Album- Nothing but
the Beat
Artist- David Guetta
David Guetta is one of the most sought out producers into
days pop and dance orientated world and he has become a worldwide global artist
in his own right. This album features an array of different vocalists bringing
their own sound and persona to Guetta’s beats. But whilst the artist may be
highly sought after and brings a great energy to these songs, each song
potentially runs the risk of Guetta and the feature not really melding in the
way that they should. And could the album be overlong and boring?
Track 1- Where Them
Girls At (featuring Flo Rida and Nicki Minaj)
The opening track and first single is stomping dance number
with a string playful edge. Lyrically the track is about revelling in a party
atmosphere and has a flirtatious edge that comes out between the contrast of
the two rappers. Whilst Flo Rida gives nice sexual flavour to the track,
Minaj’s rap really shines on the record, being a kind of tongue lashing that
feels forceful but also very tongue in cheek. The hard hitting beats and sugary
sounding synths give a great vitality to the song, and although the usual
clichés can be observed, every artists combines to pull the song off in a way
that ensures you won’t be bored.
4/5
Track 2- Little Bad
Girl (featuring Taio Cruz and Ludacris)
The second track is a more synth heavy, forceful affair that
see Guetta team up with Cruz to talk about this girl is so good on the
dancefloor and she’s a little wicked, and he just wants the girl to keep doing
her thing. However where as the previous track had a little charm to it, this
track feels a bit paint by numbers dance music, with the beats being
stereotypical in their intensity and the subject matter being a little
lacklustre, even if there are moments where the production and vocals meld well
together (i.e. the breakdown into the songs final moments). Yet auto tune and
just a lack of passions means that vocally it’s not up to standard, and the
Ludacris feature feels wasted, kind of like they just wanted to put a rapper on
the song for good measure to ensure chart dominance.
2.5/5
Track 3- Turn Me On
(featuring Nicki Minaj)
This track brings the record back on form in that the beats
are more addictive and the collobaration feels more lack a seamless fit. The
track lyrically speaks of Minaj’s love for a man (in this case the metaphorical
“doctor”) who can save her by just making her feel alive. It may be clichéd but
the hook driven chorus is incredibly catchy, and here we get to see Minaj shine
vocally as a singer rather than a rapper, with auto tune being employed in a
helpful way here rather than being an annoying feature. The short rap moment in
the track gives a great vibe that allows for a powerful end to the number. And
as in many of the cases of these tracks the production really shines, with the
electronic dance beats being very propulsive but also having a kind of dark
undertone which is highlighted through the short beat driven introduction of
the song.
4.5/5
Track 4- Sweat (vs
Snoop Dogg)
This collaboration is a Guetta remix of one of Snoop Dogg’s
original track, and the sexually driven song is definitely giving a powerful
edge by incorporating Guetta’s dance beats. Lyrically the track is based around
the hook “I just wanna make you sweat”, which although repetitive is catchy and
signifies the message of the track in being a high velocity number about sexual
antics whilst not being in your face and expletive. The vocals are heavily auto
tuned but sound cool, even if it’s noticeable that Snoop Dogg will never be an
amazing vocalist. But with the powerful, hard edge beats that sound very
structured and unique, this track will probably makes you sweat through
dancing.
4/5
Track 5- Without You
(featuring Usher)
What I find quite appealing about this track is that although
it exists here in a firmly dance orientated world, the lyricism and vocals
potentially border on simple ballad territory. The lyrics are all about how
Usher doesn’t really exist and work within the world without this girl by his
side, and almost implicitly he begs her to stay by his side. The smoothness of
his vocals give a heartfelt quality to the track, and Guetta works well with
Usher in terms of how he allows the lyrics to really shine in the verses and
keeps the beats at a steadily building but minimal quality, and then in the
chorus the rousing light synths and forceful dance quality comes to the fore to
create a crowd pleasing song that you can really just bask in both the delicacy
and danceabilty of.
4.5/5
Track 6- Nothing
Really Matters (featuring will.i.am)
This track is quite cool sonically in terms of the way that
it opens with a kind of natural, guitar based sound before leading into those well-known
forceful dance beats of Guetta’s. The
track is all about just throwing off the material things of life and all that
nonsense and just living in the moments as if nothing in life really matters.
The party atmosphere is definitely invoked again here, but unlike the other
tracks it’s not as powerful because of will.i.am. This is because whilst he
provides some cool raps that gives off that ideology of recklessness, his vocal
sections in the song are heavily auto tuned and unfortunately just sound really
annoying. And whilst the beats are powerful and the breakdown from each chorus
to the verse is really intriguing, that intensity and energy just doesn’t come
out as well in this song.
