[rayword45]

Day 355: Malibu by Anderson .Paak (Album Choice: IamMe90)

Shortest turnaround for a request ever, maybe? Not in terms of days (at all), just total number of reviews between. This conveniently fits into my mission of listening to as many 2016 albums as possible which starts today. My art school friend told me this guy sounds like a new James Brown. Ballsy comparison, that's gonna make anyone expect gold vibrations. Hopefully this sounds nothing like the rapist-murderer in my night terrors (The Weeknd). Let's go.

The Bird is a fantastic pop song. As is The Season / Carry Me. The production overall is just phenomenal, lively yet laidback, with horns, keyboards and backing vocals all complementing .Paak's vocal performance splendidly while simultaneously holding their own. Vocal performance does not remind of James Brown but then again the only song of his I actually remember is I Feel Good. Where did those expectations even come from? I've gotta check some singles out after this album. Anderson's got a good singing voice, and he's able to come off as sexual without coming off full-on slimy most of the time (one exception being Silicon Valley). His features vary in quality like you'd expect them to.

This is REALLY shitty homework music. But it's good music. 61 minutes was maybe more than a little bit excessive, and I think this album would benefit greatly from removing the boring filler shit like Water Fall (Interluuube). That being said, it certainly never became torturous and stayed incredibly enjoyable throughout. I would fuck to Room In Here without questioning my hipster status... Why did I write that sentence?

Best Track: Toss-up between The Bird and Room In Here
Rating: 8/10