Why did I review the album? Found out about him during a trip to
Atlanta and decided to give him a try
Did I like it? Yes
Will I listen again? To some tracks
He’s credited as a singer, but to
be honest, I do not think he can sing. He sounds like Chris Brown at times, but
Brown is a far better singer.
So, why do I like this album? The
content is very appealing. It’s more personal than I expected. He opens up and
truthfully gives us the account of his life. He’s made poor decision, but (for
the most part) doesn’t make excuses for it.
Even as he talked about his past
with drugs I never felt he was using it to exploit, it feels as though he gives
an honest account of his experience.
I’m impressed with Alsina and will
listen to his work in the future.
My Favs
3. Make it Home
2. Testimony
1. Benediction
Overall Rating: 70 with a recommendation to listen then decide
One of the things that interests
me is his father’s drug addiction and his relationship with drugs later on. I
never understood why people that have felt the pains associated with drug
addiction (either directly or indirectly) sell drugs to others knowing the
effects. It’s always interesting to hear what attracted them to sell. In this
case he claims it was his only way to survive at the time. In an interview he claims he stopped after
someone smoked crack in front of him. He decided he didn’t want to take part in
destroying the lives of others. 4.5/5
Make
it Home- Similar to J. Cole Farewell this
song almost serves as a living will. Alsina’s made some bad choices in the past
and those choices may catch up to him.
Wills are interesting in this
regard; they tell you what and who is most important in a particular person’s
life.
The beat is simple, but in this
case I think it works because it allows the content to remain the main focus.
The beat serves a foundation for the lyrics.
This type of song would normally
earn a five from me, but Jeezy’s verse isn’t strong enough. 4.5/5
Right
There- The first time I heard this song I hated it. I clearly wasn’t
paying attention to the lyrics.
He know what it feels like to
struggle, but he encourages people to find what you have a passion for and
stick with it. Eventually your work will be recognized. How does he know? He’s
a living example
Many artists have made songs like
this before, this is Alsina’s attempt. 4/5
You
Deserve- This scenario has played
out in songs one million times before. There is a great girl that is mistreated
by someone and the artist tries to get her to notice how much she’s worth.
To Alsina’s credit, he does take
a slightly different approach. He believes it won’t work out between them, but
that does not matter to Alsina. He cares that she realize her self-worth. So,
even if she doesn’t choose him he’ll still support her. 3.5/5
No
Love- This song has been done one million times and this time Alsina
doesn’t put a spin on it to make it interesting. 2/5
Porn
Star-Maybe my expectations for this song were too high, but this song
really disappointed me. It had so much potential. It’s rare to hear an R&B
or rap song that uses an electric guitar. For most of the song it supports the more
obvious pieces of the song. Some might not even notice it’s there because it
melts in well. Near the end it gets a
solo that I enjoyed thoroughly.
I still like the song, but the
lyrics waste an opportunity to make something rare and special. 3/5
FML- The song features Pusha T who is
rapidly moving up the ranks as one of my favorite rappers to search for when
looking for a great verse. He does the same thing I loved about My Name is My
Name (read my review of it here). He brags without insulting and gives props to
Alsina. I like cars, so I know Alpina is a type of BMW. So, Pusha is saying
Alsina’s a boss or having a nice car at such a young age. The King Tut line is probable a reference to King Push where
Pusha relates himself to other notable people,
but then reverses and says that the comparisons aren’t quite right
because he’s King Push. The Tut line may
also be Pusha comparing Alsina to Tut because he has a lot of luxurious toys at
a young age. 4/5
Grind
and Pray/ Make Your Money- Grind
and Pray serves as a good setup because it sets up the background for Get Ya
Money. This song is about strippers and the stigma attached to them. To Alsina
this stigma is unfair. To him, this is there way of making ends meet until they
have a job they want to do. He even sees similarities between the strippers and
himself because their hustle is their body while his was crack (and now
singing). Either way, both Alsina and the strippers are making money which is
important because it allows them to make ends meet.
This song is interesting because
usually people rap about a cause when it directly affects them. Alsina’s not a
stripper, but he thought it was important enough to write a song that argues
against prejudice. I’ve got to respect that. 4/5
Ghetto-
This song is repetitive and features Alsina singing. We’ve discussed my
feelings concerning his singing already, so I won’t repeat them.2/5
Kissing
My Tattoos- I know I just said that he’s not the best singer, but
his voice holds up well enough in this song. In At the start he sounds eerily
reminiscent of Lyfe Jennings, but ends as the autotune takes over. 3/5
Ah Yeah- This song isn’t as bad as I’m
about to make it sound, it’s just a preference issue. I like relatively simple
songs where the main instrument compose the entire song (i.e. songs like Pair of
Wings by Justin Timberlake or Heaven by Beyonce). I’m okay with very produced
sounds if they serve a purpose (see Grow by Rae Morris). The song started with
promise, but the added parts don’t add any layers to the song and do not (for
me) make the song sound better. So they do nothing more than clutter the song
with extra sound. 2/5
Mama- This song is a dedication to his
mother. It’s not my favorite thank you/ pay it forward type song, but it is
better than most.4/5
Benediction- The religious sound in this
song bring back memories of UGK’s Int’l Player’s Anthem,. The upbeat sound hides
the dark content contained within. The beginning starts with Alsina using tithing
to relate to his drug background. Then comments about his tough background (his
testimony) becoming the basis for his album (Testimony). This also works because
the things he has let us know through previous songs clue us in on his troubled
past. Which would explain why he would want a benediction. This also bring in
the role of God in his story and some interesting religious themes. God is seen
as kind and loving individual that forgives as long as a person repents of his
wrongdoing. One of the major selling points of Christianity is that despite
everything that occurs in life, God has a happier life for you down the road.
Alsina clearly is repentant of his previous life and the hardships of his childhood.
Because of his faith and hard work God has rewarded him with success. So, he
wants to take a minute to thank God for his improved life and pray for
continued success
I’m impressed with Ross’s verse. He
tones down his flamboyance to fit the atmosphere of the song. He starts out on
typical Ross fashion, bragging about the usual; wine and women, but he quickly
moves to other topics. He even ends of a
thankful note paying homage to the men that helped him rise and the fans that
continually grant him success. 5/5
I Love This S***- I hate this song. The sound is fine, but the
lyrics are atrocious. Alsina’s verse is fine, but the other features do not
even make sense. It the perfect single because if you turn your brain off its
sounds like a decent song. The electric guitar makes an appearance again. 2/5
Numb- I wouldn’t be surprised if this song debuted
as the third single for the album. It has the sound that gets radio play and
lyrics that are easy to swallow without much thought. I can’t say I care for it
though. 1/5
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