3/5
Track 7- I Can Only
Imagine (featuring Chris Brown and Lil Wayne)
The light synths of this number couple with handclapping
electro beats and wavelike undertone make for a quite airy sounding track that
feels fresh on the record and not as in your face party as some of the other
songs. Here we find Chris Brown talking about this girl he has just met and how
he can only imagine what life with her would be like. The message is sweet and
the natural lightness of his vocals work well, with the auto tune being a
little annoying but also kind of nice sounding, it’s hard to really decide. Lil
Wayne doesn’t really add much to the track but the way the song goes a bit
dance trippy after the hook is cool and makes for an almost euphoric kind of
energy.
3.5/5
Track 8- Crank It Up
(featuring Akon)
This song is another number about a girl who is just awesome
on the dancefloor and who just cranks it up where ever she goes (a.k.a if she
were a dj she would just be amazing). The track is heavily clichéd and the hook
isn’t as strong as some of the other songs, however vocally Akon brings a kind
of swag to the number that is appealing and almost sounds a little summery ( at least for me).
The production is dance heavy and just keeps a good pace without going crazy,
which is really nice. Yet this doesn’t mean the track hasn’t got a good energy,
with final chorus being a powerful end through the way the bridge is stripped
back to light dance beats with prominent piano instrumentation.
3.5/5
Track 9- I Just Wanna
F (with Afrojack featuring Timbaland and Dev)
This song feels a little hip hop influence in terms of the
subtle beats that are employed under the dance heavy influences. The song is
all about how these two people just wanted to have sex, and whilst the use of a
male female vocal combo gives a nice conversational but cheeky tone to the
song, the lyrics very much go over your head and the hook just feels so clichéd.
Other parts of the song are also clichéd, particularly when Dev tells you to “get
down”, and the production is a bit of a misstep here as it sounds very
stereotypical in terms of the way it is broken down in sections and the sirens
just give it that sense of minimal effort being put into the track. The weakest
number on the record.
2/5
Track 10- Night of
Your Life (featuring Jennifer Hudson)
This song is just intriguing in terms of the collaboration
in that Oscar winning actress and singer Jennifer Hudson is more known for her
ballads and very much down tempo based work. However she fits really well into
this dance orientated world, and her vocals have such a smooth and sultry feel
to them that really allows for the message of the song to come through to the
listener in a powerful way. The fast paced electronic undertones set against
the booming bass make for a really powerful sound, and although the composition
of the track sounds similar to another Guetta produced track (Rihanna’s Only
Girl In The World), maybe that isn’t a bad thing as that was a great dance pop
track, and this number is equally as catchy and powerful.
4/5
Track 11- Repeat
(featuring Jessie J) .
This light number is a bit sonically different being a
little bit more electric guitar driven. The lyrics are all about Jessie J telling
this guy that the relationship is over and she is hurt but she will be the one
who is on top in the end and that he will just always be in this continual
cycle of being an idiot. The light vocals feel nice and heartfelt and in terms
of the production Guetta really allows his featured artist to shine more
vocally and let her words to the talking, with the only annoying moments being
the way some words are distorted in places.
3.5/5
Track 12- Titanium
(featuring Sia)
This is just a delicious slice of dance pop brilliance.
Vocally Sia just sounds breathlessly stunning and gives a kind of haunting,
ethereal tone to the piece, and lyrically the track just comes across as
strongly empowering and never becomes annoyingly clichéd. Furthermore, Guetta
knows ewactly when to let his production shine and when to let Sia shine, with
the post chorus dance sections being so energetic and awesome you have to just
let loose and absorb its brilliance. The public need to buy this song.
5/5
Final Review
Even after listening to this album it is still difficult to
decide whether Guetta makes a good album or whether he is firmly a singles
driven artist and always will be. Whilst he makes for a cohesive record, in
many places he offers stereotypical sounds which are just annoying. Yet with
each collaboration in many cases the featured artist brings some pizzazz to his
work and so it is never boring. But then there are the cases where the artist
feels like they are being molded to Guetta’s style rather than seamlessly fitting
into his world in a nice and natural way. It’s a good album, but I think the
problem is that if it were great it would have pushed itself more sonically,
and the tracks would have featured a wider range of artists who bring new
elements to the work rather than some of the plainness, they are hot right now let’s
get them on kind of feeling of certain numbers.
6.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment