Customer Reviews

Sean Kingston

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

17 year old Sean Kingston (Kisean Anderson) is rather cute, he doesn't look like the average singer. A bit heavy, but showing his charm by always smiling. He's from Florida but his family is Jamaican and it's said that his uncle is Buju Bunton, Kingston himself uses both American and Jamaican accent. On his debut album he hooks up with producer Jonathan Rotem that produces most of the album. The sound is a mix between reagge, hip hop, doo woop and dancehall. Rotem uses alot of samples, on the superhit "Beautiful Girls", currently at #1 he samples Ben E King's "Stand By Me" but he uses the sample better then most people that sampled it in the past. Kingston sings about beautiful girls but he'll get suicidal when it's over. Particulally the use of the word "suicidal" for "very sad" is hard not to notice. "Me Love" that samples Zeppelin's "D'yer Mak'er" is another great summer smash while "I Can Feel It" samples Phil Collins "In The Air" but with less catchyness. On "There's Nothing" we'll find Paula DaAnda appearing, as one of very few guest appearences here. It's actually the sample-heavy commercial feel good songs that works best where Kingston uses his Jamaican accent and show his incredible charm. The more hardcore Hip Hopish songs where he sings in American-English are not as fun, Like the song "Drummer Boy" or "Kingston" or the annoying "I Ain't Got No Short" but thankfully those songs are in minority. There are 13 songs and a bonus remix of "Colours". What makes this album fun is the hybrid of feel good sound and catchy wordplay on lyrics. It may not be original but compared to simular artists, Kingston is here to have fun and not to get respect and as catchy as the music is, it's hard not to like it. Question is, if anyone will remember him in 2 years?.

You know, when I first heard the "Beautiful Girls" song, I thought it was catchy... cool song. Then I saw Kingston on the Today show and I thought "cool, maybe this kid will be then next Prince Buster." Kid had a band, a double bass, and all the players were to the nines...

Man, was I wrong. I've listened to most of this album. I know a lot of people have pointed out that "Beautiful Girls" is a rip from "Stand by Me", and they're right... but the song's good enough that I can overlook that. The rest of the album though... Rip off...

Sean Kingston has a unique sound on this CD. Almost all of the songs are good. It is upbeat but not too wild. I really enjoy this CD.

he is one of my favorite singers i bought this cd and ive been putting it on the computer and listening to it over and over it is so good. he is awesome i cant wait for his new cd to come out in august!

The relative success of this CD proves that you do not need talent to be successful.

With artists like this the real question is who paved the way for him.

Very nice album, comes off hard, but mellows out to a nice reggae sound. very nice!

I can't even listen to Kingston's other songs beacuse this is truley the best JR Rothem sick beats make this one a keeper

this song is really banging here in asia, it's playing everywhere.. it sucks because im sicking tired of the song..

When I first heard "Beautiful Girls" on the radio, I was like, "Who is this butchering Ben E. King's `Stand by Me'?" Then I saw the video, and after I looked at Sean Kingston, I asked, "What's Kenan Thompson doing singing?" All jokes aside, Sean's self-titled album is, well, okay.

I hate to admit it, but "Beautiful Girls" actually grew on me (although I don't understand why MTV blocked out "suicidal" yet they had no problem playing "I had to shoot him dead" from Maroon 5's "Wake Up Call"). Anyway, "Me Love" is pretty interesting too. But when you listen to the album as a whole and especially when you hear Sean talking, you'll realize he's trying to pull a Shaggy: only PRETENDING to have a Jamaican accent (although to his credit, he did spend much of his preteen years living in Jamaica).

But back to the album. There are a lot of missteps on here, like the annoying "Got No Shorty" and the confusing (and aptly titled) "That Ain't Right". "I Can Feel It" lazily borrows Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight", and you would get slapped silly if you ever sang "Your Sister" to a girl; speaking of hard-to-relate-to songs, "Take You There" talks about touring his girl around violent neighborhoods. And Paula DeAnda outshines Sean on "There's Nothin".

There are also a couple of songs that don't go anywhere: "Drummer Boy" and the obligatory we-are-the-world song, "Change". And the final track, "Colors" (a revamped version of an independent track Sean did), is an incoherent mess of a song featuring Kardinal Offishall and Vybz Kartel. You have no business buying Sean Kingston's album if you're over the age of eighteen, so if anything, only buy it as a birthday present for your little sister.

Anthony Rupert

i guess i am the only reviewer who likes this album. most likely because i don' care about the actual artist. who cares if his accent is fake or if yout think he stole from other singers or his voice was enhanced. it's the music that matters, and in my opinion, it sounds good.