.

The somewhat obviously titled “Fire Burns” bolsters the vulnerable side of Minaj, allowing her to vent about love lost as she bemoans, “This is a sickening joke that you play with my emotions.” “Gun Shot” featuring Beenie Man is the perfect transition from “Fire Burns,” with its moderate rhythm and the smooth vocals of Beenie Man to complement Minaj’s narrative. “Stupid Hoe” changes up the stride of the slow jam trilogy with the infectious accusation, “You a stupid hoe.”

Owning her Barbie look.

Those with the bonus track edition of Roman Reloaded are also subject to the David Guetta/Nicki Minaj dance-suffused partnership, “Turn Me On,” the ultra-80s sounding “Va Va Voom,” the equal part rap, equal part pop “Masquerade,” and a twenty-one minute interview entitled “Press Conference” with Minaj’s main squeezes Charlemagne and Safaree “SB” Samuels. When asked about if she feels she gets enough love from New York, she vehemently denies being appreciated in spite of how hard she worked to rise to her current stature. She even recalls, “I was sellin’ my fuckin’ mix tape outta my muthafuckin’ BMW on Jamaica fuckin’ Avenue.” Enough said.

Maybe it has to do with being from Barbados or using Madonna as a source of inspiration, but Rihanna is definitely a pop star who falls into the category of “can’t stop, won’t stop.” On the heels of her previous two albums, Rated R (2009) and Loud (2010), Rihanna has just released the dance-tinged Talk That Talk. Already, the album has spawned a number one, “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris, and, based on the other songs on the siren’s sixth LP, this is only the beginning of her record-breaking success.

Fierce.

Produced largely by Dr. Luke and StarGate, much of Talk That Talk is suffused with the raw sexual energy that Rihanna has become known for. Songs like “Cockiness (Love It)” showcase the artist’s lack of inhibitions with lyrics like, “Suck my cockiness, lick my puh-suasion/Eat my words, and then swallow your pride down, down.” The lasciviousness continues on “Birthday Cake” as she croons, “Come and put your name on it/It’s not even my birthday, but you wanna lick my icing off/I know you want it in the worst way.” So yeah, Rihanna’s pretty comfortable with innuendos.

Talk That Talk album cover

But that doesn’t mean the Barbadian sex goddess isn’t fond of singing about a holding hands type of love. Tracks like “You Da One,” “Where Have You Been,” “We All Want Love,” and “Farewell” are all a bit less sexually explicit, focusing on either the euphoria of finding love or the sadness of losing it.

Deluxe edition of Talk That Talk

Another highlight on Talk That Talk is the song of the same name featuring Jay-Z. Although they’re never going to recapture the perfection of “Umbrella” together, it still works as a great track to bump in your car or on the dance floor. As far as Behind the Hype is concerned, this album is among her best, proving that quality is actually possible with quantity. Because no one in the music industry has been this prolific since Missy Elliott (where is that ho anyway?).

As the future of independent radio seems to become bleaker and more uncertain, it is both comforting and refreshing to know that a station like Los Angeles-based KXLU is out there, almost single-handedly battling against the airwaves polluted by a ceaseless rotation of Rihanna, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga. Behind the Hype recently chatted with the station’s current music director, Molly Shelton, about the challenges of selecting content, the five bands you need to know about, and the fate of KXLU in the present market.

KXLU is funded by the contributions of its listeners.

Behind the Hype: When your day begins and you’re choosing what to play on the airwaves, what is your process for sifting through the constant barrage of music that is sent to you?

Molly Shelton: Well, as the music director at KXLU, I receive between 200-300 hard copy music submissions a week. KXLU is super old school, and we don’t accept digital submissions quite yet, at least for rock programming (Monday-Friday from 2am-6pm). KXLU has always thrived on being a source for independent music… which there is quite a lot of. Here at KXLU, we pride ourselves on holding down the “weird” in L.A. The music that I add to the station is always unique, uncommon, and something totally different than anything I’ve heard before. I get submissions all the time from bands that really sound great, but if they sound too similar to an existing artist, I typically pass.

KXLU airs from the Loyola Marymount University campus.

Behind the Hype: For a show like Demolisten, how do you go about choosing the bands that will be featured on it?

