Album Review: 808s and Heartbreak

Kanye West's newest album, 808's and Heartbreak





Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars



Over the past year, the Louis Vuitton Don, aka, Kanye West, had the biggest selling concert of the year with the Glow In the Dark Tour, not to mention, a #1 Billboard spot for Graduation along with a myriad of hit singles: (Stronger, The Good Life). As Kanye appeared to be getting stronger, his world around him seemed to crumble--but just for a little bit. The once impenetrable Kanye suffered two tremendous losses at the pinnacle of his success. With the untimely death of his mother, and the break-up with his fiancée, Alexis Phifer; one would expect Ye to buckle under the pressure. But Kanye doesn’t seem to have let that happen; instead, he's poured his heart and soul into his newest album, 808’s and Heartbreak.



Fans of Kanye’s earlier work might be in for a surprise. Heartbreak deviates from prior albums, choosing instead to focus more on life’s ups and downs over the past year. West chooses to forego the usual slowed down classics that he pioneered, and introduces the aptly titled Roland TR-808 into the mix, for which his album title references. Filled with 80’s beats and tribal drums, 808’s and Heartbreak demonstrates West’s growing up.



In particular, West croons on the title, Welcome to Heartbreak, “chased a good life my whole lifelong, looked back on my life and my life gone…where did I go wrong.” While 808’s and Heartbreak deviates from classic Kanye, it has its share of hits in singles like Heartless, RoboCop, Coldest Winter and Welcome To Heartbreak, not to mention Love Lockdown. While Kanye may have gotten rid of the arrogance that defined the Louis Vuitton Don in the past, he proves that he’s got classic beat-making locked down and that he hasn’t gone wrong anywhere despite shouldering these tremendous losses. (Christian Karasiewicz)

One Hit Wonders Need Not Apply

I was out at dinner with friends a few weeks ago when this hypothetical scenario was described: You're stranded on an island, and can have only one artist or band's discography to keep you company. It doesn't matter how many albums they've produced; you can have them all. But only one artist. Who would it be?

Would you pick the usual suspects - The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jay-Z, Springsteen, etc., or would you go for someone a little less known, but dear to your heart? Which artist/ band is worthy of the responsibility of providing the soundtrack to your life and memories?

Rock 'n' Roll Legends To Form Sonic Supergroup

The 2012 Olympics in London may end up becoming a once-in-a-lifetime concert destination for hard-core, classic rock lovers. According to Paste Magazine online, Rolling Stones front man, Mick Jagger is plotting a rock royalty collaboration for the event. He wants to be joined on stage by David Bowie, Elton John, as well as Phil Collins, Sting, Van Morrison, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, and Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page.

Clearly, the idea is still in its early stages, as the Stones have just recently been booked to perform, but it will be interesting to see if Jagger can pull it off. The idea of this many strong performers onstage seems like a recipe for disaster, but either way it goes, there’s no doubt that it will be an epic event within an event of epic proportions!

Keep up with the latest 2012 Olympic happenings here.

Punk, 80s Pop Collide With Good Holiday Cheer

According to Spin Magazine online; 80s icon, Cyndi Lauper, is working on a duet with Swedish garage punk revivalists, The Hives. An unexpected combination, yes, but before you scoff at the idea, just know; it was all done in the name of good holiday cheer!

Their collaboration, "A Christmas Duel", will be available as a free download on the Swedish Rockers' Website from November 28th-30th.

Cyndi commented, "This goes to show even rat sideswipers can have a good X-mas too."

Staying Power: Real Artists Can Span the Decades

In an era where the mp3 reigns supreme and artists are able to stream their original tunes over the net with about as much ease as it takes to nuke a poptart, it seems that any and everybody can become an artist. You don’t even have to be particularly talented anymore — the only requirement is that your song be catchy enough to be made into a passable 20-second ringtone. (Case in point: songs like ‘Chicken Noodle Soup’ or overnight youtube sensation, ‘Chocolate Rain’).

One can’t help but wonder whether our recent willingness to support music that is really little more than a jazzed-up nursery rhyme with a danceable beat is causing us to pump out an entire generation of one-hit wonders rather than real artists.

Who are the ‘real’ artists, you ask? I’ll put it this way: Decades ago the world was listening to the songs of Beatles, Queen, Marvin Gaye, Jimmy Buffet and the Rolling Stones. And guess what; I’m still listening to them. So are millions of other people across the globe. Their lyrics, melodies and stories still ring as true to me as they did to my parents when they were at the quarter-century mark (sometime in the stone age).

