 |
Alabama MC Yelawolf covers a lot of ground on his debut, Radioactive. There’s a lot on this album that’s going to bore (or irritate) most listeners, but there’s something here for everyone. Across Radioactive’s 63-minute run, menacing beats (“Hard White”, “Growing Up in the Gutter”), southern rap boomers (“Get Away”), ragged experimentation (“Animal”, “Slumerican Shtizen”) and bad ass old-school jams (“Hall Pass”) bump up against overt pop (“Let’s Roll”, “Made in the USA”). Most of the pop is tough to bear, but a couple of the more radio-friendly efforts (“Good Girl” and “Write Your Name”) are, we’re almost embarrassed to admit, totally infectious.
Radioactive’s biggest strength is Yelawolf’s double-timing, shape-shifting flow. The LP’s biggest weakness is its size. Yelawolf could have clipped most of the (pop-heavy) second half while maintaing the album’s stylistic range. Alas, we’re still left with a solid debut where the pop filler comes close, but never completely overshadows the album’s standouts. Standout tracks: “Hall Pass”, “Hard White”, “Growing Up in the Gutter” |
 3.5 / 5 |
Yelawolf – Radioactive – album review
– 12/04/2011Posted in: 3.5 Stars, Album Reviews, Hip-Hop
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