Top 5 Albums I Can’t Wait to Hear in 2014

5. Kanye West– The title hasn’t been announced yet. Although I do not always like his music, I can honestly say that he never sells out. He makes whatever he feels like making and doesn’t apologize for it. Of all the artist I’ve listened to, he’s the one that experiments the most, and at the very least makes his music intriguing.

Album Title: Unknown

Release Date: He wanted to release it this summer, but since there isn’t a single out yet I doubt it’ll happen.

4. Mariah Carey- A moment of full disclosure: I have not listened to a Mariah Carey album since the Emancipation of Mimi. That said, Emancipation of Mimi is one of my favorite albums. The feature list is impressive as well. Supposedly, Wale, Nas, Fabulous and Miguel will make an appearance on the album. Add a naturally beautiful voice, and it’s obvious why this album is on the list  

Album Title: Me. I Am Mariah… The Elusive Chanteuse

Release Date: May 23, 2014

3. Adele-  I am fascinated by Adele. Her voice has an old school quality, is very distinct, but doesn’t quite fit into a single genre. She takes years between albums, but the payoff is always worth it.

Album Title: 25? (She sent a tweet that alludes this might be the title, but it’s not confirmed yet)

Release Date: Late this year, but an exact date is unknown

2. Wale- Wale is one of my favorite rappers because he has the best flow of any rapper I’ve heard in the last ten years. The only other rapper that comes close is Kendrick Lamar. Wale has kept details about the album close to the vest. I do know that J. Cole is going to make an appearance (the only “new” rapper I like more than Wale). Wale said he made The Gifted to appease himself, however, he has stated that The Album About Nothing is an album for the fans. What does that mean? I have no idea, but I’m excited to hear it.

Album Title: The Album About Nothing

Release Date: Fall 2014

1. JoJo- You all probably saw this coming. I’m in LOVE with this woman. It’s been eight years since her last LP (for label reasons). She’s been released from her old label and aggressively creating content for her new album. She plans to have the first single released this summer. JoJo’s worked with Pharrell Williams and B.oB so far. In an interview JoJo talked about her vision for the album. “This album is going to be raw… powerful, honest, impolite, incorrect. It has to be a combination of the last few years. Iwant it to speak to a wide range of people, but make it feel like I’m speaking to them personally. I want it to be an experience… I want it to be the soundtrack to their life.”  

She has lofty goals for the album, but that only makes the anticipation worse.

Album Title: Unknown

Release Date: Late 2014


So I've given you my list. What albums are you looking forward to? Did any of my entries make your list?

                

Kanye West- Yeezus (2013)

Why did I review the album? Kanye has made three of my favorite albums (College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation)

Did I like it? No

Will I listen again?  No

I will not do a track by track analysis of albums I do not like because it is highly likely I’ll repeat myself multiple times which is waste of your time and mine. If the artist didn’t realize his/her error the first or second time, it’s highly unlikely s/he’ll change tactics on later tracks. Instead I'll review one track that i did like and one that I did not. The song that I like will suggest what the artist could have done to make the rest of the album stronger.The one that I did not like will serve as an example why I did not like the album.

I respect Kanye for experimenting with his music despite the possibility of failure. For that reason I will listen to every album he releases. That said, just because he creates something different doesn’t mean it works.

The biggest problem with this album is that it changes too much. On this album he changes the sound, flow and content. Almost like Kanye West created a new artist. There was too much change wrapped in one album and it destroyed any positive experience I could have with this album.  Experimentation with music works best when the artist changes one thing from his/her repertoire.  This formula works because it fosters innovation, but keeps enough features consistent to avoid alienating the audience. Even if the person does not like the element the artist changed, there is still enough of the original artist in the song that the person will still like the song. At worst, the person would notice the attempt to try something new and not like the song, but appreciate the effort.  

He definitely creates something new, but the question is, will you like it?

To test your affinity for this album I’d listen to Hell of a Life on Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song captures the sound that permeates this album. If you can handle that song, this album might be worth listening to.
Just because I didn't like it, doesn't mean you won't like it.

I’d like to hear from people that did enjoy the album to find out why.

My Favs

3. Blood on the Leaves

2. I’m In It

1. Bound 2

Overall Rating: 50 with a Not For Me recommendation