Album- Global Warming
Artist- Pitbull
The Cuban rapper who has dubbed himself Mr Worldwide has
took the musical world by storm through such global smashes as “Give Me
Everything” and “International Love”.
With his seventh studio album the rapper continues with his formula of
combining is sensual and powerful raps with strong pop hooks sung by a plethora
of guest artists. But with each collaboration and winning formula being
repeated, does Pitbull actually make a record that as a whole is worth
listening to?
Track 1- Global
Warming (Intro) (featuring Sensato)
This short introduction sets up the album nicely in terms of
presenting Pitbull’s sample driven, rap embodied world. The tracks background
music is a sample of the well-known Los del Rio track “Macarena”, and although
the first time you listen it can kind of shock you in that you don’t expect
that kind of sample, it also is a strong example of great production being used
to really grab the listener’s attention. Lyrically the track is another Pitbull
talking about how great he is with all his money and so is a bit egotistical,
and this egotism is stepped up by Pitbull dissing other rappers in the game as
a collective. However when he is one of the biggest rappers right now you can
kind of get past the egotism and become enveloped in his swag along with him.
And with Sensato providing a nice bit of Cuban flavouring to the track that
emphasises Pitbull’s roots nicely, as far as intro’s in albums go this is a
good one.
3/5
Track 2- Don’t Stop
the Party (featuring TJR)
The first proper opening track is a stomping dance pop song
with elements of house music, with the TJR feature being a result of the
sampling of his track “Funky Vodka” as background music. The track is one where
you really get the sense of Pitbull enjoying his life and trying to get us to
join in the fun with him, with the hook being a simple statement that is
totally club ready and asks us to never stop the party. The song is also cool
in that Pitbull takes on both the rap and vocal sections to create a palpable
sense of recklessness and just revelling in fun. The call out to the listener
in the pre chorus is a cool slice of a club atmosphere, and the heavy beats are
great to really get you in that mood. My only issue with this track would be
that it feels so suited to a club/party atmosphere that for you to just listen
to it on your iPod or on a cd at home it would be definitely just one to skip,
and so it’s not one of those universally great tracks.
3.5/5
Track 3- Feel This
Moment (featuring Christina Aguilera)
The third track is a strong dance pop number that is giving
gravitas through the strong vocal performance of Aguilera, who belts out the chorus
in her powerful diva way. The track is lyrically about taking a moment to
appreciate life, and although it is a clichéd statement in today’s modern pop
world, the hook is a simple statement that is catchy and so does the job
nicely. But what really helps the track is the propulsive dance beats that are employed
within the production, particularly in terms of the post chorus dance sections,
in which the bass becomes heavier and you really get that sense of a club vibe.
The track also has lightness to it in terms of the sampling of 1985 Aha track “Take
On Me”, which propels the song into powerful synth driven territory. The synths
also allow for the track to stand out more despite its familiar structure. And
Pitbull raps in his usual charismatic way as usual, although the pop culture
references such as fifty shades of Grey can easily pass you by. And although
her vocals are good, in some places the auto tune used on Aguilera’s voice is a
little grating.
3.5/5
Track 4- Back In Time
The records lead single was a track made for the Men in
Black 3 film and played during the movies end credits, but didn’t make the
soundtracks final cut. However, either way the song sits both comfortably in
the world of that film as well as being just a great track in its own right.
What’s great about the song is the way that it melds the old and new for a
fresh sound, with the songs hook being a remixed soundbite of the Mickey & Sylvia
track “Love Is Strange” complimenting Pitbull’s fast paced lyrical raps really
well. The production features some powerful beats and the electric guitar
before each use of the hook adds a great slice of stop and start to the record.
However the production does fail slight within the middle section in which a
dubstep influenced breakdown is used for a final powerful finish, but it sounds
forced and doesn’t make the track any better so ruins the composition. And
whilst in the simple words he speaks to a girl (e.g. the beginning) exude a
great charisma, Pitbull’s raps aren’t something that really grab your
attention.