Molly Shelton: I am in charge of adding the music to our rock programming… so the bulk of programming on KXLU. Demolisten is actually a specialty show that Fred Kiko (the host) is in charge of. I am, however, in charge of booking the bands that play up at the station during rock programming.

I typically go about this by reaching out to artists that I’ve added or, if I go to a super awesome show, I’ll invite the artist to come play a live set in the future. I also pay close attention to the concerts going on in the L.A. area and often times invite bands to come play at KXLU to promote for their upcoming L.A. shows.

KXLU's Demolisten has promoted the likes of local band Blue Jungle.

Behind the Hype: In your opinion, what are the five local bands to watch – the ones you feel have a chance at becoming mainstream within the next year?

Molly Shelton: Moses Campbell (olFactory Records); Foot Village (they’re four drummers and a megaphone so, although I couldn’t see them making it mainstream, they’ll get huge in the underground scene); No Age (if they don’t already count); Warpaint; Abe Vigoda.

KXLU favorite Abe Vigoda.

Behind the Hype: How often does the staff of KXLU rotate? Is this a factor in keeping the musical content as fresh and diverse as possible?

Molly Shelton: KXLU is student run, meaning all the directors (music, program, engineering, promotions, and general manager) are full-time students, so the staff more or less switches up every year. I was the promotions director last year and this year I’m the music director. Although the directors must be full-time students [at Loyola Marymount], our DJs do not have to be. An overwhelming majority of our DJs are alumni who, back in their day, were directors as well. Every time a DJ quits or is fired, we typically hire a student.

Apart from KXLU, Indie 103.1 was the only other worthwhile independent radio station in LA County.

What were KXLU’s thoughts on Indie 103.1 being pulled from the radio in 2009? Was this a source of fear for the future of independent radio stations like KXLU?

Molly Shelton: Surprisingly for us, the death of Indie 103 was actually a good thing for KXLU as we got many of their listeners. Although Indie 103 played independent artists, they weren’t the type of independent station KXLU is. They received money through commercials and sponsorships, and KXLU runs completely on listener donations in order to keep us commercial free.

There are two things that do scare us: NPR has tried to buy KXLU’s frequency twice in the past two years and, because the university owns our frequency, we’re worried that we may not have a fair say if they come back with a bigger offer. This is what happened very recently to KUSF in San Francisco. They were an independent station broadcasting out of University of San Francisco [a Jesuit university like Loyola Marymount where KXLU broadcasts from]. USF recently sold their signal for a couple million dollars to the University of Southern California so they could broadcast their classical music in San Francisco. This really sent KXLU into a frenzy and we’re taking measures to ensure this doesn’t happen, such as forming a better relationship with the university, holding events on campus, DJing school events, notifying our listeners that KXLU not being around forever is a real threat, etc.

To stream KXLU radio, donate, or buy merchandise, visit their website.

The first album by The Lonely Island is still one my most read articles, and for good reason. I’m On a Boat alone spawned one of the biggest meme campaigns ever known, almost as big as “I’m Rick James bitch!” Hell, it even got a choir to sing it acapella.

Now a couple years later, their second album Turtleneck and Chain is released. Basically, it’s the same formula that you’re used to; powerful music icons put into hilarious situations. Also like before, the videos for the songs are really what make them. This time around there are more cameos from across the genre spectrum, and are a bit more unbelievable than before.

The album is full of gems, and here are my favorites with the videos included:

Jack Sparrow features Michael Bolton, who arrives at the studio with The Lonely Island gang after watching a Pirates of the Caribbean marathon. Instead of providing a sexy hook for the club anthem the song’s verses portray, he instead talks about the adventures of Jack Sparrow, and eventually moves on to other movies. Hats off to Mr. Bolton for dropping those F bombs toward the end.

Threw It on the Ground features Andy as a jaded member of society, hating that people offer him products that would have him buy into consumerism.  The tongue in cheek video refers to the group of Americans that hate the luxuries they are blessed with, and would rather destroy them. Andy refuses to be part of the system. Elijah Woods and Ryan Reynolds have something to say about it however. Here’s the Hulu link.

The album is pretty much hilarious throughout, but my favorite of the bunch was Shy Ronnie 2: Ronnie & Clyde . Rihanna brings us back to the shy ginger turned rapper Shy Ronnie for a hilarious romp as bank robbers. I just wish I knew what he was quietly rapping… Here’s the Hulu link.

