Reviews
Lupe Fiasco
Building on his trademark thought provoking lyrics and charming voice, ‘Lasers’ boasts a ‘new’ Lupe Fiasco. This Lupe raps over electronic-infused instrumentals and proves he can appeal to youthful and mainstream audiences. Balancing some of the elements of the pop sound on the album are several tracks with the qualities that made Lupe Fiasco initially appealing – original subject matter and inspiring lyrics.
The opening track is dramatic and succeeds in catching listeners’ attention. The second track is less impressive. Featuring Skylar Grey (who also sings the chorus on ‘I Need a Doctor’ from Dr. Dre’s long ‘Detox’), ‘Words I Never Said’ pairs a steady flow with a semi-emotional chorus over a dramatic beat. Because the beat and chorus are not the most original in sound, Lupe’s flow tends to sound redundant. Redeeming are Lupe’s lyrical talents. Using relevant matters like economic crisis and reality TV to discuss the larger issue of personal accountability in society (“Now we can say it ain’t our fault/ If we never heard it/ But if we know better then we probably deserve it”), Lupe delves into even deeper issues like religious bias and the poverty cycle in the United States.
The variety of sounds on ‘Lasers’ is notable. Much stronger in melody is ‘Till I Get There’, which presents a more varied rhythm and vocal tone in the flow, and whose piano-based instrumental is full bodied and makes for easy listening. One track even has a club like feel to it, as Lupe increases the pace of his flow and drags out the ends of his words on ‘I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now’. The lyrical content is less than impressive and the puns more entertaining than meaningful (“Said I blue it like turquoise” and “Trying to keep it clean like church clothes”), but the song grows on you.
What was unexpected and surprising was the use of autotune and electronics on this album. In addition to ‘I Don’t Wanna Care Right Now’, songs like ‘Beautiful Lasers’ and ‘Coming Up’ sport that electronica-hip-hop sound that is all over the radio now. Other than the need to create a contemporary sound or appeal to younger audiences, the artistic value of using autotune isn’t quite clear. The exception is ‘Letting Go’, which uses faded vocals and autotune in only one part of the song to create a well layered, ethereal sound complimented by soulful vocals.
The latter half of the album, which sounds like a more familiar Lupe, is impressive. Particularly attention-worthy is ‘Black Everything’, in which Lupe’s calm tone allows him to question race and reality. Nearly recreating the world as we know it (“Somalia’s a great place to relax in/ Fred Astaire was the first to do a backspin/ The Rat Pack was a cool group of black men that inspired five white guys called the Jacksons) Lupe’s clever ideas and his confident voice resonate over lovely strings that swell to create an uplifting sound.
Provided that we see him as a reliable artist, it may have been difficult for Lupe to incorporate an edgy, modern sound into his album, but the choice to include both new and familiar sounding songs provides ‘Lasers’ not only with variety, but also makes it interesting as an album.
Words: Camille Gutierrez
‘Lasers’ is out now on Atlantic.
