CD OF THE WEEK:
The Game: The Documentary
There comes a time when a rapper gets over himself and develops a universal voice. Some rappers, like the Notorious BIG, came into the game ready; others, like Tupac, worked on it until it became pure.
This seems especially true for one of hip-hop’s deadliest genres, gangster rap, which The Game passionately celebrates on his new album, The Documentary (Interscope). His verbal delivery combines New York rap’s creative wordplay with Los Angeles’s gang mentality, but it is Dr Dre who adds authority to The Game‘s voice with heavily engineered beats.
On the Kanye West-produced Dreams, he talks of how he felt like he was looking through “Stevie Wonder’s glasses” after being shot. “I’m willing to do two life sentences back-to-back,” he threatens his enemies on a song about his hometown, Compton, featuring Nate Dogg. On the clubby hit How We Do, which is doing well on the Billboard charts, The Game and 50 Cent cleverly exchange verses about their quick ascendance to fame.
“Blowing trumpets like Miles Davis at the pearly gates/God let me in/Give me a room by Aaliyah’s with ESPN,” The Game opens one of his anecdotes on Runnin’, a street anthem reminiscent of Snoop Dogg in his prime, and Busta Rhymes’s chorus on Like Father Like Son is classic, but it is the title track that will help make The Game a legend.
The Documentary rocks from the first track to the last; it is for all gangster-rap fans and everyone who would like to understand what it’s all about.
Pete Belasco: Deeper (Compendia)
Pete Belasco has really studied jazz and African-American neo-soul music. Deeper reveals him to be a highly romantic, soulful brother. I’ll Come to You takes you on a journey of tender emotions, making ideas such as breakfast in bed and candlelight baths second nature. Deeper is an album to share with the one you love — but don’t expect originality, only perfection: it’s ideal for a love relationship in need of innovation. — BL
Meredith Brooks: Shine (David Gresham)
She may have been a bitch, a lover and a saint at some point in her life; right now she is little more than a bland, B-list pop singer. It’s not even all new: most of this is her 2002 album Bad Bad One, repackaged. And when a singer feels the need to include a Dr Phil mix of one of her songs, the end may well be nigh. — Riaan Wolmarans
Ana Johnsson: The Way I Am (Sony BMG)
Yet more proof that something in Sweden’s air makes its musos churn out likeable pop melodies in their sleep. On this, her debut, Johnsson sounds like a homelier, more organic version of Britney Spears. She’s more on Avril Lavigne’s mellow but still marketable pop-rock tip, as the hit We Are has proved, and she co-wrote most of the album. It’s a bit too slight to score full marks, but it’s an easy, pleasant listen. — RW
Danko Jones: The Magical World of Rock with Danko Jones (Bad Taste)Danko Jones, shamelessly loud and proud lead singer of the eponymous Canadian rock’n’roll band who recently toured South Africa, proved to be a talkative, energetic front man on stage. This album (take note before you buy it) is simply more of him gabbing away — between band engagements, he did a handful of spoken-word gigs. It’s all curiously interesting and sometimes quite witty. — RW