Customer Reviews

808s & Heartbreak

5 star:		(167)
4 star:		(55)
3 star:		(28)
2 star:		(35)
1 star:		(87)

 

 

This is very different Kanye. You'll know that within the first two seconds, and if you've heard Love Lockdown, you've already got the basic idea. Kanye sings, using heavy Auto-Tune, often with a vocoded or heavily distorted slap-back echo. The sound of the classic (and very distinctive) Roland TR-808 features very prominently on the album, backed by minimal keyboard-synth sounds.

Subjectwise, the album deals prominently with loss, specifically of his mother and his long-time girlfriend. The Auto-Tuned vocals and minimalist beats underscore the painful lyrics, creating a haunting, soul-wrenching soundscape.

It all adds up to a painfully honest Kanye, sad and alone - a Kanye we haven't seen on his previous 3 albums. Both lyrically and musically, Kanye strips off his flash and shows us the part of the man who can't always live "The Good Life."

This album will not be fully appreciated until it is rediscovered 15 years from now by kids that have never heard College Dropout, Late Registration, or Graduation. They will be impressed by the primal sounding drums, mixed with the deep bass of the TR-808, haunting keyboards and Kanye's vocals channeled through the autotune program. They will notice how he uses this effect to turn his voice into that of a brooding android, as apposed to the Happybot that T-Pain conjures out of the program, which when added to the sonic backdrop gives the album a post-apocalyptic feel.

I can't wait until this album does get the respect it most certainly deserves. I believe that is the most daring album to come out in my life time and I've been around the block a time or two. It is extremely ugly and amazingly beautiful all at once. Bravo Kanye!

Favorites (in no particular order):
Say you will
Welcome to heartbreak
Heartless
Amazing
Love Lockdown
Paranoid
Robocop
Street Lights
Bad News
See you in my nightmares
Coldest Winter

Yes it's THAT GOOD!!!!!

Remove all prejudices and biases and give this album an honest listen. You will love it!

Kanye fans are in for a big surprise with this album. Most importantly you should know this is NOT a rap album. Kanye sings every song using heavy vocoding on his voice. Alot of the songs have heavy bass and a grinding aspect of them.

In a nutshell I'd say this album is a mix of Kanye beats /w a somewhat Neo like singing and even some old prince mixed in.

At first I didn't really get the album, but by my third listen the composition started to catch my attention. Despite, I expect a large part of his fan base not to be into this album, and if you're only a fan of Kanye as a rapper you might want to skip this album, but if you can get into more electronic compositions and some 80s spin, this album might be for you.

First and foremost, I'd like to express my exasperation at hearing or reading people moaning at some - currently successful - black artists (Kanye West being one of them), accusing them of having betrayed the so-called "original true spirit of hip hop". These, behaving like self-proclaimed guardians of some private temple, seem to forget that hip hop, like every other form of art, is a mean not an end.

I also recall the great Mos Def was once asked, a few years ago, what he thought of his peers parading in videos with lavish ladies and expensive cars instead of providing supposed conscious statements in their music. His answer has baffled me for years (and still does): he said that it was precisely this (i.e. the fact of seeing black people behaving that way in front of huge audiences of, say, MTV proportions) that was revolutionary, more than any kind of political contest. And so, whether you fancy it or not. I can't agree more, as it seems, more generally, that a black artist is, still nowadays, supposed to deliver what's expected of him: making "black music".

Sorry for that somewhat long introduction, but I thought those two distinct points could be helpful to fully understand what Kanye West's fourth album proper is all about, and what it aims to be. On the previous one, 2007's "Graduation", he already considerably extended his sonic palette (sampling Daft Punk or legendary german krautrockers, Can), yet after that, last summer he produced, in the form of his duet with the promising Estelle, the wonderful "American Boy", which can only be described as the single best musical mainstream moment of the year, all straightforward dancefloor power and heavy beat science upfront.

"8O8s & Heartbreak" is an altogether very different beast to both those releases; having recently both lost his mother and ended up a longtime relationship with his fiancee, Kanye West isn't exactly in a partying mood here, to say the least. Yet, and it's what makes this record so satisfying, he still manages to entertain while expressing his utter sadness and pouring his deepest doubts over every song featured. From the first few bars of "Say You Will", it's understood Kanye's probably unleashed his landmark piece of music this time: over a bleak, possibly new wavish rhythm synth, he croons in a desperate yet suggestive and seductive manner about the loss of his love. The much-publicized use of the auto-tune process, supposedly a limitation, in fact allows him more freedom than ever: some reviewer pointed out he's not Nas nor Guru (he actually barely raps on the whole LP, mind you), and heaven knows he ain't Marvin Gaye either, but if the spine-tingling lament that is "Heartless" or the broody hypnotic complaint the first single "Love Lockdown" manages to be fail to move you, then nothing ever will. On the only upbeat track, "Paranoid", Kanye West even delivers the most perfect slice of pop angst ever heard since, say, Depeche Mode's "Enjoy The Silence" (yeah, that good). Perhaps only the quite blank "Robocop" is a relative failure, as every other song is a fascinating trip through this visionary artist's mind, even the somewhat rawer-sounding live freestyle "Pinocchio Story", that closes proceedings with an overwhelming tearjerking class.

