“Ocean Skies” (Featuring Monica) The day after Ludacris won a Grammy for the best rap album, his father, Wayne Bridges died. Not only does this show some striking maturity, but it also once again shows him as a great storyteller. “Grass Is Always Greener” Over a wonderfully chilly beat, Ludacris drops some life lessons about inherent fickleness using personal anecdotes. After taking off a few years to make movies, it is good to see him return in rather strong form. “Ludaversal” is not a perfect record by any stretch but it has a few standout classics that play to Ludacris’ overall appeal. Still, five years after his last record, he’s maturing nicely as an artist and he plays well with this album’s diverse guest cast which includes Usher, Monica, Cee-Lo, Jason Aldean and more. It’s the tracks about material gains, the stereotypical club jams that don’t show him at his best.
When he focuses on straight-up lyrics or tries to make his listeners think, more often than not he turns up a real winner. Sometimes he goes too far, like on the Big K.R.I.T.-assisted “Come and See Me” where the two compare cars to women quite bluntly and nastily, but for the most part, this album shows that Luda’s “consciousness” side is growing. One moment he’s looking inward and pondering human tendencies as he is on the thought-provoking “Grass Is Always Greener,” the next he is making an old, tired joke about overactive Viagra and singing about getting drunk. Ludacris on the other hand has proven time and time again that he has a rapid-fire delivery that can silence any doubters of his prowess. Really, if you look at the hip-hop artists getting the most airplay, they don’t often necessarily have the greatest sense of flow. Quicklist: 2title: Ludacris’ “Ludaversal” ***1/2text: On his eighth album, Ludacris further establishes himself as a rapper who can walk the pop and party side of the genre while also possessing lyrical skill. “Everything’s a Ceiling” Even this shiny, synth-y number has a darker undercurrent below its gleaming surface. It’s a pretty beautiful and haunting lullaby of sorts. “Hold No Guns” This song shows Gibbard in a stripped down, acoustic realm. Maybe it is the song’s slow-motion video informing this impression, but it is a song thick with ripe tension. “Black Sun” This lead single has an appealing, unapologetically stark quality. It’s hard to tell how much Walla actually contributed to this album, but if this album is any indication, the band will probably still do fine without him. Really this feels like an album’s worth of responses to the “Narrow Stairs” tracks “I Will Possess Your Heart” and “Cath.” In the face of change, this band responds interestingly. If you like the peppiness of a song like “The Sound Of Settling,” this may not be your record. If you like the band with more upbeat textures, this isn’t your record. Like “Narrow Stairs,” this record maintains Gibbard’s lyrical style without the preciousness his phrasing sometimes achieves. Even on an upbeat song like “Good Help (Is Hard To Find)” there’s a sense of lost innocence with lines like “You’ll never have to hear the word ‘No’ if you keep your friends on the payroll.” “Black Sun” has an element of dumbfounded shock hidden beneath its well-toned textures and this is very much on the whole a very emotional exercise. Walla was apparently able to add something to the record, since he is still listed in its credits, but this sense of loss and new beginnings is felt in this album’s content. It is after all the first proper Death Cab album since Gibbard’s somewhat quiet divorce from Zooey Deschanel (although, he also did drop a solo record last year) and during the process of recording this album, co-founder, guitarist and producer Chris Walla left the band. There’s a sparse quality and a palpable sense of loss felt on this record.
“Kintsugi,” the band’s latest record, finds Death Cab once again exploring more inward-facing, dour terrain, much like they did on “Narrow Stairs” and parts of “Plans.” This is a spacier, more ethereal record, and this darker, more reflective side allows the band to be at their best. I prefer the down side of this band, which again, might be a different preference than some fans. Similarly, outside of the single, “You’re a Tourist,” the band’s last album “Codes and Keys” didn’t play well for me because it was too bouncy and poppy. Of course, it took me more than two years to get into the Postal Service album because of my initially cold reaction to Ben Gibbard’s lyrics, which I initially found cloying and a tad too twee. No doubt many people may disagree with me, considering the popularity of other albums like “Transatlanticism” and “Plans,” but to me, that album captured everything that this band does best. Quicklist: 1title: Death Cab for Cutie’s “Kintsugi” ****text: To me, “Narrow Stairs” from 2008 stands as Death Cab for Cutie’s best album.
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