In the works for over two years now, rapper/producer 88-Keys' debut album, "The Death of Adam", brings a fun and upbeat offering to a genre filled with lyrics about violence, drugs, and exploitation of women. This album is about, in the words of the artist, "the power of the vajayjay", or the power that women can hold over men.
The album tells the story of "Adam" who goes though various problems with women, whether it be girls not having the same point of view on their relationship as the men ("Friend Zone"), not being able to get vital parts of the body to perform as desired ("Stay Up! (Viagra)") or the ultimate downfall (“Another Victim”). Though the story is told in a very obvious fashion, the format of the album allows for a very comic (yet down to earth and realistic) account of a doomed man's love life. The narration complements the songs seamlessly and puts images in the listener's mind that is both familiar and funny.
Although the story is very entertaining to follow, the production is what shines on this album. On tracks like "Pleasure", the production quality carries the listener through to the second half of the story (and the various "sound effects" add to the comedy of the track). Furthermore, the features are so important to the success of the album yet so subtle and varied that they don't over shadow Keys. From the upbeat pop sound of Shitake Monkeys to the comical lyrics of Kanye West (who is also an executive producer on the album) to the swooning voice of Bilial on the second to last track, "MILF". Although Keys delivery in some sections is a little off, the wit and character the come though in his lyrics make up for that and then some.
In this day and age where a concept album is hard to pull off successfully, Keys has done so in a manner that seems natural and is clearly a success. Hopefully we will see more good things from this veteran producer.
9/10
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