The more I listen to the album the more I'm impressed. On first listen I was a bit down, but after fully digesting the entire thing I'm happy. I still stand by my statement that it's not as good as Late Registration or College Dropout, but I'd say it's a 4/5 type album.
One of the biggest problems with modern rap is that artists rarely show any type of growth from album to album. The public almost demands that artists keep their attention with hit songs that sound like their previous work, which leads to rappers essentially remaking their biggest hits over and over throughout their career; this rarely works as planned and you get into a diminishing returns situation. Kanye's growth from album to album is quite impressive. College Dropout was a rather gritty, east coast album with sped up samples and a clear soul foundation. Late Registration featured an excess orchestral sound complimented by a flurry of pop (Adam Levine), soul (Keisha Cole), and R&B (Jamie Fox) singers. On Graduation Kanye ups the notch by mixing both styles while adding a new found love of synth and techno. The result is a mixture of brilliance and potential, for better and for worse.
The first track Good Morning opens on a familiar note, with an Elton John sample and hard drums over which Kanye announces his arrival. The synth influence is first heard on Champion, and from there it never leaves. It really gives the album a very enthusiastic, positive vibe; this perfectly fits the graduation theme of the album. Just like Late Registration, Graduation features some tracks where his new direction doesn't seem to totally work. The "street" single Can't Tell Me Nothing features a hypnotic beat and doesn't feature a sample, but its bogged down by some rather weak lyrical attempts. Drunk and Hot Girls is perhaps the most experimental song on the album, and it never seems to "work" fully; it's still a good song, if just for the potential that spews from it. Finally while Barry Bonds features one of Kanye's best verses, its bogged down by a horrible guest verse from Lil Wayne; it's a shame he's the only guest rapper on the album.
On The Good Life Kanye constructs a near perfect pop song that is destined to be a #1 hit; T-Pain may be an annoying artist but his vocal tricks fit the song perfectly. But the album's defining moment is perhaps Flashing Lights, where the new found direction is perfectly realized. It features one of the best beats I've heard in some time. The song also marks the best part of the album, as the next four songs are all great. Everything I Am is a return to the soul samples of College Dropout, and DJ Premier's scratches only serve to take it to another level. The Glory is even better, and easily my favorite song on the album. The production is simply incredible as Kanye balances all three styles together perfectly.
Homecoming is a great song in part because of the storytelling (think I Used to Love H.E.R.), but it falls short of surpassing the original version (Home, featured on the College Dropout advance) to me. The album closes with Big Brother, an ode to Jay-Z. Like Homecoming it also is marked by some of the best storytelling on the album.
Once again Mr. West shows us that he's ahead of the class. So far he has successfully tackled three different musical themes, and I can't wait to see what's next. A jazz monstrosity to rival The Low End Theory?