3/5
Track 5- Hope We Meet
Again (featuring Chris Brown)
Chris Brown here comes onto another Pitbull track, probably
in the hopes that they can repeat the success of their previous collaboration “International
Love”. But sadly it is not on the same level of that track. But that is just
really annoying, because there are elements of the track that are great, but
unfortunately as a whole package it doesn’t deliver. Lyrically the track finds
Brown singing of how him and his girl being magical in the moment and him
hoping that they will meet again, whilst Pitbull’s raps talk of his worldwide
success and how people keep coming back for more from him. The rap vocal
combination is another winning combination, and offers a nice change of pace in
that the Brown sections are more subdued and feel a bit more heartfelt,
although the use of auto tune in places is annoying. And the final vocal
section with the background vocals creates the idea of a powerful chorus of
voice that emphasises the ideology of uniting that exists within the track.
However the problem with the track is the production, as this could have been
more straightforward and polished to create a great song. The piano melodies of
the vocal sections are great, but then the beats kick in. And at this point the
song sounds bland, with the electronic sounds being too frenzied and trying to
elicit are get up and dance response rather than letting it be a natural
response. Furthermore, the “la la la” parts found in the post hook sections are
so stereotypical for these kind of dance pop tracks that it makes it seem as if
Pitbull isn’t even trying to make great tracks.
3/5
Track 6- Party Ain’t
Over (featuring Usher)
This collaboration sounds better than the former because in
terms of overall sound it feels like a more natural song. The tracks lyrical
content is pretty much embodied within the songs title, with Usher and Pitbull
forcing you to keep on dancing with their track as the enforcer. However the
track is great and probably will get you to dance in that the production is
strong and doesn’t feel stereotypical, with great producer Afrojack providing
some Euro pop dance beats in the post chorus sections that sound unique and propulsive
but not in your face party. Usher brings his RnB sensuality to his vocal
sections in the track and so makes for a smooth jam, with us really believing
that the party isn’t over. And the raps of Pitbull are better here as they have
a simplistic energy and also feature some cool use of the Spanish language. The
songs composition is also great in terms of the way the energy builds within
the transitions of each section, with the only real problem being the way the
song kind of finishes in a lacklustre way, as you want a little bit of a
grander finish rather than the fade out way that the song uses.
3.5/5
Track 7- Drinks for
You (Ladies Anthem) (featuring Jennifer Lopez)
Since the last two Pitbull, Lopez collaborations were full
on, get your groove on numbers, I expected this track to pretty very similar,
particularly when anthem features in the title. However I was presently
surprised with this quite chilled out track that whilst definitely a ladies
anthem has a cooler edge and offers the record that little bit of diversity. The
electro pop dance affair is a simmering charismatic jam that lyrically finds
Lopez embodying the role of the hard working woman, talking of how she’s had a
long week and now she is going to celebrate. Whilst Pitbull raps of how he sees
all these hard working women and appreciates there work, as his mother was a
working woman. The collaboration works in that the chemistry in the pairs
voices works well and gives that sense of Pitbull truly appreciating Lopez,
whilst vocally Lopez is on good form, giving a chilled out essence to the track,
although the vocal distortion is annoying in places. And the simple beats are
great in that never stray into a full on dance mode, so this makes for the
perfect track for girls getting ready for a girls night out.
3.5/5
Track 8- Have Some
Fun (featuring The Wanted)
One of the boy bands of the moment collide with Pitbull’s
rap pop world in this getting the party started track which gets its hook from
the Sheryl Crow track “All I Wanna Do”. The track is cool in that it mixes a
good sense of lightness and naughtiness into a cool way, with The Wanted
providing the lightness in their vocal sections and Pitbull providing the
naughtiness in his overtly sexual rap sections. The production is also great as
Afrojack comes on board to provide a less stereotypical sound and contrasts the
lightness of both acts sections with post chorus dance moments that feature
gritty and propulsive beats not previously found on the record. However, whilst
these are the positives of the track, the song isn’t as good as some of the previous
tracks. In my opinion this is because of The Wanted, as we don’t get a sense of
them being a collective in the track and their vocal sections sound as if they
could have been sung by a number of different artists. And although light and
propulsive sounds are mixed well, there is that sense of the track not knowing
what it wants to be in place, with the end having no sense of a punchy finish.
