noiseredux wrote:that's my problem - I've always been a full album guy. If there are enough bad songs to merit altering a playlist, then I'm not happy with the album.
I totally get that. However, I had a very similar opinion the first time I listened to the record, but here is my new take:
Ruckus in B Minor: This is a great crew cut. The beat is gritty, all members make an appearance (even ODB via old recordings) and it serves as a great intro song. My only complaint is that the chorus is just Method Man saying "We're number one" over and over, which is really annoying. This song should have had no chorus at all. It would have made the track stand out as an intro and skill based cut with no frills.
Felt This song is a bit off putting at first because it's a very electronic beat that is very uncharacteristic for the group. But, the addition of guitars and pianos make it mesh really well. The lyrics speak about how the group felt in the early days of their group and careers. This is one of the best songs on the album, with some of the best lyrics.
40th Street Black \ We Will Fight Another upbeat song. The beat is kind of too fast for the group. It seems a few guys have a hard time rapping over it. It's not a bad song, but it's not great. I don't think it hurts the overall album, but it doesn't help it either.
Mistaken Identity The beat sounds more like traditional Wu-Tang from "The W" era. Overall a pretty good song. The subject matter is about people being incarcerated when being mistaken for criminals. A little cliche but it's still a solid song.
Hold the Heater Great song, one of the best on the album. The beat starts out very electronic, almost dubstep-ish. But that quickly subsides and a guitar, drum, and bass beat that quickly invokes feeling of classic Wu that would be at home on Liquid Swords. The pacing is perfect for the group. The chorus kicks back in and the electronic beat comes back with the familiar kung fu combat sounds overlaying the chaos. I really love this song.
Crushed Egos This track stars Raekwon and RZA so, it's indeed a treat as we don't hear the two together much. The beat is slow with organs, snare and cymbals and sounds like like something they ripped off of a Rae solo album.
Keep Watch This is by far my favorite song on the whole album and it may be my favorite Wu song in years. The beat is catchy with distorted vocals mixed into the piano laced beat. The chorus is an R&B hook, which I typically hate but RZA made it work. Lyrics are good but not great, just average. This song is one that makes you bob your head instinctively. I really love it.
Miracle This song could have been absolutely amazing but they stuck an R&B chorus that completely kills the flow of the song. The versss are dark with a gritty beat, then the chorus is light hearted with happy vocals. I think they were going for a strict juxtaposition of the dark and light messages but it kills the flow. However, I do think the song can grow on me over time. That's how good the verses are. Also, the jarring chorus eases up as the song goes on and towards the end becomes distorted and really works.
Preacher's Daughter Like Noise said, this is another song that could have been amazing if not for the god awful vocals on the chorus. The song is a play on Dusty Springfield's "Preachers Son". The group raps about young relationships. Everything sounds so promising until the chorus kicks in and the group attempts to sing the vocals and it is so bad I honestly can't find words. Again, another song that misses greatness by one bad move.
Pioneer the Frontier This song is decent. However, it is overworked. You get a very menacing sound with a guitar, horn section, and snare that is slow paced and with ODB sampled with turntables as the song opens. But, for some reason, RZA decided to periodically inject the killer bee swarm sound which is off putting and overpowers the vocals.
Necklace Fantastic beat that opens with a kung fu movie saying "Brother, I think that necklace is causing you too much trouble". This is one of my favorite songs on the album even though the subject matter is a bit cliche. Basically its the guys rapping about their necklaces.
Ron O'Neal Great song, great flow, great lyrics. My first listen I disliked the R&B chorus, but after repeats listens I now like it and feel it works well. This is the quality everyone hoped to hear on this album.
A Better Tomorrow I outright hate this song. The chorus is too much, which sounds like Marvin Gaye or someone similar singing, the beat is far too lighthearted and happy for my tastes. The lyrics are decent but the song is just bad IMO.
Never Let Go Good song. Slow beat with guitars, drums, and horns. Lyrics are good. Overall I enjoy it.
Wu-Tang Reunion Another song that I don't like. The guys rap about a sort of family reunion and their families spending time toghether, the kids playing, eating food etc. But, it is riddled with a terrible chorus and beat. The lyrics are forgettable and the whole song is boring.
Overall I feel the album is pretty good. We have 3 terrible songs, a few I feel could be classic and the rest are solid and will probably get better with time. I'm not as good as writing about music as Noise, but I hope this helps fellow Wu-Tang fans get a different perspective as this album can be very jarring at first. However, after forcing myself to listen a few more times, I see what is a really solid record.
You can tell that with a few tweaks this album could have been very, very good. A couple bad songs and a few missteps on some of the good ones keep this album from being a classic, but I feel it has a lot to offer.