At any rate, the album is hilarious, and of course all the tracks are good. It came out today, so run out and get it. I’ll be kickin’ back, with a turtle neck, and a thin ass chain. Probably sipping on a light beer.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

How exciting that even now, while we’re so close to the year’s end, there is STILL such phenomenal music being released at every turn – which is why I’ve still got a shred of hope in me that Radiohead will end up capping the year with their promised new album that has been drooled over for some time, now. In any case, here’s a quick run-through of my top tracks for November; as usual, please feel free to include your own favorite tracks of the month. Aaaand let’s get on with it.

Daft Punk – Derezzed

The legendary house duo may not have seemed the obvious choice to score the upcoming Tron: Legacy, but as they display here, it’s rather unlikely that anybody else could’ve done it better. Derezzed is basically Daft Punk toying with a simplistic, futuristic beat for just under two minutes, and it absolutely screams Tron. The whole soundtrack is rather impressive, but it’s the moments like these where they let their electronic sensibilities take the forefront that it really shines. This track is doesn’t even come close to wearing out its welcome; it’s fun, addictive, and most importantly, it makes me want to see the shit out of this movie.

PJ Harvey – Written on the Forehead

Probably the most criminally unsung musical chameleon around, the new song off of PJ Harvey’s upcoming tenth LP shows yet another drastic change in direction, and once again it sounds great. The highly visual lyrics detail the horrific aftermath of war, but with a lightly treated vocal that sounds utterly beautiful over the hazy guitars, rhodes piano, additional vocal samples, and upbeat drums. It’s oddly sad but uplifting, and it’s got my expectations for the new album ridiculously high.

Jamiroquai – Never Gonna Be Another

While there was certainly nothing wrong with Jamiroquai’s last few rather dance-heavy albums, the second half of their latest, Rock Dust Light Star, is a most welcome display of just how diverse this band’s sound really is, with Never Gonna Be Another being the peak for me. Bluesy and longing, but managing to sound more soothing than depressing, Jay Kay beautifully mourns the loss of a lover over tastefully sparse keys, guitar, and of course that ever-present bass. It was fairly difficult choosing which song to include off of this album, but the more i listen to this smoky, downtempo gem, the more I fall in love with it.

Rihanna – S&M

Rihanna really puts her best foot forward on her latest album, kicking off with this banger of a track. S&M drips with an unabashed sexuality that never comes across as classless, and let’s not forget the maddeningly sing-a-long melodies and that delightful nod to The Cure’s Let’s Go to Bed. The confident and upbeat songs like this off of Loud probably do the best job of showing just how well Rihanna is coming into her own.

Hercules and Love Affair – My House

Andy Butler and co. have got the follow-up to their excellent debut just around the corner, and My House – a slab of old fashioned disco house, livened up with a series of dirty glitches – is the taster. And it tastes damned good, let me tell you. It’s always so remarkable when an artist can take such a dated sound and make it sound fresh, and if My House‘s ability to walk the line between fun and cheesy is any indication, the upcoming Blue Songs is going to be fantastic.

Kid Cudi – Mr. Rager

Now here was a pleasant surprise – while Man on the Moon 2 is by no means perfect, it shadows its predecessor simply because Scott Mescudi has gotten better at embracing his strengths. On tracks like this one, he absolutely nails it with the production, the harmonization, and themes of loneliness and alienation, without indulging in any one quality too much. His listless vocal and the intricate, downtrodden beat go together perfectly, and unlike several moments on his debut, it never goes over the top.

Home Video – The Automatic Process

The title track off of Home Video’s long awaited new album starts out with what sounds like a typical euro-trash hook, but the way it’s built upon is truly remarkable. Even with the band’s notoriously minimalistic style, vocalist Collin Ruffino’s voice is weighed down with unmistakable despair, which in a recent interview he chalked up as an attempt to reflect the current state of the world through personal struggle. Once the snare drum and guitar kick, the song just takes off, and you can really feel what Ruffino is trying to express.

