Music: 808s and Heartbreak
The purists and the hip-hop heads will hate Kanye West's new album. Let's just be honest about it. It's a big departure from his past work and honestly, I wouldn't even class it as a hip-hop album. The closest he comes to actual rapping is on "Heartless" and there are two guest spots from Young Jeezy and Lil' Wayne (neither is very impressive). Instead, he sings through an Auto-Tune on every single track. I actually had to double check that T-Pain wasn't guesting on any of the songs. So yes, some major changes in sound for Mr. West.

I'll need to give it a few more listens before I can say whether I like the album or whether it's just okay. I do like a few of the tracks quite a bit: "Love Lockdown," "Heartless," "Paranoid," and "Say You Will." But just know that it is going to sound different than what you'd expect from Kanye and go into it with open ears and an open mind.

One of the things that struck me most about the album is the contrast. Much of Kanye's fame is based on his swagger, the braggadocio confidence that he's the best and no critic can tell him otherwise. That idea was the central theme of his amazing "Glow In The Dark" show. He's a star and he knows it. He's never had any qualms about saying exactly what's on his mind. But while the honesty I think is still there on 808s, it's rife with insecurities. From the jittery electronica beats to the simplified pop lyrics to that damn Auto-Tune, much of the album sounds nervous, edgy, uncertain.

The title doesn't lie: it's an album about heartbreak. No political tracks. No rap game and fame. No shout outs or attacks. Love never really featured prominently in past albums. Sex yes. Family yes. Love...no tracks immediately come to mind. In the past year, Kanye's mother died and another review of 808s said that he also had a bad split with his fiance. That's some heavy shit to go through, and it would be impossible for that not to come out in his music. I remember my initial reaction to Lupe Fiasco's "The Cool" was similar, a very dark album after the death of his father and imprisonment of his mentor and friend. It's a new direction for Kanye, and it gives some encouragement that there really is a heart and feeling behind the reputation he's created for himself.

I actually liked a lot of the music. Kanye's a great producer and he has a strong ear. A lot of the tracks have retro-sounding synth vamps matched with broad, slow hip-hop beats. And I really do appreciate when an artist is willing to try something so utterly out in left field. He ran the college/fuzzy bear arc for as long as it needed to go, and he's too creative to continue in the same vein just because it's worked in the past. Kanye never really settled for traditional-sounding hip-hop tracks, so I give him full props for coming up with a new sound that fits the album's changed, sadder subject matter.

However. For a man who has spit some of the sharpest, wittiest lines I've heard, the writing really suffered here. And I feel bad saying that, because I do think that Kanye's usual honesty is still in full force here. I would believe that he is not in a good place right now and that he means every word he says. But the way he phrased a lot of the songs just doesn't sound original. Who knows, maybe heartbreak is just too universal to be expressed in a new way? Doubtful. "RoboCop" especially didn't sit well with me lyrically, but the "Pinocchio Story" track I think had some of the most interesting writing. It's also a bad sign that I just finished listening to the whole album, and other than the two songs I'd already heard, I couldn't sing back a single memorable line.

Despite my mixed feelings about the album, one of the things I like about Kanye is that he's never boring. He always has something to say, he has brilliant ideas, and he's a master showman. If 808s ends up being an aberration in his catalogue and he goes back into traditional hip-hop, then you can bet it's going to be a good listen. If he carries on in this vein, maybe finding a way to blend his old flow with his new sound, I would be on board with that too. But, and I'm surprised to be saying this, I do hope he gets some swagger back.