Album Review: Straight No Chaser (Mr. Hudson)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
, Posted by krushez at 10/25/2009 02:01:00 PM
(Rating: 4.5/5.0) Mr. Hudson (formerly known as Mr. Hudson and The Librarians) released their G.O.O.D. Music debut on October 19th in the UK and on December 1st in the US. Already well-known in the UK, Mr. Hudson came to most American ears via Kanye’s song “Paranoid” from the 808s & Heartbreak Album.
Their sound is made up of a scoop of contemporary R&B, a dollop of pop, and a tablespoon of alternative all served on a plate of hip-hop. Very much reminiscent of 80’s pop with updated hiphop-ish beats. For all those urban heads ashamed to admit that they listen to Coldplay, here is a group that you could confess your admiration for without losing too much (if any) street cred. If you were a fan of their debut album, A Tale Of Two Cities, odds are you won’t like this album much. Hudson said that his goal was to “make a pop record”, probably in the form of something David Bowe would put his name on. It isn’t pop by the current definition, but quirky enough to be mistaken as such.
The album starts out on a high note with “Supernova” featuring Kanye West. The song is catchy and it won’t be long before you start nodding your head to the beat. I should probably warn you now that it is sometimes hard to discern what exactly Ben Hudson is talking about, but incidentally that won’t make you love the songs any less. “Knew We Were Trouble”, a song where he talks about an ill-fated relationship definitely helps you see the why people often compare Ben Hudson’s voice to that of Sting’s.
Kanye’s work as Executive Producer of the album is evident throughout, but especially on the title track, “Straight No Chaser”. “There Will Be Tears”, the first song released off the album (after this song received a luke-warm reception, “Supernova” was released with a video, making it the first single), is a “chill” track, with a sober message, and is one of the best tracks on the disc. “Stiff Upper Lip” is another favorite because the message is slightly sad and discusses life’s growing pains, but is sung in this cheery way, that will have you claiming “we’ve never been as f*cked as this” as your new phase.
Men will identify with “Anyone But Him” the last of the 2 Kanye features. Hudson sings to an ex-girlfriend and wishes that she “get with whole football team” rather than this one particular guy. “Everything Is Broken” is dope! Add a feature from Kid Cudi and this one just makes you want to dance.
I could seriously go on and on telling about each song and why they work, but I won’t. Overall, the album is great for easy-listening. Ben Hudson is already being labeled “The White Kanye”, and considering the difference between his past work (it was more folky) and his current, there may be something to that. With that said, when is the last time Kanye’s made a bad album? Listen below and comment.
# of Tracks: 13 (14 on UK version)
# of Tracks Worth Listening To: 12
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