By Brendan Wetmore “WE DON’T WANT NO DEVILS IN THE HOUSE!” screeches a young girl’s voice. “WE WANT THE LORD. THAT’S IT!” Then, the gates of heaven are sonically opened, and out walks Kanye West to harmonize with a choir of breathy gospel singers on the track, “Ultralight Beam”, the first song featured on his 2016 Tidal Exclusive LP, “The Life of Pablo”. On the singer’s eighth studio album, he makes use of pop culture references, witty jabs, sentimental clichés, and gospel clips to create a piece that not only appeals to the public, but to music critics as well. The album, which has had a highly publicized identity crisis over the past month (the title has changed no fewer than three times), was released in conjunction with the artist’s Yeezy Season 3 fashion show at Madison Square Garden. An arena full of people were captive to Kanye’s rambling speeches, loud beats, and eccentric crew while his album played all the way through and he revealed a slew of new clothing on over 1,200 models.
“Ultralight Beam” served as an amazing opener for the album, and really set the tone for the rest of the album. The choir and the voices of West, Chance the Rapper, and Kelly Price echo and haunt, but also give hope. He then dives into newer territory on “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and “Pt. 2”, when he mutters, “I just wanna feel liberated,” a reference to the grief he’s dealt with after the death of his father. Kanye’s bereftness can be heard in the way he growls more revealing lyrics about his mental health and soul, something that Kanye has fought hard to hide from the public. He finally lets down the wall of ego that he has built up for years in “Pt. 2”, which features a robotic voice that begs the questions, “How can I find you?” and “Who do you turn to?”. His ego is then quickly reconstructed on the blaring and controversial track, “Famous”, which has the Rihanna feature that fans have begged for for years. His first line features a lighthearted, yet dark and uncomfortable jab at longtime frenemy Taylor Swift. This track is similar in its message to the solo “I Love Kanye”, in which West recognizes his ego, plays with it, and ultimately legitimizes it, but at the same time echoing the voices of former fans who “used to love Kanye”. By far, the best track on the album is the Kanye, Young Thug and The-Dream collaboration “Highlights” which brings together the newfound joy and happiness that Kanye has achieved through his relationship with his wife, Kim Kardashian, as well as her family. The rest of the album, in my opinion, is compelling, but full of unfinished material. The finale, “Fade”, was first heard months ago, during his Yeezy Season 2 show. The added and refined track that is on “The Life of Pablo” seems emptier, more hollow. The first listen that fans got ruined the final cut. This is also true on the track “Facts”, but also “Wolves”, which was first heard during Yeezy Season 1. This song seems even more empty, as he has removed many of the vocals that fans first loved. Sia and Vic Mensa seemed to just disappear from the track. Other songs seem rushed, specifically “30 Hours”, which was made after the Yeezy Season 3 show. While the song is spectacular, the rushed feeling is just too much to handle. Songs towards the end of the album also seem to just be “added”, like the song “Waves”, which resembles no other song on the album, and features the sub-par Chris Brown. Overall, the album is a masterpiece. Fans have waited years for new material, and I believe that “The Life of Pablo” will satisfy fans. Will it satisfy for as long as “Yeezus” did? Or even “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”? Maybe not, but from the sound of it, Kanye is tired of making fans wait, and more music is on its way very, very soon. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/kanye-west-highlights/2985364
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