Real artists — the ones who have long ago faded from the spotlight, but whose music is still being aired on the radio, sampled in rap songs, and added to soundtracks — create art that withstands the test of time. I’ve no doubt that 40 years from now, my grandkids might be slow dancing to Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ at some wedding reception or prom. The question is, will they also be ‘Cranking that Solja Boy’ or lip-syncing to Miley Cyrus’s greatest hits? I think not.

You Are Your Music--Or Are You?

How deeply do you identify with your music? Do you only listen to specific genres, or do you dabble in a bit of everything? Do you consider music the “soundtrack” to your life, or does music play more of a background noise role for you?

Well, according to a new psychological study, our favorite music defines who we are. The Independent breaks down personalities by genre:

• Rap: high self-esteem, outgoing
• Indie: low self-esteem, lazy, creative
• Heavy metal: very creative, shy, lazy
• Country-Western: very hard-working, outgoing

Click here for the full list of musical types and share your favorite genres with us!

Album Review - The Pied Piper of R&B is Back!

by guest blogger: Darrell Alston

Fresh off a not-guilty verdict in his child pornography case, R. Kelly is set to drop 12 Play: 4th Quarter this fall. If you can get past his crazy and twisted personal life, you'll see that R. Kelly is a great performer/singer/songwriter. With the title, comes lofty expectations. Kelly's first solo album was also titled 12 Play, and produced numerous #1 hits including "Your Body's Callin'"; "Bump 'n' Grind"; one of my personal favorites, "It Seems Like You're Ready"; and the best song of 1993, "Sex Me".


So what can we expect from 12 Play: 4th Quarter? After listening to the first single, Hair Braider (yeah, that's the name of the song), I was a bit skeptical; but after listening to the album a couple of times, I've decided that 12 Play: 4th Quarter is almost a classic. This album gives you that 90s R&B feel, something that the game is missing right now. Honestly, I had lost faith in Kellz after that wack Double Up album--it was decent, but it lacked the vintage R. Kelly sound that us old-school fans are used to. 12 Play: 4th Quarter brings us just that. He'll romance you on "Whole Lotta Kisses"; He'll make love to you on "Go Low"; multiply on "Wanna Make a Baby"; and then deny the baby on "Might Be Mine". As a fan of R. Kelly, I was left impressed. Take a listen, and then tell me what you think.

Pulling The Plug

The keys are humming a sweet harmony as I wind down my day. Kicking back to my favorite tunes; relaxing, not too much, as I head out to wind my way home. A peaceful easy feeling, the last summer breeze, makes me feel fine. Although not quite a country road that takes me home. When I get there; Paulina, Britney, Tina, and jLo are only a quick link away on maMyWorld. Concert tickets, reviews, bios, along with all the top picks from all the top stars will rock my world and ease my way. Alright, who am I fooling? I still pick my Stones, Kinks, Beatles and even Monkeys, but to each his own. One thing I do know is that My World has it all! This is the hottest up and coming site to hit the web in since I was a kid—and that is a long time; movies, games, sports and fashion, all the latest news and technology, music and shopping right at my finger tips! Life is fine, and so is My World.

Share, Inspire, and Be Inspired

One of the greatest joys in my life is creating programs for Market America that bring people together to share ideas about the things that are important to you. This blog is one of many applications that serve that end. As a former musician and song writer, my love of music is deeply rooted; very deeply rooted. If you ask my teen age son, whose tastes vary as greatly from my own--as my parents did from mine-- but then what fun would it be if we all only listened to variations of the same three cords played with the vigor only a Rocker could appreciate? What ever the decade, whatever the genre, whatever the volume, maMyWorld will connect you with the music you love. So share, inspire, and be inspired.

My World - It's Your World: Explore!

We are pleased to announce the official launch of the ma My World entertainment portal--brought to you by the fine folks here at Market America! Check out our snazzy, new music channel--designed to cater to your music-centric lifestyle! From here, it’s easy to keep tabs on all your favorite artists. You can read the latest music news and gossip, album reviews, rants, raves, and just about anything and everything under the sun relating to the sonic sphere.

My World is truly your world, so sit back, relax, and explore! As always, we welcome all comments, suggestions, and feedback. We like to keep healthy discussions flowing around here, so this is your opportunity to join in on the fun. Tell us a bit about yourself- who you are, where you’re from, what you do, what you like the most, and what you would like to see on this site.

C'm'on...Don't be shy; we don't bite (on Fridays).