Iron & Wine – Walking Far from Home

Yet another tantalizing new single hinting at greatness to come, Walking Far from Home shows Sam Beam trying on a new sound, keeping the band behind him and dropping the intimate, potentially haunting aura that he’s been known for through his career. Walking hinges more on its lyrics than the cleverly progressing music, though – it’s very impressive how Beam draws out such intense introspection from merely observing (Sam Beam? Yup! Just sits there all day, singin’ about what he sees…), and with how Sufjan Stevens branched out so brilliantly this year, it’ll be interesting to see what Beam’s got up his sleeve.

Kanye West – So Appalled

Kanye and his slew of guests (who, even without the RZA’s quick appearance near the track’s conclusion, all display a trade-off worthy of comparison to the Wu-Tang Clan) all say it best – this song is fucking ridiculous. Everybody does such a great job (Jay-Z’s verse in particular is excellent), and Kanye really outdid himself with the beat; it has this intense air of paranoia about it and doesn’t let up once throughout its six-plus minute length. Just another example of why this album is far and away the best thing the man’s ever done.

The National – You Were a Kindness

The reissue of The National’s jaw-dropping album High Violet has a good number of previously unreleased tracks to boast, with You Were a Kindness resting easy at the top of the heap. Yet another tale of mourning over a departed lover, Matt Berninger delivers one devastating line after another (“I was careful, but nothing is harmless,” “Why would you shatter somebody like me,” “It doesn’t work that way, don’t leave me here alone,” etc.) with the band’s gorgeous harmonization backing him up along with a somber piano, guitars, and (I think?) an organ. This one is a heartbreaker, plain and simple.

The nominees for the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Eminem leads all artists with ten nominations, while Bruno Mars follows closely with seven, and Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, and Lady Antebellum each clinched six. Other BTH favorites to receive nods include The Roots, Alice in Chains, Them Crooked Vultures, Janelle Monáe, and Cee-Lo’s Fuck You(!).

The nominees:

Album of the Year:
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Eminem – Recovery
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
Lady Gaga – The Fame Monster
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream

Record of the Year:
B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars - Nothin’ On You
Eminem featuring Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie
Cee-Lo Green - Fuck You
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys - Empire State of Mind
Lady Antebellum - Need You Now

Best New Artist:
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & the Machine
Mumford & Sons
Esperanza Spalding

Song of the Year:
Ray LaMontagne, songwriter (Ray LaMontagne and the Pariah Dogs) – Beg Steal or Borrow
Cee Lo Green, Philip Lawrence & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Cee-Lo Green) – Fuck You
Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) – The House That Built Me
Alexander Grant, Skylar Grey & Marshall Mathers, songwriters (Eminem featuring Rihanna) – Love The Way You Lie
Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum) – Need You Now

Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals:
“Glee” Cast – Don’t Stop Believin’ (Regionals Version)
Maroon 5 – Misery
Paramore – The Only Exception
Sade – Babyfather
Train – Hey, Soul Sister (Live)

Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals:
B.o.B, Eminem & Hayley Williams – Airplanes II
Herbie Hancock, Pink, India.Arie, Seal, Konono No. 1, Jeff Beck & Oumou Sangare – Imagine
Elton John & Leon Russell – If It Wasn’t for Bad
Lady Gaga & Beyoncé – Telephone
Katy Perry & Snoop Dogg – California Gurls

Best Dance Recording:
Goldfrapp – Rocket
La Roux – In for the Kill
Lady Gaga – Dance in the Dark
Rihanna – Only Girl (In the World)
Robyn – Dancing On My Own

Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals:
Arcade Fire – Ready to Start
Jeff Beck & Joss Stone – I Put a Spell on You
The Black Keys – Tighten Up
Kings of Leon – Radioactive
Muse – Resistance

Best Rock Album
Jeff Beck – Emotion & Commotion
Muse – The Resistance
Pearl Jam – Backspacer
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Mojo
Neil Young – Le Noise

Best Hard Rock Performance:
Alice in Chains – A Looking in View
Ozzy Osbourne – Let Me Hear You Scream
Soundgarden – Black Rain
Stone Temple Pilots – Between the Lines
Them Crooked Vultures – New Fang

Best Rock Song:
Neil Young, songwriter (Neil Young) – Angry World
Ted Dwane, Ben Lovett, Marcus Mumford & Country Winston, songwriters (Mumford & Sons) – Little Lion Man
Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings of Leon) – Radioactive
Matthew Bellamy, songwriter (Muse) – Resistance
Dan Auerbach & Patrick Carney, songwriter (The Black Keys) – Tighten Up

