Album- Wild Ones
Artist- Flo Rida
This album saw Flo Rida have renewed success in terms of the
way the public responded to the singles releases. However, does this mean that
Wild Ones is actually a good album, or is it just an example of when the
singles are good but the album isn’t?
Track 1- Whistle
The opening track is an epic number that features sexually
suggestive lyrics set around a whistling melody and stated in a metaphorical
way. The pop rap track might be a bit too suggestive, but the chorus has a
really catchy quality lyrically and when backed against the whistling melody
and powerful bass beats in the chorus the suggestiveness can kind of be glossed
over, cause the tracks just so darn catchy.
4/5
Track 2- Wild Ones
(featuring Sia)
The second track is a powerful collaboration that lyrically
speaks of being a wild one and just letting loose and having fun. And it has a
powerful dance edge that really allows you to revel in the energy of the song.
The contrast of the fast paced raps of Flo Rida against the light chorus
singing of Sia really complement each other well, with Sia bringing a great
energy to the track in terms of the distinctive nature of her voice. Although
the song employ synths it doesn’t become a simple electro pop number but stays
firmly in a powerful dance territory. And the lyrics of the track are really
good, with the chorus having a distinctive catchy feel and bringing that
ideology of the wilderness and Flo Rida persuading Sia to show her wild side.
5/5
Track 3- Let It Roll
With this song comes another track about just having fun,
with Flo Rida persuading his girl to just roll with the good times. The chorus
isn’t as catchy as the previous number but feels slightly rocky and so gives a
different vibe, with the chorus being a sample of the Freddie King track “Let
the Good Times Roll”. The synths are more noticeable here but a backed against
great piano riffs and still have a very much dance edge, with the auto tune
vocals of Flo Rida sounding good in terms of giving an almost ethereal essence
to the track. With his raps Flo Rida keeps the energy on a great level, and it
is only with the repletion of one particular line in which the song becomes a
little annoying.
3/5
Track 4- Good Feeling
Another example of Flo Rida using an older track to enhance
his work, this song features a sample of the Etta James song “Something’s Got A
Hold On Me”, although this sample is actually the sample used in the main
sample of Avicci’s “Levels”. No matter what it samples it’s still an awesome
pop rack track, with the chorus building again upon that idea of just having
fun and is like the other songs an extremely catchy chorus. The song is looped
around powerful guitar riffs that are layered against powerful dance beats that
give the song an awesome vitality, with this energy always being sustained through
the contrast of the simplicity of the chorus against Flo Rida raps which just
emphasise the power of this good feeling.
5/5
Track 5- In My Mind,
Part 2 (featuring Georgi Kay)
This track continues the powerful dance energy of the album,
but contrasts nicely with the other songs in terms of the featured artist
bringing a darker more melancholic tone to the track that powerfully offsets
the dance synergy. The song featured a lamentation, slow stressed kind of vocal
that emphasises that kind of euphoric, this is in my mind ideology of the
track, whilst Flo Rida’s vocals emphasise the idea of letting go in your mind
in terms of just partying, which is clichéd but strongly conveyed. The
production of the track is powerful in terms of the clattering dance beats
centred around a darker edge and featuring some cool piano riffs, but still
giving that powerful, just dance and go crazy edge, with the breakdown into the
final chorus being a particularly potent example of this.
4/5
Track 6- Sweet Spot
(featuring Jennifer Lopez)
This collaboration really leaves up to its title in terms of
the cute and light quality of the track. The hook of the track features some
light vocals by Lopez that are heavily auto tuned and so are a little annoying
but still have a sweetness about them. The track is good in terms of production
in that although it gives a dance energy to the tracks verses with the powerful
beats, but it never goes into the reckless hedonism dance edge of the previous
tracks and offers a little bit off diversity. And although the lyrics are
suggestive they also have a kind of cute love quality that just makes for a
quite pretty track that finishes on a nice soft note.
3.5/5
Track 7- Thinking of
You
This track is a delicate number that is more down tempo and
shows a little bit of fragile side to the artist and acts as a good example of
how he doesn’t need to make party tracks all the time to make good music.
Lyrically we find Flo Rida reflecting upon a relationship that has ended and
the pain that he feels in thinking about his former beau, and although he
thinks it was probably good to end the relationship it still hurts to think of
that girl. The track is a little bit lighter than usual in terms of rap but
when the rap is employed it works great in terms of emphasising the velocity of
the relationship and the powerful disintegration of what has been let go. And
here he shines vocally in terms of having a nice tone and giving a sense of
believability to the song, with the track being kept in a nice low key which is
good as it means his vocal instability isn’t highlighted. Set against simple
electro beats that give a nice melancholic feel to the track, and having a nice
contrast of clattering beats in the pre chorus with more mellow beats in the chorus,
this is a song that brings a sense of freshness to the record.
3.5/5
Track 8- I Cry
The club ready, you better be partying vibe to the record is
firmly brought back to this track, which features a sample of the Bingo Players
song “Cry (Just a Little) which samples Brenda Russell’s Piano in the Dark”.
The chorus may be catchy with this sample but lyrically the track just doesn’t have
the same impact as the previous up tempo numbers, and vocally his lyrics kind
of just wash over you against the powerful bass beats which, although they are
catchy and strong, still sound too clichéd.
3/5
Track 9- Run (Bonus
track) (featuring Redfoo)
This track features some cool, almost perhaps hip hop kind
of feeling beats but still having that dance feel. The track is all about
running to someone who you want to have some fun with, and it sounds cool
lyrically in terms of its kind of flirtatious quality. The unaccredited female
vocals give a nice hook to the song, and the Redfoo feature is cool in bringing
the party vibe to the song and hasl a catchy breakdown. The production is
typical but makes for a nice clattering end that is familiar but effective.
3/5
Final Review
Flo Rida definitely has his groove back in terms of the
structuring of his songs and always making you just really want to have fun.
And what’s the best thing about this record is that he doesn’t feel the need to
prolong the party and so keeps it short at a simple 9 tracks, meaning that
there is little risk of you getting bored. The collaborations are smart and
although some stereotypical sounds are produced, little diversity’s in the
album make for an overall good record that shows Flo Rida still has some fight
left in him.
8/10
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