Late Registration

Spin - "West showcases a more versatile, eccentric flow than on DROPOUT..." - Grade: B+ Entertainment Weekly - "West thinks creatively, not just monetarily; he has an artist's head and heart...[LATE REGISTRATION] rarely fails to engross at every step." - Grade: B+ Rolling Stone - 5 stars out of 5 - "...LATE REGISTRATION is an undeniable triumph, packed front to back, so expansive it makes the debut sound like a rough draft...." Uncut - 4 stars out of 5 - "Nobody deploys vocal samples better than West..." The Wire - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year." Spin - Ranked #1 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "'Gold Digger' is the best kind of hip-hop hit: relentless, obnoxious, too smart and self-deprecating and laugh-out-loud funny..." Mojo - Ranked #10 in Mojo's "Top Ten Urban Albums Of 2005." Entertainment Weekly - Ranked #3 in Entertainment Weekly's 'Top Ten Records of the Year' -- West works on a commandingly large canvas. Hip-hop, not to mention pop, rarely sounds this surprising, panoramic, and irresistible."

On Late Registration, Kanye finds himself backed into a corner, albeit as king of the mountain. It's a paradox, which is what he thrives on. Kanye can be tremendous as a pure writer, whether digging up uncovered topics or spinning a clever line. The production approach, however, is rather different from the debut. Crude beats and drastically tempo-shifted samples are replaced with a more traditionally musical touch from Jon Brion, who co-produces with West on most of the tracks. West and Brion are a good, if unlikely, match. Brion's string arrangements and brass flecks add a new dimension to West's beats without overshadowing them, and the results are neither too adventurous nor too conservative. ~ Andy Kellman|

西欧帝国主義の象徴ともいえる〈007〉のアレをキャッチーにサンプリングしながら、アフリカはシエラレオネの状況をラップした先行シングル“Diamonds From Sierra Leone”は単なる皮肉じゃなく、ストレートな意志表明だったのだ。そんなフッド寄りの姿勢はゲームをフィーチャーした“Crack Music”にも受け継がれている。かと思えばマルーン5のアダム君を起用した“Heard 'Em Say”が煌めき、かと思えばジェイミー・フォックスにふたたびレイ様を憑依させた“Gold Digger”がドス黒く響き、かと思えばジョン・ブライオンが制作に携わった曲もあり、かと思えばヒューストンの俊英ポール・ウォールと合体してスクリューし、かと思えば……（以下略）。もちろんミリ・ベン・アリやコモンらも動員。ナードな〈Pop Bullshit〉とは真逆の、クレヴァーな瞬発力とエグいオモロさに満ちた大傑作。クマには爪と牙があることを忘れちゃいけない。
bounce (C)出嶌 孝次