Best Rock Instrumental Performance
Jeff Beck – Hammerhead
The Black Keys – Black Mud
Los Lobos – Do the Murray
Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds – Kundalini Bonfire
Dweezil Zappa – The Deathless Horsie

Best Alternative Music Album
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Band of Horses – Infinite Arms
The Black Keys – Brothers
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
Vampire Weekend – Contra

Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals:
Chris Brown & Tank – Take My Time
Chuck Brown, Jill Scott & Marcus Miller – Love
Ronald Isley & Aretha Franklin – You’ve Got a Friend
John Legend & The Roots – Shine
Sade – Soldier of Love

Best Contemporary R&B Album:
Chris Brown – Graffiti
R. Kelly – Untitled
Ryan Leslie – Transition
Janelle Monáe – The ArchAndroid
Usher – Raymond V. Raymond

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars – Nothin’ on You
Chris Brown, Tyga & Kevin McCall – Deuces
Eminem featuring Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
John Legend, The Roots, Melanie Fiona & Common – Wake Up! Everybody

Best Rap Song:
Jay-Z and Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind
Eminem featuring Rihanna – Love the Way You Lie
Eminem – Not Afraid
B.o.B featuring Bruno Mars – Nothin’ on You
Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz – On to the Next One

Best Rap Album:
B.o.B – The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Drake – Thank Me Later
Eminem – Recovery
Jay-Z – The Blueprint 3
The Roots – How I Got Over

Best Country Collaboration with Vocals:
Dierks Bentley, Miranda Lambert & Jamey Johnson – Bad Angel
Dierks Bentley, Del McCoury & The Punch Brothers – Pride (In the Name of Love)
Zac Brown Band & Alan Jackson – As She’s Walking Away
Blake Shelton & Trace Adkins – Hillbilly Bone
Marty Stuart & Connie Smith - I Run to You

Best Country Song:
Casey Beathard, Dean Dillon & Jessie Jo Dillon, songwriters (George Strait) – The Breath You Take
Zac Brown, songwriter (Zac Brown Band) – Free
Tom Douglas & Allen Shamblin, songwriters (Miranda Lambert) – The House That Built Me
Rivers Rutherford, Annie Tate & Sam Tate, songwriters (Gretchen Wilson) – I’d Love to Be Your Last
Kimberly Perry, songwriter (The Band Perry) – If I Die Young
Dave Haywood, Josh Kear, Charles Kelley & Hillary Scott, songwriters (Lady Antebellum) – Need You Now

Best Country Album:
Dierks Bentley – Up On The Ridge
Zac Brown Band – You Get What You Give
Jamey Johnson – The Guitar Song
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
Miranda Lambert – Revolution

Best Americana Album:
Rosanne Cash – The List
Los Lobos – Tin Can Trust
Willie Nelson – Country Music
Robert Plant – Band of Joy
Mavis Staples – You Are Not Alone

Best Traditional Blues Album:
James Cotton – Giant
Cyndi Lauper – Memphis Blues
Charlie Musselwhite – The Well
Pinetop Perkins & Willie “Big Eyes” Smith – Joined at the Hip
Jimmie Vaughan – Plays Blues, Ballads & Favorites

Best Metal Performance
Iron Maiden – El Dorado
Korn – Let the Guilt Go
Lamb of God – In Your Words
Megadeth – Sudden Death
Slayer – World Painted Blood

For a full list of the nominees, have a look here.

I’ve spent a long time over the past few weeks trying to determine what role Kanye West plays in the mighty hip hop royalty family. Why he doesn’t quite fit into the normal hierarchy, Kanye West of more of the Lord Baron of hip hop, with a firm grasp on his kingdoms’ craft. This dark lord brings his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to the table today, and it may just be his best work yet.

Let the BaRFing begin!

BEATS: 9/10

It’s only right that all the shit Kanye talks is properly backed up. He’s been flipping the world off for a long time, telling us that he knows he’s the best, and I have to give credit where it’s due; the beats are definitely some of the best I’ve heard this year.

Gorgeous is the second track on the album, and really got the guitar right, without sounding like a rap/rock collaboration was forced upon it. The chorus following the guitars, with a light piano dressing and hip hop drums sprinkled on top was a hell of an appetizer for the rest of the album.

