Lloyd Banks / Barnaked Ladies

Lloyd Banks

Back in the mid 1990s, when I listened to “Gangsta” rap, what appealed to me most were the hypnotic, repetitive melodies sampled in the background of the songs, the quotes from gangster, horror and kung-fu movies and the mythical and epic rhymes that artists such as the Wu-Tang Clan, Cypress Hill, Tupac Shakur, Dr Dre and others produced.

Lloyd Banks, member of G-Unit, can trace an unbroken line of ‘O-G’ credit back to Gangsta’s golden age, through 50 Cent, Eminem, and Dre.  My biggest criticism of Rap and Hip Hop is the pandemic lack of innovation in the genre.  Well, Lloyd Banks has successfully reverse-innovated this album, going back to the roots of Gangsta Rap to produce the sound and feel of his sophomore album.

As much as I hated Ludacris’ CD “Release Therapy”, I enjoyed “Rotten Apple” by Lloyd Banks.  By going back to Gangsta Rap’s ‘O-G’ roots, Banks has actually produced a fresh, original CD.

The songs on the CD seem to be chapters of the same self-aggrandizing story of Lloyd Banks the Gangsta, with all the usual trappings of how hardcore, stone-cold, and “roofless” he is, while still paying tribute, repeatedly, to G Unit, 50 Cent and Eminem; I think I heard Dre’s name mentioned a couple of times, too.

When Banks channels this energy into songs like “Survival” or “Playboy” the result is unquestionably brilliant.  However, when Banks “collaborates” with 50 Cent as he does three times on this album, the senior Rapper seems to deliberately overshadows Banks with his usual blunt, artless rhyming and delivery.

By contrast, the other collaborative efforts on this CD (And there are several•9 out of the 16 songs on the CD are collaborations) are spectacular; “Help” featuring Keri Wilson is thuggishly romantic; “Addicted” with Musiq Soulchild is sexy and far more danceable than the absolutely horrid “Hands Up”, the first single off this CD and a track that “features” 50 Cent so much it might as well be HIS song featuring Lloyd Banks.

All in all this is a pretty fair album; definitely worth listening to, definitely worth cranking up and making the subwoofer thump and rattle.

Lloyd Banks: Rotten Apple

G-Unit Records

Steve’s Rating 97.0%

Editor's Note:

As a bonus this week, Andy (Awesome Andy as I like to call him) our amazing webdesigner also reviews The Barenaked Ladies newest release, Barenaked Ladies Are Me.

Barenaked Ladies Are Me

By Awesome Andy

So I'll be reviewing the newly released "Barenaked Ladies Are Me" album by none other than Canadian rockers BNL (Barenaked Ladies). BLAM, as it has been dubbed by BNL fans, is the Toronto group's return to it's independent roots, as they have recently reached the end of their contract with Warner Music.

Before getting into the music, it is worth noting that in producing their own album independently, the band is experimenting with new and unique distribution methods. When BNL went into the studio, they wrote and recorded almost 30 songs; far too much to put on one album, yet they wanted to release all the songs to their fans. The physical CD version of BLAM contains 15 songs. Fans who pre-ordered the CD have also received a live version of the album recorded at the Glen Gould Theatre. The 15 song album is also available online, in iTunes and through Nettwerk Management. The remaining songs will be available on CD in January on the album "Barenaked Ladies are Men". However, to confuse matters further, BNL have decided to release the full 29 songs online as a "Deluxe Edition" of the album, available immediately. While I appreciate that the band is trying to give fans options, and experimenting with new distribution models, I feel that they are perhaps confusing people with several versions of the same album with similar naming. With that said, the version I'll be reviewing this week is the standard 15 song CD version.

Right from the opening track, we can sense something is different with this album; It feels like the band is returning to their roots with a softer, more melodic style, yet it sounds like nothing they have done before. The one thing that amazes me is how an established band can continuously create such a diverse album. From the slow melodic sounds of "Home", to the indie pop feel of "Bank Job", to the folk stylings of "Adrift", to the rock guitars in "Wind it Up", to the brit-pop inspired "Another Spin"; each song sounds very different, yet they all fit together somehow. Another amazing aspect of a band like the Ladies is that they are not shy to let everyone collaborate in the making of the album. There are songs written by four of the five members of the band, with lead vocals shared between these four members. How many bands do you know have four lead singers?

My first impression of the album was that of disappointment. Having been a fan of BNL since their "Yellow Tape" independent release in 1991, I have heard them grow and change stylistically from their acoustic early work to their recent pop-inspired "fast-lyric" songs. This album is quite different in that there are very few songs that immediately stand out with catchy hooks and upbeat tempos. It's a very mellow sounding album, with folk inspired roots and brit-pop inspired layered vocals and brass instruments. After the initial disappointment I listened to the album again; that's when the richness and complexity of the music hit me. This album feels much less "commercial" than any recent album they have made. In fact, it reminds me of "Born on a Pirate Ship" released in 1996, an album recorded during a time of mismanagement over the band's direction, but arguably the band's most "authentic true-to-self" album.

If you're looking for the more comical upbeat songs that have been common in their last 2 albums, you're best to look elsewhere. While this album has no shortage of witty and satirical lyrics, they are much more subdued, with a more serious tone and a softer edge. Beautiful lyrical arrangements and layered vocals are at the forefront, combined with the band's signature standout guitar riffs. Noteworthy songs on this album are "Easy" (the band's first single), "Bank Job", and "Maybe You're Right".

Final thoughts: If you are looking for more pop-styled songs, I recommend waiting for "Barenaked Ladies are Men", or buying the "Deluxe Edition" online now, as it would appear the upbeat songs are more common on the second half of this release. If you want a beautifully written and arranged album with timeless music, invest the time in listening to this album more than once. It will be worth it. I'd give the album a solid 8/10.