808s and Heartbreaks

Ok, here is an unbiased review of 808s and Heartbreaks by Kanye West.

1. Say You Will - Very minimalist beat, kinda EKG-like with a haunting choir in the background. Clearly a song about his ex Alexis. I think it sets an appropriate tone for the rest of the album. 7/10.
2. Welcome to Heartbreak ft. Kid Cudi - Kanye reflects on the family life vs. his solitary life as a hip-hop artist. Heavy on the Vocoder on this one. It can be hard to hear what he's saying sometimes. I like the message, but not the execution. 5/10.
   
3. Heartless - My second favorite song on this album. Not as heavy on the voice effects as some of the other songs. I like the synth flute as well the piano chords. In this song he takes a minute to be critical of his relationship vs. being sad about it. A nice change of pace topic wise. I loved the live version as well because of the added effects. It would've been nice to have this version on the album as well. 10/10.
4. Amazing ft. Young Jeezy - Best song on the album. A haunting beat with a powerful chorus and Jeezy's raspy vocals. I could see this being shot at a funeral or a bittersweet return for a soldier/warrior. Very smoky and dramatic. 10/10.
5. Love Lockdown - Sounds a lot better in the final mastered version. His performance of this at the VMAs sold me on this song instantly. It's a very honest song about his past relationship. The instrumental after Kanye stops singing is amazing. 9/10.
   
6. Paranoid ft. Mr. Hudson - Is it 1987 again? Yes. Yes it is. The most upbeat song on the album. Heavy synth, 80s drums. This song takes me bad to when I was...3. But anyway, I worried about the wrong thing...Anyway, great party song 8/10.
   
7. Robocop - A LOT better that the leaked version I heard. Unfortunately, that's not saying a whole lot. That very sad since I actually like the lyrics. They are kinda funny and witty. 6/10. Would been higher with a better beat.
   
8. Streetlights - Kanye got his Mike Jones on - if one line is good, just say it again. Only this time, it's an entire verse. Heavy Vocoder, eerie beat, decent lyrics. 6/10.
   
9. Bad News - Surprisingly upbeat. I really like this one. 8/10
   
10. See You in my Knightmares ft. Lil Wayne - Wasted potential. Apparently, Wayne has been sharing the sizzurp. 4/10.
    
11. Coldest Winter - Man Alexis broke this man's heart...A very honest and open song.6/10.
    
12. Pinocchio Story (Freestyle) - um...wow. I appreciate the honesty, the soul-bearing, but damn Ye. It's gone too far! Hopefully this album got everything out of his system and he can get back to doing what he does best. 3/10.

Final tally - 82/120= 68.3

I wanted to like this album, I really did. It has some good tracks on it, and had the potential to be a great album but falls short. His live performances of the songs have been great though. He reportedly has a hip-hop album coming out in June. Let's hope so.

Do you.