Cruel Summer

This is not a review, it is just some thoughts on the album so it may seem a bit incoherent and thrown together.

So Cruel Summer came out today and I just finished listened to it. I've listened to it about 3 times now. It's an OK album, there are some issues with it but for the most part enjoyable as long as you are not looking for any sort of variety. The production to the whole records sound a little too similar and the topics on the album are not much more than how awesome they think they are. Everyone apart from Kanye seem to be lacking in energy. John Legend and Common don't get much time on the album even though they started G.O.O.D Music along with Kanye and Mos Def who is one of the better rappers on the label is nowhere to be seen. The production is excellent even if each track is a little too similar to each other.

Some tracks do stand out. Clique feels like it was something Kanye left off Watch The Throne but the choice to include Big Sean in the song was maybe not a good idea. He doesn't have the presence and spectacle of Jay-Z or Kanye on the track. Bliss is a duet with John Legend and Teyana Taylor. This was a really nice change of pace but comes a little late in the album. To The World is a good album opener and R. Kelly sounds more pumped up than the actual G.O.O.D music crew. New God Flow has a lot of energy from all three of the rappers featuring on it.

Best Tracks: Clique, Bliss

What do you guys think?

It's a cruel, cruel summer

Leaving me here on my own

It's a cruel, cruel summer

Now you've gone

i came for the ace of base and was dissapointed. you are a fucking monster sir. A MONSTER!!

I bought it earlier today and it's okay, but I was expecting more. For intance, To the World had potential, but R. Kelly kind of ruins it for me. He's not a very good singer and that hook is weak. Raekwon & Ghostface Killa's appearance in "The Morning" was good.

*checks for Bananarama reference; already there*

Good job, everyone.

All the best tracks on the album were the singles that came out leading up to its release. It's still a decent effort, but I think there's way too much Big Sean on the album and not nearly enough Common. I don't get why they didn't put Pusha on Clique, Big Sean having a slot on that song just seems like a waste. He's just not in the same league as Jay and 'Ye. My favorite track is probably Theraflu, or whatever title it has now, and the DJ Khaled feature is fucking hysterical because of how unnecessary it is. Dude didn't make the beat, can't rap, and just functions as a hype man for the song, saying like 8 words total. The fuck does that guy even do if he isn't even an actual DJ?

mos def is on good? i wonder what he's been doing since he signed in 2010....

I like most of the album. To me, the Kid Cudi track "Creepers" feels flat and the pieces of "New God Flow" don't fit together quite right. The rest of the album is very listenable, even if some members of the cast shine brighter than others. It will be in my rotation for a while.

@TyCobb: That's what I thought this thread would be about.

It sucked when the Karate Kid soundtrack came out and Cruel Summer wasn't on it.

The production and the hook in 'Sin City' are INSANELY good. Too bad the rappers are lacking on that track. Other than that, I agree. It is really entertaining, but too little Kanye and too much Big Sean and to a lesser extent Pusha T and 2 Chainz means it is nowhere near the levels of Dark Fantasy.

I was and am incredibly dissappointed. So many weird choices when it comes to features. New God Flow is a beast song though.

New God Flow & Mercy are the only good songs on Cruel Summer

@thedj93: He changed his name to Yasiin Bey