In no particular order:
Please just stop pretending you hate her. Just stop it. Remember her version of Jolene? It's good. Just like this song, but in a different way. Also, stop pretending you don't want to *be* her. I want to have a gold vampire-esque grill. I want to eat 100$ bill sandwiches on white bread. And, if I'm totally serious, and I am, I want to adopt the mantra: It's our song, we can sing if we want to/It's my mouth, I can say what I want to. Don't pretend that doesn't resonate with you? AND the beat gets that body movin'. You know?
It's been a goddamned hot minute since I've been so in love with a love song. I can't even handle it. Please ignore the super corny, in-any-other-context-these-words-would-be-crazy-lame lyrics. Please. Because what this is about is his sincerity and that amazingly beautiful falsetto. And right in the middle of the clichés, he'll say something like: You're my downfall, you're my muse, my worst distraction, my rhythm and blues. Or maybe those ARE clichés, but I feel them. I really feel them. Maybe any artist who has a muse feels these words and with that piano, holy shit. Remember what it's like to love this hard? Do you?
You knew it. You knew this song was made for me and people like me. This song rocked me hard during the dying summer. And I get it - we'll just go ahead and accept where we are and what we're given. The video is really sexy, too. (Do you guys remember music videos?) Try to not sing this song. Try.
Black Skinhead, Kanye West, Yeezus.
Can I go ahead and put it out there: This isn't my favorite album. It's abrasive. It's right up in your face. Some of the beats are steeped in dissonance (New Slaves). Goosebumps, but in the crazy way. It makes me feel insanely weird for being a white person. Which, hey, I think white people deserve every now and then. On the heels of that, let me just say, this is exactly why this whole album is important. I'm still deciding on the whole Yeezus movement, I mean, it's good and great and relevant. And Black Skinhead hits me in ways not many songs do. Give me more time. Fuck up your whole afternoon shit, you know? He does that.
Are you ready to get your heart ripped out right through your ear canals? Sometimes I'm depressed and all I do is listen to this song over and over and over and over again. I write with this song in the background. I feel this song. They are poetry; together, they are the poetry that created the first musician. And, as I sit and eat up their songs, I am the first ears to hear beauty.
Just shut up and let it do what it's intending to do. This isn't an important song. Duh. I know that. But can I just be entertained? But can I just love a song about big asses? But can I just love a song that is screaming for remix after remix after remix? Yes, I can. Also, I'll be damned if this video isn't totally dope. (I did just say "dope", I hope that's okay).
If this isn't on your list, you a damn fool. Okay, maybe overplayed. But, for good reason, you know. I dare you to not shoulder dance to this track, y'all. You can't do it. Throwback feel to the 70s mixed in with essential contemporary. And yes, I think Daft Punk is essential. Do you even know what I mean?
Yeah, Hov, Yeah, Hov. You chumps knew this was a shoo-in. And why do I even love this? I don't know what it's like to be rich, even though after listening to this whole album, I get a feel for it. It's hard, isn't it, Jay? (I do know what it's like to be Flush Outta Riesling, tho) This album is on the other end of the spectrum vs. Yeezus. It isn't really socially relevant or important, I mean, not many of us can relate to spending all our euros on tuxes and weird clothes... but it's catchy, and you know what, I'll sing the fuck out of it.
Here's a spoiler alert: this is my top, tip top, cream of the crop, album of the year. It's extremely difficult to exclude ONE track to croon about. Seriously. But since I HAVE TO, this is the one I choose. This is riding around in the country, singing loudly, windows down summer time laid back beats. This is a heart, bleeding so perfectly right into the fourth track. And then, the fifth, and so on and so on. I mean, goddamn. Im not sure these songs could be perfected any more. This is it. This is the one. This is the winner.
*******************************
Other notable traxxxxx that aren't new:
Runaway covered by Oberhofer, Whatever You Like covered by Anya Marina and Come Live with Me by Ray Charles.
