808s and Heartbreak

Kanye West808s and HeartbreakI want to meet the person who says “I just love what Kanye West is doing with his voice these days.” That person is special; I know they’re out there; I want to meet them. I say this not because I think West is a buffoon or his current work is poor, but rather, I say this with no irony. I say this because I think this person might be on to something. West, likewise, is on to something.

To amuse me in dire moments, my girlfriend - who hates West’s fourth studio album, 808s and Heartbreak - attempts to impersonate the Auto-Tune effect West uses on his voice through the whole of his new record. Another friend - who loves Kanye and his new album despite the instantly dated vocal approach - told me that West’s new style reminds them of going to specialty clubs with gay friends. (Cher, anyone?) Me, I’m somewhere in between affection and repulsion, likely forever confused about the record. Hip-hop has been mostly stale for so long now that I’m often just happy when someone on the top shelf starts knocking things over - taking chances. On Heartbreak the very man who was recently thought to be capable of bringing the genre back to its roots definitely takes chances that no one in his genre has even thought to toy with before.

For starters, West is now singing much more than he is rapping. Singing, but you probably already know that if you’ve heard the single or seen the video. He falls back to his old style a bit here and there and has a few instantly forgettable guest verses (Lil’ Wayne and Young Jeezy? Huh? Where is Common when you need him?), but mostly, West is either speaking or pretending to sing. Okay, maybe “pretending” isn’t quite the right word. No, West is not a gifted singer, but the abovementioned Auto-Tune corrective device he uses on pretty much every vocal lick makes him sound passable. Like a cocksure robot, but passable.

Secondly, West wrote very candid, lovelorn songs that stem from two recent events in his life: 1) his mother’s passing; and 2) a broken engagement. You can write such songs in hip-hop, surely, but an entire album? That’s just self indulgent and, well, sissy. Lastly, West is producing very creative backdrops that reference many genres, styles and artists. Okay, I’ll say it: even if it doesn’t always make your head nod or even feel like hip-hop, Heartbreak features its maker’s most accomplished, strange and surprising production yet. For that, it’s worth checking out if you deem yourself an audiophile.

Friend who likes the Heartbreak likened West’s production here to The Notwist’s 2002 classic Neon Golden. Ehh. Must be the Roland TR-808 that connected those dots, because this record - interesting as it is - has no business being compared to that classic. And indeed, as referenced in the title, the famous Roland drum machine does also play a big role on the record, offering - along with the Auto-Tune-tinged production - a level of cohesiveness that truly makes this work sound like a proper album. All of West’s records have attempted to be cohesive, but Heartbreak, oddly, is the first one to really pull it off. Love the Auto-Tune vocals, singing and general mushiness or hate them, Heartbreak announces West as more than a producer/personality; he is, as he’s always claimed, an artist with vision.

That’s all well and good, but look past the artistic guts and you’ll find that, for the most part, this album is a rather large artistic misstep. That West has vision in his bones should be no surprise; that he hints at his pull to be less predictable in such a way is flawed. But who cares; seeing a competent artist go for the prize is always a beautiful thing - especially when he or she has a whole lot to lose. These artful compositions come from a mind that clearly listens to much more than hip-hop - thus the reason this experiment works. I hear classical. I hear jazz. I hear soul. I hear rock. I hear indie rock. I even hear some theatre influence. Sounds like a mess, but weaving together so many ideas proves to be no sweat for West and his production savvy.

Hardly a new classic or even a slight step forward for hip-hop, Heartbreak functions as an awkward artistic step forward for an awkward artist whose cockiness might just be his greatest asset. Get over the Auto-Tune vocals and instantly dated sound and 808s and Heartbreak is an interesting - and often very satisfying - New World record.   7/10

Written by G. William Locke