Late Registration [Vinyl]

Rating

Album: Late Registration [Vinyl]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Wake Up Mr. West	More Info...
2)	Heard 'Em Say (Feat. Adam Levine)	More Info...	0:03
3)	Touch the Sky (Feat. Lupe Fiasco)	More Info...	0:04
4)	Gold Digger (Feat. Jamie Foxx)	More Info...	0:03
5)	Skit #1	More Info...
6)	Drive Slow (Feat. Paul Wall & GLC)	More Info...	0:04
7)	My Way Home	More Info...	0:01
8)	Crack Music (Feat. The Game)	More Info...	0:04
9)	Roses	More Info...	0:04
10)	Bring Me Down (Feat. Brandy)	More Info...	0:03

Album: Late Registration [Vinyl]
#	Song Title		Time
	Disc 1
1)	Wake Up Mr. West	More Info...
2)	Heard 'Em Say (Feat. Adam Levine)	More Info...	0:03
3)	Touch the Sky (Feat. Lupe Fiasco)	More Info...	0:04
4)	Gold Digger (Feat. Jamie Foxx)	More Info...	0:03
5)	Skit #1	More Info...
6)	Drive Slow (Feat. Paul Wall & GLC)	More Info...	0:04
7)	My Way Home	More Info...	0:01
8)	Crack Music (Feat. The Game)	More Info...	0:04
9)	Roses	More Info...	0:04
10)	Bring Me Down (Feat. Brandy)	More Info...	0:03

Performer Notes

Rapper/producer Kanye West's second album, LATE REGISTRATION, incredibly lives up to expectations following his universally acclaimed debut, THE COLLEGE DROPOUT, which took the art of sampling to a new plateau. Here, for example, "Gold Digger" features a sample of the legendary Ray Charles alongside actor Jamie Foxx in Oscar-reprising character as Charles. "Addiction" pairs a frenetic African beat with a stuttering, singular use of a snippet of Etta James crooning "My Funny Valentine," while "Diamonds From the Sierra Leone" teams the majestic Bond glory of Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" with perfectly subtle Miami bass to explosive effect. All the while, West pulls lyrics out of his rhyme bag at a fever pitch, tackling hefty topics like civil war in Africa and the impact of drugs on leading Black minds.
Throughout the album, West merely continues to perfect his craft, slowing tracks down and speeding them up into an awe-inspiring mosaic. While his MC style is often discounted as being of secondary importance, he shines when put up against the best in the game, as with Common on the bluesy "My Way Home" or Nas on the lush "We Major." And in the spirit of Bob Dylan, West knows how to make the most of a very original voice. LATE REGISTRATION is ample proof of West's staying power.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (No. 982, p.110) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...LATE REGISTRATION is an undeniable triumph, packed front to back, so expansive it makes the debut sound like a rough draft...."

Spin (p.65) - Ranked #1 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "'Gold Digger' is the best kind of hip-hop hit: relentless, obnoxious, too smart and self-deprecating and laugh-out-loud funny..."

Spin (pp.99-100) - "West showcases a more versatile, eccentric flow than on DROPOUT..." - Grade: B+

Entertainment Weekly (p.140) - Ranked #3 in Entertainment Weekly's 'Top Ten Records of the Year' -- West works on a commandingly large canvas. Hip-hop, not to mention pop, rarely sounds this surprising, panoramic, and irresistible."

Entertainment Weekly (No. 837, p.77) - "West thinks creatively, not just monetarily; he has an artist's head and heart...[LATE REGISTRATION] rarely fails to engross at every step." - Grade: B+

Uncut (p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Nobody deploys vocal samples better than West..."

The Wire (p.41) - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.60) - Ranked #10 in Mojo's "Top Ten Urban Albums Of 2005."