Year In America June 5, 2008

[koganbot]

Decided to start aping the poptimists' Year In Pop thing by bringing it to America, to keep myself aware, maybe to stimulate my imagination. This is something that skillextric'd probably do much better, so if he and you would care to jump in and comment, that would make me happy.

The way it works is anything new to the Billboard Top 40, I write up and rate. TICK equals good, NONTICK equals not so good.

Lil Wayne f. T-Pain "Got Money": This track is more for the sound than for Wayne, T-Pain taking his brush and painting the pain - dark south drama - while a deliberately subdued Wayne... well, hold on here, why would Wayne choose to be subdued? He's laying back, a wizened wisdom dispenser, eye cocked, sounding canny, whereas his forte is to sound uncanny, right? There is one great little soft-shoe moment, however, his rhyming "trick" with "it" and "shit," then suspending the sound, we're all attention, while the bomb goes "tick." This song is itself a TICK, of course, but it's not quite the bomb, needs more such moments. Maybe Weezy functions best as a walk-on on other people's records?

The-Dream "I Luv Your Girl": The music is molasses on warm butter, but underneath the condiments Mr. Umbrella is making a play for his best friend's girl. Ambiguous as to whether he gets her in real life or only in his dreams: "All up in my head/Now she in my bed." Well, why should I care about these guys' problems? Sound is rich enough for a TICK, but the mating game is turning into a dance of dullness.

Kardinal Offishall f. Akon "Dangerous": That girl is so dangerous, because, you know, she's sexy, and sexual attraction is dangerous because, um... No insights here, and I'm bored. Competent prettiness, ok dancehall groove. Back in 2004 Offishall had toasted over a beautiful "Bang Bang," seriously eerie and gorgeous; same voice here but no atmosphere of note. Not enough for a tick, anyway. TICKLESS.

[The date is yesterday's 'cause Billboard posts its chart on Thursdays.]

Comments

[skyecaptain.livejournal.com]

Oof, that Lil' Wayne song was kind of a slog. Sounds like a simple attempt to grab some of the energy in "Lollipop" and make something else out of it went horribly awry when lightning struck the recording devices, turning everything into a flat electronic squawk.