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Music News for Today
Billboard CD reviews
(Reuters)
Reuters - Young Jeezy balances commercial/pop
aspirations with core hip-hop sounds on "The Recession,"
getting a lift from DJ Toomp, Drumma Boy, Midnight Black and
longtime collaborator Shawty Redd on this sonically enjoyable
follow-up to 2006's "The Inspiration." Previously criticized
for strange rhymes and repeating lines, Jeezy delivers some
great turns of phrase on songs like "Wordplay," where he
answers claims of glorifying drug dealing with the couplet,
"They want wordplay and I got bird play." Considering Jeezy's
admission that he's a bit uncomfortable making female-skewed
songs, the blend manifests itself most clearly on "Taking It
There," with Trey Songz crooning a romantic chorus. While fans
may gravitate more toward cuts like "Vacation" and "Yeah,"
"Taking It There" could wind up being the track Jeezy needs to
cement himself as a mainstream artist and not just a favorite
of rap aficionados.
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