Review provided by www.makeastar.com
The following review is of the hit single, "King Pain". 7.286 out of 10
Written by: MaD MaXxx & NuJam
Mixed and Mastered by: MaD MaXxx
Music:
The track doesn't have as much impact as it should because the music doesn't have any single factor that the listener can focus on. The rhythm programming is undistinguished and in flux for most of the track. The rest of the track lacks melody and development, consisting of fills and effects that frame the rap. What a long track like this needs is some element in the backing that gives focus to the rambling riffing from the rapper. 6 out of 10
Lyrics:
Like a folk ballad that details a famous outlaw, this rap is a veneration of the character and his exploits. For sheer endurance and lyric invention, I have to score this high, but there is also a formlessness much like the music that undermines the ability of the listener to absorb the story. So much of the language is in the lingo of the hood, that the total effect is like preaching a long sermon to the choir. Since this is an industry review, I have to encourage you to open up your story to easier comprehension.. 8 out of 10
Arrangement & Production:
One easy way to add some focus to this track is to establish more consistent rhythms to define the various sections of the track better. For instance, the "Crown King James" bit could use a beat that accompanies it whenever it comes around. Similarly, there are other sections of the track that repeat and could use signature beats. A case could me made that this arrangement strategy is not as organic as the one you already have, but if you listen to a track and its' formlessness makes your attention wander, it's not a good thing. 6 out of 10
Lead Vocal:
The vocals on this track are very good, although they could be mixed with a bit more clarity; the words are hard to hear at times. Bringing the vocal up slightly in the mix and panning the effects and fills so they don't cover the vocals will bring this track up to industry standards. The rap is clever and relentless, utilizing excellent metaphors and language play to create the portrait of a hero of the hood. Still, without being able to hear the details, the ear drifts off.
8 out of 10
Musicianship:
Imagination and restlessness characterize the playing and programming on this track. Much of it is interesting, but works at cross purposes to the rap itself. The playing and programming are tight rhythmically, but part of good musicianship is to frame the vocals with parts that move the track along, but not at the expense of the vocal. Many of the fills seem random. This may be cool for the musicians who created the track, but doesn't provide as much fascination for the listener. Rhythmic repetition can't get out of hand before the listener's ear begins to tire. 7 out of 10
Originality:
I have to score you high on this one because you have taken rap into another arena; that of the epic lyric ballad. Bob Dylan made his earliest career statements with folk tracks like this. In fact, ancient Ireland had traveling poets with large entourages that traveled from kingdom to kingdom entertaining the royal court for months at a time, at the Kings expense. The bards would recite long poems like Homers Iliad in ancient Greece. You also get points for the organic form; it does contribute to the monotony of the track, but if you tightened up your relationship of signature beats to certain sections of the track, you would overcome the tendency of the track to blur over in the listener's ear. 8 out of 10
Marketability:
Because you are 'hood-centric' and have a hero's tale to tell, you could get a lot of interest with this track. The predominance of rap on music television is obvious to everyone and the popularity of this style has long outgrown the hood where it was generated. Still, records that hit the top of the charts are more tightly produced that this one and you'll get that comment from most A&R execs. 8 out of 10
**General Comments?**:
(This is song was reviewed by reviewer nicknamed Curtis Lowell) This track is the modern day equivalent of what used to be called'underground' in the sixties. A form that expands the possibilities of the lyric and the backing. The only problem here is that the focus wanders and that holds the track in a static space with only the rap to keep the attention of the listener. The rap is somewhat buried and not driven by a narrative that lets the listener follow the story. Rather, it's like an extended celebration of the hoops hero by someone who already knows the story intimately. Ultimately, you want a stranger to be able to pick up on the tale. 7.286 out of 10
Previous Review