Music Spotlight – Favorite Music of 2013: Part 2

Drake – Hold On, We’re Going Home

Hold On, We’re Going Home is off of Drake’s third album Nothing Was the Same. Produced by Nineteen85 and Majid Jordan (who also features on the track), the song sizzles as a great upbeat pop crossover. It is the only song that solely features Drake singing and is also probably the most radio friendly, but it is just so catchy and inviting – you just want to get on the dance floor. Available for download: here

Ellie Goulding – Burn

Burn is off Ellie Goulding’s reissuing of her Halcyon album called Halcyon Days. It is produced by Greg Kurstin. Like all of Goulding’s work, the song succeeds on the strength and uniqueness of her voice. It also features an uplifting message of strength and empowerment when a lot of today’s pop music is just generic nonsense. Available for download: here

Haim – The Wire

The Wire is off Haim’s fantastic debut album Days Are Gone. It is produced by the Haim Sisters and Ariel Rechtshaid. The song capitalizes on the energy and vocal talent of all three sisters (who each have sections of the song, though Danielle is the lead), perfectly balancing both rock and pop ambitions. The track rocks, has an interesting narrative, and is (like the best pop songs) very catchy. Available for download: here

J. Cole – Power Trip

Power Trip, featuring Miguel and produced by J. Cole, is off Cole’s second studio album Born Sinner. It has a raw energy, maybe even bordering on angry. Cole definitely wants to prove that he belongs among the best in hip hop, and Power Trip is does that as one of the year’s best tracks in the genre. Miguel’s part is also really good, elevating the hook. Fans can continue to expect great things from Cole. Available for download: here

John Legend – We Loved It

We Loved It is a bonus track off of John Legend’s Love in the Future. Featuring Seal, it is produced by Kanye West and Jeff Bhasker. With Love in the Future, Legend set out to make a new kind of R&B album. This song accomplishes that. It is compellingly dark, yet soulful. Legend and Seal’s voices accompany each other very well (Seal especially invites the listener into the darkness). West and Bhasker’s beat features a great complexity and grandness, though also held back – as if one were looking at a faded masterpiece painting. Available for download: here

J. Cole – Born Sinner (2013) – Review

Review: J. Cole follows up his strong debut Cole World: The Sideline Story with an even better sophomore effort. He is among the best young artists in hip hop, an MC that fans have a lot of hope in (though, Kendrick Lamar has surpassed him as the genre’s ‘future’).

On Born Sinner, Cole’s production is more polished and lush and his lyrics are darker this time (as is the overall tone). He still maintains his great lyricism and ability as a storyteller, but seems to be following in the trend of Kanye West’s early work trying to find his place in mainstream hip hop, ruled by boasting and materialism, while also fighting against it. There is a duality to his message on many of the tracks. He wants to just be himself (a nerdy guy with thoughtful stories and great flow), but feels the pressure to create a persona that appeals to the mainstream (money, women, cars, power, and so on). This struggle is a central theme to the album. Additionally, Cole spends much of the remaining space playfully and emotionally ruminating on his relationships with women – but his lyrics feel less misogynistic than what the genre usually offers (misogyny is so mainstream in hip hop and R&B among male artists that listeners just seem to embrace it – it is not shocking or disgusting; it is just normal, and that is a sad comment on the way we view women). Cole’s faith also plays a role in the lyrics and especially in the overall sound for the album.

Musically, J. Cole’s production is fantastic and striking (and probably the most brilliant aspect of the album). While I was a fan of his beats on his mixtapes and previous LP, he has taken a big step forward with Born Sinner. Every track is musically engaging. I particularly like the darker melodic themes (songs like She Knows especially) that Cole has brought to the album. The full cohesive sound feels both aligned with hip hop in the classical sense (as Cole samples from Notorious B.I.G. and Outkast) and sounds different than everything else on the radio right now, which is a very good thing. This is hands down the most musically interesting album of 2013 so far (a title that Kanye West’s Yeezus is sure to take though, once we get to hear the full album on June 18th).

Another aspect of the album that I like and respect is that Cole is confident enough in himself to not feature any guest verses on the album. This is a personal album and would be lessened by tons of features (like every other hip hop album). However, that is not to say that there are not strong contributions from collaborators. Miguel, Amber Coffman (of Dirty Projectos), and Kendrick Lamar all show up with great choruses. Producer No I.D. also works with Cole on one of the album’s best tracks.

Born Sinner is a great hip hop album, again reminding fans that J. Cole is one of the genre’s real artists (personally, he is in my current top five with West, Lamar, Pusha T, and Drake – they just make the aesthetically most engaging music in the genre right now). 4/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Power Trip – Produced by J. Cole, featuring Miguel

2)      Rich Niggaz – Produced by J. Cole

3)      Let Nas Down – Produced by No I.D. and J. Cole

Available on: Digital Download