Album Reviews
 
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 T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz (Konvict Muzik/Jive) King of the auto-tuner, T-Pain, returns with his third full-length, Thr33 Ringz. Besides being a poppy hip-hop record full of catchy hooks, its also chock-full of guests, resembling a “Who’s Who” list featuring the likes of Chris Brown, Ludacris, Kanye West, Lil’ Wayne, Akon, Diddy, among others. T-Pain steps away from the heavy, rapid beats for the softer “Ringleader Man”. Although it has the feel of a love song, the lyrics discuss T-Pain’s rule of the music industry with the chorus stating, , “The ringleader man, this is my circus I’m working. I can flip this whole game with one hand.” Kanye West teams up with CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW shapeimage_5_link_0
Shiny Toy Guns – Season of Poison (Universal Motown) Season of Poison marks Shiny Toy Guns’ first release with new vocalist Sisely Treasure, the band’s third female vocalist in the past four years. It is also their first studio effort not labeled We Are Pilots, in which there are three volumes, the first two released in 2005 and the last in 2006. The new record is able to be loud without being obnoxious and predictable. The use of synthesizers is carefully used throughout, blending a pop feel into a steady alternative sound on tracks such as “It Became a Lie On You”. A bit of punk can be picked up on CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEWSHINY%20TOY%20GUNS%20-%20SEASON%20OF%20POISON.htmlshapeimage_6_link_0
 AC/DC - Black Ice (Columbia) As long as Angus Young keeps rocking his schoolboy get-up it’s hard to doubt that AC/DC still remains one of the most brilliant bands not only of the past thirty years but even today, and Black Ice is just another staple of that. Eight years have passed since their last record, Stiff Upper Lip, and they made sure not to disappoint. The lead-off track “Rock ‘n’ Roll Train” sets a perfect mood for the entire album; a modern-day rock anthem gospel. Brian Johnson belts his way from CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEWAC-DC%20-%20BLACK%20ICE.htmlshapeimage_7_link_0
Jedi Mind Tricks - A History of Violence (Babygrande) The trio known as Jedi Mind Tricks reconcile for the first time since 2000 dropping A History of Violence. Jus Allah returns joining fellow members Vinnie Paz and Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind for possibly the best hip-hop record of the year. Though the rhymes are delivered furiously throughout, the samples and soft, female backing vocals act as stunning support, maybe most obvious when CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEWJEDI%20MIND%20TRICKS%20-%20A%20HISTORY%20OF%20VIOLENCE.htmlshapeimage_8_link_0
Eagles of Death Metal - Heart On (Downtown Recordings) To have the nicknames “The Devil” and “Boots Electric” kind of say something about the person who they’re describing. However, in the case of Eagles of Death Metal frontman and co-founder Jesse Hughes, they’re very strangely able to capture the mood of his music as well. That sounds odd but just give any track off of Heart On a listen and it should come together. The music comes off as suave without being annoying and trendy all while keeping a rock-and-roll-to-the-T display. CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEWEAGLES%20OF%20DEATH%20METAL%20-%20HEART%20ON.htmlshapeimage_9_link_0
Q-Tip - The Renaissance (Universal Motown) Hip-hop pioneer Q-Tip drops his first solo record of the new millennium (the last being 1999’s Certified Gold effort Amplified) with The Renaissance. The title of the record proves very fitting as its entirety is sort of jigsaw puzzle of the hip-hop genre. There are the more slowed-down, soulful tracks with “Official” and “Life Is Better” featuring songstress Norah Jones, and then the heavier, club tracks in “Gettin’ Up” and “Move”, reminiscent of Q-Tip’s work in the legendary group A Tribe Called Quest. Soul singer D’Angelo, who hasn’t released CLICK HERE FOR FULL REVIEW Q-TIP%20-%20THE%20RENAISSANCE.htmlshapeimage_10_link_0