Young Jeezy welcomes himself back
Associated Press
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"The Recession" by Young Jeezy; Def Jam
Young Jeezy cooks up a familiar prescription to the grind on his third album, "The Recession." Chronicling the ambitions of a hustler in even more dire times, his position remains the same: He's not about word play, he's about "bird play" — slinging cocaine.
Young details his situation above the operatic sway of "Crazy World": "All I got to my name is two bricks and one felony / You going back to jail / That's what my conscience keep telling me." Behind the boards, producer Midnight Black melds marching brass with popping machine-gun percussion, propelling Jeezy's blunt-charred voice.
The ballad-esque "Don't You Know" is another dedication to the corner with customers coming "back like Frisbees" and smoke fumes getting him all dizzy. "The Vacation" leads with this icy intro: "You see me standing there / Like a chandelier/ gangsta of the year / sippin' Belvedere" as a spectral synth hovers around snapping snares laid down by the production team the Inkredibles.
"Circulate" shifts the attention out of the hood and toward the terminal state of the U.S. economy. Producer Don Cannon's treatment of Billy Paul's "Let The Dollar Circulate" approaches Just Blaze territory.
"By The Way" starts off with a children's chorus before Jeezy depicts victims of gun play as having "chests like doughnuts." In other spots he specifies the stress of a dealer's life in his signature style.
Of the two high-profile guests, Kanye one-ups Nas' imagining of Obama's grill on a new form of currency by earnestly singing about losing his mom.
Beatwise, producer Shawty Redd's swirling horror-show organ and pogo-stick drum skip on "Who Dat" is a definite high point, and the miniature orchestra behind DJ Squeeky's "Welcome Back" revs like a cinematic chase scene.
For all Jeezy's turf talk, it must be said that he can feel his way around a hook, and his narcotic phraseology has never been more succinct. Aside from the title, not much has changed two albums removed from his Herculean debut: He's still offering lectures on what motivates a thug.
— Jake O'Connell
"Shine Through It" by Terrence Howard; Columbia
Terrence Howard gave a hint of his musical skills when he played an aspiring rapper in the 2005 film "Hustle & Flow." Howard performed the movie's catchiest tune, "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," which went on to win the Academy Award for best original song.
The actor didn't write that song, but he wrote, arranged, produced and performed on all 11 tracks on his debut album, "Shine Through It," making good on his longtime musical aspirations.
The album is a satisfying sampler of Howard's skills and varied influences. There are Latin rhythms, island beats, soaring strings and jazzy horns surrounding lyrics about love, life, youth and yearning.
Howard gets personal, musing about the power of love on the flute-and-piano tinged "Love Makes You Beautiful" and confessing his relationship sins on "No. 1 Fan." But he tends toward the dramatic, opening the instrumental track "It's All Game" with this deadly serious observation: "In every relationship, there's this factor of least interest involved, meaning the person least interested in maintaining it will dominate it because they won't compromise. Think about it." However, another instrumental track, "Spanish Love Affair," communicates all the drama it needs with flamenco guitars.
Howard is at his best on the upbeat songs. He invokes Stevie Wonder on "I Remember When," a carefree, harmonica-infused tune punctuated by a whistling choir. Whistles also open "She Was Mine," a song suited for a speakeasy with its groovy blend of keyboards, piano and walking bass. Cuban rhythms and bright horns enliven "Mr. Johnson's Lawn," while a hip-hop beat enhances the pop nature of "Plenty."
With a two-album deal in place, Howard's impressive debut sets him up to travel in any musical direction.
— Sandy Cohen
