Frank Kogan

Actually agree on Jay-Z and T.I. It's really the sample and the rhythm that drive this, and Kanye at the start. Wayne's fine too, though somewhat superfluous. Not surprised that you don't like it as much as I do, since it's basically hard rock - and to my ears much better rock than the Fall Out Boy, for instance.

I'm not as high on "Need U Bad" as you are - seems a bit clumsy when compared to the Eternals' or the Impressions' tracks I linked, or "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - but it's an easy easy easy tick, so much better than most of what the chart has been giving us recently. And I'd say the same about "Swagga."

As for the rest: "Love Story" is better than other recent Taylor songwriting (the excellent, recently charting "Should've Said No" is two years old), gets to the fragile-sad-elated-pissy combo she did so well on album one, on last year's Xmas originals, and on those r&b covers she's been tossing at us in concert, but... not sure what's falling short here; she evens out the emotions too much in comparison to her at her best. A sure tick, though.

Interesting thing about Fall Out Boy is that as a rock band they barely stumble into competence, and I've never been a fan of Stump's straining voice, either, which means if they don't come through on the melodies and harmonies they're a bore. (And I assume you'd say they're a bore no matter what.) Rudolf I don't know what to make of. Lighter touch than FOB, but as with them, his prettiness is more crucial than his rockingness; don't know what he's doing on Ca$h Money. Both tracks are a bit better than borderline, but neither ranks with, say, "The Break's Over" (which itself was hardly transcendent).

As for the tumbleweeds and steer skulls that have overtaken this corner of livejournal, we do seem to be wandering in the prairie without much company, don't we?