The third track was so damn catchy, and caused such a stir with its imagery; POWER was my first favorite. The chanting women I wasn’t sure about to begin with, but sooner or later, I found myself chanting along, with the bass beats vibrating the room.

By far though, the best beat on the album is the seventh track, So Appalled. The strings were beautifully put together, with the heavy bass hits, the vox-filtered yelping, and spaced out noises, this didn’t climb the top of my list; it flew.

RHYMES: 7.5/10

While not usually known for his subtle words, Kanye impressed me on this one. I can’t put a finger on what songs I loved the best really, but I felt like Kanye has grown up. Turns out the huge amount of tweets he puts out in ALL CAPS every day were for a reason.

Kanye is like a hip hop version of the current affairs, telling us “The systems broken/the schools close/ the prisons’ open” from his hit track POWER. He talks about love in his track with John Legend, Blame Game, talking about the very real arguments we go through in our weaker moments. He even admits to his many faults in the ballerina ballad, Runaway. While some may say it was a cheesy song, I really did feel like it was honest.

FEATURETTES: 9/10

I was a big fan of all the contributors on the album on both the producer and singer credits, with Kanye’s mentor, No I.D., penning two of my favorite track on the album.

Emperor Hova took time out to respond to the MC Hammer beef (which btw, what the hell is Hammer thinking?) on So Appalled, and instantly put the issue to rest whilst talking about the recent 30 million dollars he just spent. Owned.

Fresh from her recent album, Princess Rihanna joined in for the beautiful chorus of track five, All of the Lights. I’ve developed a lot of respect for her this year, with good feature roles, and an even greater album that just came out this month as well. Combine that with Nikki Minaj on Monster, and we have an even bigger winning album.

The best collaboration was obviously on So Appalled. Jay-Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz and the RZA make a supergroup worthy appearance. RZA was the biggest surprise, coming in for a few bars towards the end of the track. I feel like this was a nod to Kanye being the next hit maker of the beat world.

For the new Kanye listeners (is that even possible) this is his best work yet, or at the very least, on par with his first album. For the old listeners, do you feel like Kanye is making a step in the right direction? Sound off in the comments, and go get the album ASAP!!

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

Maybe it’s just that I’ve been paying more attention to the sultry Barbadian princess known as Rihanna because of her clash with her old flame, but she’s been very busy lately. I feel like the rare times I do turn on my radio, she’s the feature voice on a track. Either way, I’ve enjoyed having the princess around.

She’s already released her fifth studio album, Loud, overseas, but tomorrow the rest of you will have the chance to get your copy. While her single Only Girl (In the World) being so addictive, this album is going to be a sure chart topper. As always, I gave the album about half a dozen or so run-throughs, and picked my favorites. Spoiler alert: I was pretty impressed. Shall we?

What’s My Name? is my first favorite off the album, with a verse from Cash Money/Young Money superstar, Drake. The verse by the new prince fits in perfectly with the pop princess, and of course follows the seductive-lyric formula that’s made Drake so popular. The beat is a very danceable one, with what I consider the perfect beats per minute to still keep the track sexy.

At first, I thought the seventh track, Man Down, was an apology letter to her ex boyfriend Chris Brown, or maybe even a bad dream she had about shooting the dancing maniac down. I’ll let you decide later. Either way, the beat was a very well balanced blend of reggae and pop, with Rihanna’s strong Barbadian accent. Additionally, this may be one of the best examples of just how high and low Rihanna’s vocal range can go. (BONUS: She calls her pistol Peggy-Sue, the same name of Jay Z’s)

While Only Girl and Raining Men (feat. Nikki Minaj) were close to my top three, I had to hand it to the girl, but the tenth track, Skin, was a damn sexy track. First of all, the only thing clean about this song was the digital kick drum. I’ll put it this way; this is definitely going on the late night rendezvous playlist for many a lover across the world. Toss in a Prince-esqe (how fitting) guitar solo at the end of the song, and you’ve got a sex beat to boot.

It’s getting close to the end of the year, and it’s almost time to make my favorite albums of the year, and this is a sure contender. For the new listeners, if you aren’t a big pop lover, this one might pull you in for a big kiss. For the old listeners, this may be her best work since her first album, if not ever. Also, this album has the second part of Love the Way You Lie and of course features our boy Eminem. For some, you may want to come for that track, and stay for the other goodies on the album.

