Kanye West "Donda" (2021)

 

Currently on a downswing of poorly received records, one of musics biggest names suffers the discomfort of bloat with a tenth record that could have been gold. Twenty seven new songs make for over one hundred minutes of music. Its a daunting bulk of tracks that's slow to get going and concludes with four alternate versions. Some of this may have been out of Kanye's hands, the release of the record a typical mess of delays that also make for a lot of free press. Its hard to know where the truth lies as he has stated since that the project wasn't released as he planned, creating yet another news cycle talking on the album again. I'm being somewhat cynical here.

To mirror its length, Donda feels like a whirl of converging stories taking place in the artists life. The passing of his mother and divorce with his wife being two recurring themes among many other stories, including his plea to grant clemency to Larry Hover. Its more of the endearing vulnerability first heard on Ye. His heart felt lyrics and words, where they occur, reflect internal and external realities and on occasional drifts between disillusion and heartbreak, given my perception of how the media interprets and presents his personal life. At his best Kanye is raw, expressive, impassioned and authentic but the lack of focus means its found mostly in the mid to latter half.

The opening string of eight tracks, from Donda Chant to Ok Ok, lack pace and urgency. Most these beats are subdued with sparse percussion hinged on a couple of lively bass stabs. Slow tempos and moody atmospheres in themselves make up a concept and style but the record will pivot. These songs also feel outweighed by guests who take up much of the airwaves. Jay-Z pops up on Jail to usher in an underwhelming echo of their Watch The Throne collaboration. Cushioned by extended instrumental sections and drawn out loops, its sluggish pace drags on.

Then with Junya things pivot. Its an ugly track, with Playboy Carti and Kanye making a variety of strange noises over the uncomfortable, gritty basslines. There is a friction with the church organ behind it, however that signifies the arrival of his Gospel influences from Jesus Is Born. Sampling Lauren Hill's classic Do Wop That Thing, suddenly the gears shift on Believe What I Say. From here Kanye sings on track after track, bringing in more harmonious and tender musical themes housed by his sparse yet timely percussive grooves and lifted by light choral alike synths. Kid Cudi fits in perfectly with a lovely presence on the drumless track Moon. Its a string of songs ending with Come To Life that I'd consider to be what Donda should of been.

This chunk of the music represent the best of Kanye, with the aforementioned vulnerabilities coming to light and him taking up more of the focus on a record that seems to have multiple collaborative hands on every track. Things hit a peak on Jesus Lord, a perfectly composed instrumental loop that pulls on the heart strings as Kanye bleeds his feelings for Donda. Its the albums gem, a wonderful moment preceded by songs that reside in its shadow with Come To Life concluding the theme with a beautiful piano performance to exit on. It feels like a final note but then No Child Left Behind brings another wave of closure with a heavenly arrangement of choral synths and organ tones to bow out again before the bloat returns with the additional part two collection of tracks, to which hearing The Lox again was a highlight.

Having now dissected my thoughts and feelings on this one, it feels like two projects mashed together. An evolved take on Jesus Is King in the middle, surrounded by another theme that brings out Kanye the rapper who frequently drop the rhymes that make me chuckle. Chanting "I know god breathed on this" a keen example of when his sharp remarks don't land, not quite as genius as he thinks he is. "I got this holy water that's my beverages", "They playing soccer in my backyard I think I see Messi", there are a few of these lines sprinkled in that feel unnatural and contrived. There are plenty of counters to these examples, moments where he gets the rhymes and hooks just right but I prefer him vulnerable, straight and not trying to be to clever with the rhymes. Ultimately, Donda is a bloated record, one I'll condense to my own selection of songs to enjoy from here on out.

Rating: 6/10

Kanye West "Jesus Is King" (2019)

Always one to have a spectacle made of his life, Kanye has transcended from the madness of his own statements and pressures of the media questioning his mental health to this point in time. Reverence of God, solace in Christianity, he has indoctrinated himself for a salvation that's manifested into his music. This transition, theme and worship splits the record in two. The lyrical and conceptual side is an incoherent reactionary ramble, seemingly an emotional response to the mounting pressures of the bright limelight aimed on him at all times. Many of the themes and words seem lacking in depth and the bluntness of him appraising God for the reasoning behind his extraordinarily expensive merchandise has him scraping the barrel of substance, even is his cadence and singing is warming, digging into his words often has little to offer beyond atypical themes and words of worship, however the influence of church music to his instrumentals is strongly enjoyable.

On the other hand of production, we have Kanye creating amazing songs again. They come together like fractured pieces, a collage of musical ideas that resonate remarkably on the individual level. As an album in tends to jump all over the place but loaded with what he does best, I can't complain. Kanye has always had a knack for vocalization in the harmony of his music. Now with elements of Gospel and Psychedelic production armed, he produces swells of swooning voices. Manipulation and synthetic tonal instruments runs us through a gauntlet of indulgent music of praise with a Hip Hop flavor. That in itself often drops out as sparse use of beats becomes noticeable in the last few songs of the record. The vocals alone carry the music from start to end. Hands On in particular has a backbone of trippy vocal inflections.

At twenty seven minutes in continues the trend of short and sweet. This time its fractured nature, the issues and delays leading up to its release, gives the impression of an unfinished project. Even in this form his genius shines through these gorgeous organic compositions of inspired singing. Kanye to getting in on the act, letting his voice break on God Is was an endearing touch but again the hallow feeling of his fleeting to religion for consolation leaves the power of his performance purely in his own court. Its not something I can relate too yet the musical experience is wonderful. A very polarizing album, I'm glad I gave it plenty of time because it tends to give more the deeper you get into it. After many spins I still want more!

Rating: 7/10