Being very intimate, sounding entertaining at it and clearly conscious of what he does, somewhere between Kool & The Gang produced by New Order and the late and great Al Green stuck with The Neptunes in an elevator, Kanye West has achieved, minor weaknesses aside, a truly perfect pop album.

In a world that enjoys nothing as much as pigeonholing people of every kind (let alone artists), that alone is a triumph in itself.

TO ENJOY, CHERISH AND TREASURE...

For some people, music is a form of entertainment. If you've never listened to something and understood the art of what was being told, then this Kanye album won't be for you.

Undoubtedly, 'Ye is an entertainer. His multi-platinum previous albums are testament to that.

This album is abstract art...and I love it. The auto-tune represents a broken voice. 'Ye uses it well, and considering the magnitude of losing one's best friend, one's inspiration, one's love, and one's wisdom all in the same year, the art becomes more obvious.

When he had a release party for his album, he hired an artist who had 40 naked models accentuated by colored lights. That is what this album is. It is the human body....human emotion...naked.

If you look at the human body and want entertainment, don't pick this up. If you can look at the human body and see form, art, pain, happiness, shape, and glory....pick up this album.

The word "classic" is too often thrown around in many people reviews. The word is being used to describe the latest hot record, movie or someone's favorite artist. Classic movies stand the test of time. Classic music stay relevant no matter how times change. Most classic records don't hit you til months or even years after 1st listen. Some classic hip hop albums for me are Mobb Deep "The Infamous", Raekwon "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" Little Brother "The Minstrel Show" , Snoop Dogg "Doggystyle" That's just to name a few.

Since this is my 1st review, I feel a need to express my thought and explain my way of thinking. So pardon me for the length. I grew up in the 90's and didn't really start listening to hip hop til around 1989. My first rap tape was PE "Fear of a Black Planet". It blew my mind. My first rap CD was Biggie "Ready To Die". So I have 20 years of hip hop knowledge and experience. Yes, I am a big time Jay Z fan, but if he comes out with garbage he will get 2 STARS from me. I will give non biased reviews. Too many people are rating albums 5 STARS. Some even give a 5 STAR rating and write a not perfect review. Others are music execs trying to boost record sales. On the flip side, I've seen people give 1 STAR just cause they don't like the artist and want to bring down their average. I don't work for a record company. I don't hate on any artist. I'm just here to give truthful reviews through my opinions. So now that we got that out the way. Let's get on with the review:

When you first listen to "808's & Heartbreak" you probably won't like anything except "Love Lockdown""Amazing" and "Heartless". But after a few spins you find yourself dancing like the African's in the "Love Lockdown" video. Kanye does an excellent job of using African drums as a bass line. No simple drum machines here. As everyone already knows, this album is recorded in "auto tune", the same sound T-Pain made popular recently. But T-Pain wishes he could put a record out like Kanye West.

Mr. West knew the risk in making this CD. People already hate him and this could have been used to bury his career. But instead he puts together a decent album. "Say You Will" is a good intro. It sets the vibe of the album.The song "Paranoid" sounds like it should have been on the soundtrack of an 80's Eddie Murphy movie. "Robocop " makes you feel like your on an adventure through Mario Brothers, but what saves this song is lyrics about an overprotective woman. "Street Lights" is also an example of how Kanye's lyrics save this album from disaster. Lil Wayne makes an appearance on "See You In My Nightmares". And Young Jeezy appears on the excellent "Amazing".

With the loss of his mother and break up with his girlfriend, Kanye West felt the need to express himself throughout this album. Though not as good as "College Dropout" or "Late Registration", but better than "Graduation".Listening to this makes you really miss the rapping Kanye. By far this is the most original album I've heard in years.

After Graduation [Explicit], I thought that Kanye West might be incapable of making a bad song. He was the rare musician who made albums without filler. After a very good first album (The College Dropout [Explicit]), West tightened up his act to make two consecutive albums without bad tracks (aside from the skits on Late Registration [Explicit]). On these three albums he showed that he was the rare producer whose rapping talent matched his production talent (Dr. Dre and Timbaland are examples of great producers who can't rap). On 808s & Heartbreak, however, West showed that not only could he make a bad song but he doesn't really rap (he sings instead) and his production is subpar for his very high standard. The result is an album almost completely different from his first three and while decent on its own, it is not great and it certainly does not approach the greatness of Late Registration or Graduation.

The most notable thing about this album is West's overreliance on the Auto-Tune. Unlike T-Pain's use of the device, I don't find it irritating to hear West use the Auto-Tune, but it does have the effect of making the album rather sterile. It's harder to hear emotion through the distortion of the device. The Auto-Tune also has the effect of making some of the songs drag on a bit. Part of this is because West is singing the lyrics rather than rapping them, but somehow the Auto-Tune seems to exacerbate this slow delivery.