November 16^th is the US street date for this one, so be the first in line, kids.

Until next time my friends,

~Flak

I didn’t have very high hopes for Eminem’s new record Recovery when I heard about it. 2004’s Encore was pretty damn bad and a far cry from his heyday. 2008’s Relapse was alright, but a lot of the songs were uninspired and seemed like Em was trying much too hard. When I heard about Recovery, I shrugged with disinterest. Not Afraid gave me a little bit of hope, but wasn’t terribly impressed with the song. Despite all my reservations, I checked out the record, because, well, it’s Eminem, and he has definitely put out some badass albums in his day.

I can honestly say that Recovery completely threw me for a loop. It’s pretty much the absolute best record I think Em could release at this point in his career. This is Em’s ninth studio album, and its depth is incredible.

One of the best aspects of Recovery is how critical Em is of himself, and especially the last two mediocre albums he released. He prefaces Talkin 2 Myself by thanking everyone for being patient “while I figure this shit out” over the past few years. In the song itself, he states that he’s come to make it up to us, as Them last two albums didn’t count. Encore I was on drugs, Relapse I was flushin’ em out. The song is one of the album’s strongest cuts, with a memorable hook delivered by Kobe (no, not Bryant).

Em addresses critics with On Fire, the next track, which has a juicy beat and some vitriolic lyrics delivered by Em. The entire first verse is a perfect example of Eminem’s fierce wordplay skills, the kind of vocal delivery that in my mind is one of his greatest talents. The first time I heard this song, the chorus didn’t really grab me, and I thought it was pretty lame. Well, Em follows up that chorus with the line I just wrote a bullshit hook in between two long ass verses –  if you mistook the for a song, look/This ain’t a song its a warnin to Brooke Hogan and David Cook/That the crook just took over so book/Run as fast as you can, stop writin and kill it/ I’m lightning in a skillet you’re a fuckin flash in a pan. It’s this kind of self-deprecating honesty and creativity within the song that Em uses on Recovery so well.

Won’t Back Down, featuring Pink on chorus duties, is set to a pretty repetitive beat, but it allows Em to deliver some of his most aggressive vocals on the album. It basically sounds like he’s yelling for the entire song…and by the time his final verse comes around and the volume drops on the track while he yells Bitch you listening tryna turn me down??/ Slut I’m talking to you, turn me back up/Are you insane?? Tryna talk over me in the car/ Shut the fuck up while my shits playin I was already sold on this track, too. That’s an inventive trick to throw into a song, and it really caught me off guard.

The majority of Recovery can be called ‘highlights’, really. It’s that good. Going Through Changes is a bit of a slower tune, set to a sampled chorus of Black Sabbath’s Changes. I initially thought that was an odd choice for a sample, but it works for the song, an introspective cut with Em questioning things and wrestling with his demons about things such as balancing his career and Hayley’s upbringing.

I have to mention that I was pretty surprised at the lack of Hayley and/or Kim references on Recovery…in the past, these two topics would take up a good chunk of Eminem’s songs, but he seems to have shed all the pretenses and fake accents and typical lyrical boundaries this time around. Because of that, he really shines on Recovery.

No Love, featuring an unexpected sample of Haddaway’s club jam What is Love?, is blazing, even though Lil’ Wayne takes up the first two minutes of the song. I don’t like Weezy or his lazy annoying delivery, but the fact that he doesn’t ruin the song with his extremely long guest verse is a good thing. Em & his producers picked a random song to use as a sample, but it works well.

Space Bound almost sounds like an Everlast song, with the acoustic guitar strumming in the background and the easy beat, but it takes off during the chorus, with what sounds like a female voice singing I’m a space-bound rocket ship and your heart’s the moon/And I’m aimin’ right at you/Right at you/250, 000 miles on a clear night in June/And I’m aimin’ right at you/Right at you/Right at you. If you thought Beautiful (From Relapse) was a change in direction for Em, check out Space Bound and see what you think.

25 to Life is another female-chorus-driven song with a tender beat, with Em lamenting a tumultuous relationship. The song works like an M. Night Shyamalan movie, taking a drastic change of direction toward the end, as Em reveals that he has NOT been speaking to who you thought he was for the entirety of the song. Just listen to it, you’ll get what I’m hinting at.