3/5
Track 9- Outta
Nowhere (featuring Danny Mercer)
After going back into more well-known territory with the
previous track, here Pitbull throws a little bit of a curveball and shows how
he’s not all about having to get the party going or continuing, instead
replacing his beats for some strong guitar riffs and a fragile vocal
performance by guest Danny Mercer. The track finds Pitbull rapping aggressively
about how he has worked hard to get where he is and if people don’t understand
him that’s their problem, whilst he also speaks of a relationship invaded by
the media but how he also loves the life he has. And in the vocal sections we
are treated to Mercer delicately singing about this spark disappearing when you
least expect it and just feeling hurt, with the lyrics being relatable both in
terms of our loving relationship with a partner, or our relationship with the
world. The production features a strong rock vibe that is accompanied with
clunky piano melodies that give a forceful edge to the track, and with the final
note of Danny Mercer’s voice allowing the track to settle into the listeners
mind, this is one of the standout tracks of the record.
4/5
Track 10- Tchu Tchu
Tcha (featuring Enrique Iglesias)
The diversity of the record is exhibited again within this
track with the sensual club track that is less up tempo and more about the
slow, teasing kind of vocal performance. Pitbull brings on board Spanish artist
Enrique Iglesias for the vocal sections where Iglesias sings of wanting this
girl and picking her cause she has what he needs, with the slow lyrical
stresses exuding sex appeal and complimenting the fast paced hook of the track
well. Pitbull’s raps are cool and have a charismatic quality as usual, but
Iglesias is definitely the star of the track. And the production of the number
is really great, with the guitar based melodies and the strong beats elevating
the sensuality of the track.
3.5/5
Track 11- Last Night
(Never Happen) (featuring Havana Brown)
The party atmosphere comes back fully with this number which
is all about the morning after a night of great sex. Pitbull raps about his
sexual prowess and how great he made his girl feel, while Brown sings about how
she can’t believe what happened and how she is going to tell everyone. The
ideology of the track may be a little stereotypical but Pitbull has enough charisma
to pull it off. However the problem is that the formula of this track feels too
familiar, with the Brown vocal sections lacking enough personality to pull off
what she is saying and the Afrojack production beats sounding cool but also
familiar, with my first listen of the song immediately reminding me off his hit
song “Take Over Control”. So this track perhaps acts as a sign that the record
needs to end sooner rather than later.
2.5/5
Track 12- I’m Off
That
The final track is a propulsive beat driven, frenzied
sounding track where Pitbull spits rhymes about how he doesn’t like certain
things but loves other things. It doesn’t necessarily sound like a good lyrical
subject but as whole the track serves well in terms of emphasising a weird
moral quality of Pitbull, although the Off that love that repetition becomes
annoying in a quick way. The production of the track, however, is enough to
make an engaging listen, and so whilst it is only ok it’s still a good end to
the record.
3/5
Final Review
Despite the lack of a big, you will really like it at some
point in your life song like he had on his previous record, this is a strong
seventh album that brings together a cool mixture of artists and shows us why
he is one of the big rappers of today’s music world. And although many of the
songs follow the same formula and so after a while it can become annoying, a
sense of diversity can also be heard within different tracks, even if they are
not completely obvious, and so as a whole package Pitbull creates an engaging
listen, although he might want to start thinking about some more thoughtful
raps, as on more than one occasion his guests outshine him.
7/10
Best Track- Outta Nowhere (featuring Danny Mercer)
Worst Track- Last Night (Never Happen) (featuring Havana Brown)
No comments:
Post a Comment