HIP-HOP
“Already Platinum”
Slim Thug
Geffen
There are no doubt fascinating aspects of Houston hip-hop, including the mainstreaming of “screwed” tracks – the slowed-down, druggy hip-hop production and MCing specific to the city. Thanks to a little outside help, Slim Thug is atop this H-town pile.
While “Diamonds” is the record’s big screwed track, “Everybody Loves a Pimp” channels Andre 3000’s future-funk. But it’s obvious that Slim is best when collaborating with talented producers and MCs, The Neptunes and Bun B, T.I. and Pusha in the case of “Already Platinum.”
This record is at its freshest when it combines the Houston drawl with the bold beats of Virginia Beach. The title track is the ideal example, and Pharrell’s beats and skateboarder MC work are prime backdrops for Slim’s deep-bass bravado. It’s an exciting juxtaposition of sounds not unlike “Drop It Like It’s Hot” meets DJ Screw.
– Ricardo Baca
ROCK
“Out of Nothing”
Embrace
Lava
Sitting in a movie theater, you watch as the scene climaxes: It’s raining on a street corner, and two lovers embrace and kiss. The camera swirls, and while your emotions swell in the background, you feel a little empty (and duped) because you’ve seen this scene before.
Embrace’s new release “Out of Nothing” evokes a similar response: It’s safe with predictable song structures. Producer Youth (The Verve, Killing Joke) creates an epic scene of sound that can fill up a room without trying to jump out of its boundaries.
The standout tracks are the slower numbers “Out of Nothing” and “Gravity,” the latter echoing the sound of Britain’s rock darlings, Coldplay. And as it turns out, the track was penned by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. There was a time when Coldplay was opening for Embrace, but those days have clearly passed.
– Sara Thurston
R&B
“TP.3 Reloaded”
R. Kelly
Jive
R. Kelly’s formula is getting tired.
The R&B crooner has his way of telling intensely personal stories, and while it’s unmistakably his trademark, the delivery is growing tiresome. It’s all about where (“In the Kitchen”) and how (“Remote Control”) he’s going to sexually please the ubiquitous you he’s constantly serenading. And while he tried mixing things up here via the mini-opera “Trapped in the Closet,” he only makes things more redundant.
The five-chapter “Trapped in the Closet,” which takes our hero through a tumultuous morning weaving through multiple people’s relationships, isn’t much more than an exercise in bombast. The production and the lyrics are wildly over the top, and while the man does a decent job of creating mystery throughout the story, the final chapter is a nonsensical joke.
– Ricardo Baca