Love the Way You Lie, featuring Rihanna, was already #1 on iTunes the day Recovery dropped last week, so it’ll undoubtedly be a smash hit. That’s understandable, as her vocal hook is ripe for radio play. The song as a whole is another gem on the record, demonstrating Em’s ability to balance aggressive lyrics with a poppy chorus.

Don’t think that the songs I’ve mentioned in this review are the only highlights of Recovery – in fact, they’re just the ones that came to mind as I wrote all this down. The album is arguably Em’s most solid collection of songs since the Marshall Mathers LP. The songs work well together, creating a fluidity and cohesion that you don’t really see anymore with his albums.

Eminem really raised the bar for himself with Recovery – I didn’t think this was possible, but the album is easily one of his strongest outings, and restored my faith in him, honestly.

Check this out if you like Eminem, and especially if you were as bored with Encore and Relapse as I was. This is a complete 180 and a return to form for Marshall Mathers.

Guess who’s back?

As reductive as it seems to immediately refer to the obvious in a review of Rihanna’s latest effort, there’s an undeniable causation at work. Quite accustomed to releasing one smash single after another, here she puts out a somewhat less commercial, more statement-oriented set of songs with a great deal more anger than we’re accustomed to from her (did she just say “I’m such a fucking lady”?). Contrary to her earlier, much poppier work, the scenario of young girls skipping along singing, “I lick the gun when I’m done ’cause I know that revenge is sweet” is incredibly unlikely. Cathartic while it may be for her, Rated R can be very alienating; some songs sound so personal that one can’t help but feel slightly uncomfortable listening (which could well be what the warning at the album’s start felt necessary to advise; it does sound rather unironic to begin with), while others take the exact opposite approach with a braggart swagger that feels even more uncharacteristic. However, there’s a cold, robotic feel throughout that holds it all together, and despite how nearly two-dimensioned the songs are, the album is more cohesive than one might think.

Ssssssssssssymbolism

The first song after the introduction is Wait Your Turn, which is one of the most, again, robotic sounding songs on the record. The following Hard does have a very good hook in the chorus, but while the boastful role doesn’t sound postured per se, it just seems somewhat ill-fitting. Still, she delivers it with such admirable confidence that it’s still difficult to not be entertained.

The momentum, however, is quickly halted by the first ballad, Stupid in Love. The production deserves credit for making this, as well as the like-minded Photographs, fit in with the rest of the tracks, because ultimately they sound less genuine than the more, aggressive, anger fueled songs (though the latter has a great midsection in which will.i.am injects a much needed break in melody). Fire Bomb is a good example; musically, it sounds almost like 80′s metal meets R&B topped with Rihanna’s unfailingly pleasant voice, and her car crash explosion metaphor (or maybe a literal morbid fantasy?) is beautifully expressed with lines like “I just want to set you on fire so I won’t have to burn alone.”

Oh my... good girl gone bad indeed.

Rude Boy‘s dancehall-meets-new jack swing groove sounds more single-worthy (though less representative of the album) than the startlingly literal and slightly over dramatic Russian Roulette, which is complete with crawling synths and a concluding gunshot. Also on tracks like G4L, you get the sense it might be enjoyable if it wasn’t so easy to imagine as a personal ode; I’m not going to lie, that song made me almost as uneasy as Eminem’s Kim.

…okay, well not quite, but close enough.

Rated R finishes strong, though; despite a groan inducing drum break straight from In the Air Tonight, which barely even fits in the song, Cold Case Love nails the dark mood without sounding too personal or streamlined. It serves as a perfect setup for The Last Song, which is an appropriate closer in terms of title as well as substance. Like its predecessor, it’s just vague enough to be impersonal and still come across as a song written out of genuine heartache.

Even more unexpected than anything else here is the fact that there aren’t really any memorable singles, which has been Rihanna’s forte ever since she first emerged with Pon de Replay back in 2005. Even the most accessible songs on the set are missing the snappiness of pretty much anything on Good Girl Gone Bad;  the midtempo numbers that dominate Rated R could prove to be too brooding for pop radio, and the barely-there solidarity among the tracks isn’t strong enough to make the album much better than average. It’s not exceptional, but Rihanna has taken a bold step forward without completely falling flat, and she deserves much credit for that.