The other notable characteristic about this album is a very different production style when compared to previously albums. It could be considered a downgrade from the three previous albums, but even when looking at on its own, the production is lacking. On several songs, with "Say You Will" being the worst offender, the beat drags on for up to three minutes after the lyrics are complete. This is not like a guitar solo but instead is simply a loop of the same three second clip. In "Say You Will" there is a 20 second break in that loop about a minute and a half after the lyrics stop, but the original beat resumes thereafter running the time post-lyrics to over three minutes. On half of these songs (four of eight), the beat runs for 30-40 seconds after the lyrics stop. The other four run longer.

Aside from this apparently deliberate editing mistake, the production is unremarkable. On songs where less is more in the beat department, the singer's delivery carries the day and a more complex beat would seem to only take away from the singer's voice. Whitney Houston's I Will Always Love You and Mariah Carey's Hero are examples. Obviously Kanye West is not anywhere near their level in terms of singing ability. As far as I can recall, when a musician lacks the ability to sing remarkably, the production is more complex so as to make up for the singer's deficiency. An example is Britney Spears' Blackout, which featured mediocre singing and stellar production. To this album's detriment, Kanye West went in the opposite direction and created an album that works as background music but doesn't really jump out at you. West was apparently attempting to evoke the sound of tribal drums, but the only instance where that really works well is on "Love Lockdown" where the beat is alternately simple and very complex. The complex parts are what grab your attention.

With these significant drawbacks in mind, there are still quality songs on this album. They are listed below in order of my preference for each:

1. "Love Lockdown" is the best song on the album. Its production is superior to the other tracks because of its complexity but also because it seems to fit what West is saying and how he is saying it perfectly. The beat drags on for 55 seconds after the lyrics, but unlike in the other tracks, it is complex and varied enough to keep my attention.

2. "Heartless" is probably faster-paced than any other song on the album. West also raps the most of verses, which is a welcome break from the rest of the album and well done.

3. "Amazing" is average until Young Jeezy's verse, which makes it one of the better songs on the album. He's as good as ever in his rapped verse.

4. "See You in My Nightmares" is a duet with Lil Wayne and has the least use of the Auto-Tune on the entire album. West does well on the track but is outperformed by Lil Wayne. It probably has something to do with West singing while Wayne is rapping.

Most of the songs on the album are mediocre. They won't make you want to buy the album but they won't ruin it for you either. There are, however, a few that might ruin it for you:

1. "Pinocchio Story" should not have been on this album. The audience can be heard more clearly than West and his freestyle is unremarkable.

2. "Paranoid" has the most irritating beat on the album. It's an 80s throwback that doesn't fit the album.

3. "Robocop" is apparently the most hated track on the album. Apparently even Kanye West doesn't like it. I think it's kind of funny that he uses the Robocop sound effect in the beat, but funny probably isn't the reaction he was trying to elicit.

My advice to buyers is to buy the album if you're a big Kanye West fan because it's interesting to hear this change of pace, especially in light of the terrible events that went on in his life in the last year. If you're not a fan, though, I'd suggest buying the highlights only.

This is very different Kanye. You'll know that within the first two seconds, and if you've heard Love Lockdown, you've already got the basic idea. Kanye sings, using heavy Auto-Tune, often with a vocoded or heavily distorted slap-back echo. The sound of the classic (and very distinctive) Roland TR-808 features very prominently on the album, backed by minimal keyboard-synth sounds.

Subjectwise, the album deals prominently with loss, specifically of his mother and his long-time girlfriend. The Auto-Tuned vocals and minimalist beats underscore the painful lyrics, creating a haunting, soul-wrenching soundscape.

It all adds up to a painfully honest Kanye, sad and alone - a Kanye we haven't seen on his previous 3 albums. Both lyrically and musically, Kanye strips off his flash and shows us the part of the man who can't always live "The Good Life."

When I heard that Kanye's new album would be auto tuned, i gotta say i was pretty pissed.
I never liked him to be honest, but the whole auto tune concept i felt at the time was extremely annoying
What really got me to buy it was, curiosity and the album cover
After I listened (took me a few times) i realized the album is amazing
What's great is even after the auto tune had been used in every other mainstream song by various different artists
Kanye West managed to bring something completely new to it
After listening to it I went out and bought graduation but was heavily dissapointed
And from what i heard, graduation was supposed to be his greatest achievement

Judging by the star ratings, you either love or hate this album. Most of the complaints I have been reading are: "there is no cursing," "he doesn't rap on this album," "he sold out," etc. I have been listening to Rap for 23 years but also like all types of music. I appreciate the fact that Kanye is making real music from the heart and his music changes with him. If you're stuck on one type of music only, Rap, and expect to get what you heard on College Dropout or Late Registration, you will probably hate it. If you truly appreciate music and what it stands for, realness, you won't be disappointed.