Why
did I review the album? My sister asked me about a song named “Same
Love” and I loved it so I listened to the whole album
Did
I like it? It’s either my favorite or second favorite album since
2012
Will
I listen again? I will listen to this one forever
The two sides of Macklemore the
funny guy and serious Mack. Both are on display in this album.
The crowning achievement of this
album is Macklemore’s ability to step in the shoes of the person in that
situation. He does it multiple times in songs like Same Love, Neon Cathedrals
and Wing$. The reason I love JoJo is her ability to accomplish this. It’s also
the reason I was somewhat critical of Love Marriage and Divorce, the lyrics were
there, but I didn’t feel the emotion that I felt necessary. This is the first
time I’ve noticed a rapper achieving the same feat. It makes the music stronger
because the audience notices how deeply the artist feels about the issue, so
every lyric carries more weight and significance.
I constantly complain that “fun”
music tends to force me to “turn my brain off” in order to enjoy it. This isn’t
the case with Macklemore. Like Gaga he manages to have fun, but maintain a
level of seriousness. Considering the pulverizing nature of some of his other
work, it’s interesting that he can pull off “fun” so well. It proves that he is
truthfully versatile and can handle both radio worthy tracks and thought
provoking material.
My only complaint is that the
track listing could have been organized a bit better. Towards the end, there
were about five fun songs in a row without a thought provoking song to balance
out the silliness and I found my patience waning. It’s a small complaint and
something that would only hurt the album when comparing it to my favorites.
There’s something here for
everyone. There’s more than enough “fun” for people to enjoy, but also has some
material that might make you think about the stances you hold concerning
certain topics. It’s an album that touches on many different topics and shares
it’s opinion without apologizing. It’s a versatile album from a strong artist
that can hold its own against many of my favorite albums and is one of my
favorite albums in recent memory.
My
Favs
3. Thrift Shop
b. Badaboom
2. Same Love
1. Neon Cathedral
Overall Rating: 5/5 Spins
