Monday, May 14, 2007

Redman "Red Gone Wild" cd review

Fire- It seems a weird opening song because it lacks the usual Redman energy, but lyrically it brings the usual random Redman metaphors, similes and pop culture references. I would have liked a harder beat and a better hook to lead off the album, but it is a good track. 3.5/5

Bak inda building- This is more of the Redman feel I like. The beat is a bit sinister and harder than the previous track. Red is having fun here, but still bringing something interesting. His flow is great here, not sounding forced like he sometimes does. His hook crafting skills are still a bit lax here, but the sample on the hook is a nice touch. 3.5/5


Put it down- Here is Redman at his best. Timbaland (top producer of 2006) crafts a great beat for Red and he rides it beautifully. His timing with the beat is perfect as he hits the syllables hard when the beat hits harder. Lyrically more, fun random pop culture references. 4/5


Gimme one- The horn breaks at the beginning of this track make me happy. Sadly, the actual beat is a let down off the intro, but Red does his best to overcome a pretty repetitive beat. This is nothing special but lines like "I got more fx than Kung Fu Hustle" are classic Redman. 3/5


sumptin' 4 urrbody- It takes a very good posse to make a very good posse cut and sadly Redman does not have a great posse. This is pure filler track where Redman tries to garner interest in some younger rappers, but they are not up to the challenge. This is 100% skippable and the hook is something akin to getting a tooth pulled. 0/5


How U like dat- this sounds like it was left off the last good Redman Album. It is a throwback to the late 90's but doesn't sound dated here. I don't have it in front of me, but I would guess Erik Sermon produced this track as it melds beautifully with Red. "I deliver punchlines with a right handed jab" is another great Redman line. Too bad he lets someone else jump on the track. He does steal a page out of the Eminem's playbook, mixing the rapping and singing in two octaves.


Freestyle Freestyle- This is my pick for best beat of the year thus far. The sparse beat sounds like it could have been created by banging fists on a table and it allows us to focus on the humor of Redman's lyrics. The hook is his best one on the album. He pulls back the madcap energy here and it fits perfectly. 5/5


Walk in gutta- Erik Serman definitely produced this Def Squad reunion and you throw Biz Markie on the hook and it sounds like 1993 all over again. Again, it doesn't sound dated and Redman seems very focused here. Serman brings his usual great flowed swagger to less than stellar lyrics and Keith Murray, an always underrated Emcee, makes it truly "gutta" whispering menacingly on part of his verse. 5/5


wutchoogonnado- Yes, at this point the song titles are nauseating. The song itself has a nice uptempo, fun feel to it and Red makes the best use of it. It gets long, coming in at over 5 minutes. He has a female singer on the hook and it adds to the summer feel and again, Red is more focused here than he has been in years. 4/5


Diz Is Brick City- The beat is too slow for Redman and the violin samples don't really fit Red's style, but he tries to meld with it. He feels held back here like it took a lot of tries for him to slow down to the beat, but he almost makes it work. Again, he stuffs his verses full of pop culture references, but they are better hidden here. A second Nike simile on the album and that is annoying. 3/5


Rite Now- Al Green samples almost always work and here is no exception. This beat is funky and Red makes the entire song funky. And Red loves to be funky. "I should have got a scholarship for athlete's feet." Real funky, yo. 4.5/5


Blow Trees- I was waiting for the weed anthem and here it is. The beat sounds like it is high and there is a reggae feel with the vocal sample. Redman switches up his flow here, playing with cadences, which is ambitious for a weed anthem, but it works very well. Method Man jumps on the track and kills it. I am not usually one for weed anthems but this one gave me a contact high, so it is all good. 4/5


Pimp Nutz- Redman tries to get his dirty south on, totally slowing down his flow giving it a "chopped and screwed" feel. It is one of the worst tracks on the album and the hook makes me want to stop listening completely. 1/5


Hold Dis Blaow- The beat hits hard right off the bat, giving a very sinister feel. Again though, Red sounds held back here. They should have sped it up and let Red just tear through it. That being said, it still comes off pretty good. This is pure Jersey funk and Red Shines mostly. 3.5/5


Get 'em- This beat is all over the place, but it works with Redman's manic energy and creative flow. The beat is very light. Lacking a real deep bass line and Red manages to make his voice almost come off as the bass line and I totally love it. The hook and actual song are pretty basic, but the beat makes it worth listening to over and over again. 3.5/5


Merry Jane- Weed Anthem number 2, with Snoop Dogg, professional weed smoker number 3. Nate Dogg brings his usual flawless vocals to the hook, but honestly this album has one perfect weed anthem, so this just comes off like a late edition to the album and pretty much pointless. Red has a funny verse, "I don't do coke, in fact I barely drink Pepsi" but I am over the weed thing here. 2.5/5


Gilla House Check- Another top notch track off the CD. There is a random British accented vocal sample at the front, but it works into the beat that comes and goes randomly. Redman hits the beat hard and is the party starter here. He is not afraid to change his rhyme patterns here, ala Ludacris. I love this track 4.5/5


Soopaman lova 6 and 6 and 1/2- I have never enjoyed Redman's wanna be superhero character "soopaman lova" songs, but this one is a funky jam. The song sounds like a 70's soul song and it has an interesting storyline to it and I like concept songs usually. Another Bruce Willis drop though, that is too bad. 4/5


Suicide- This is classic Redman pure and simple. The beat is crazy and Redman hits it hard. Not sure why they waited for the last track to give us this track. Even Red trying to sing can't ruin the feel of this bad boy. Redman brings the Jersey Gutter here. The hook is basic but works for the song. The more I listen to this song, the more I love it. 5/5

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