Mr. Hudson: “Straight No Chaser” (Album Review)

The only single I had heard from Mr. Hudson before doing this review was the singles on Jay-Z’s album, “Blueprint 3” and one of those singles “Forever Young” just isn’t that good in my opinion. I think I heard him lending vocals on “A Star Is Born” as well… Regardless, I’d heard his voice, and got the album, “Straight No Chaser” in my inbox.

The Good: To be honest, this album was actually better than I had expected. Listening to this album puts me into the same mood I had while listening to Kanye’s “808s and Heartbreak”, which is a good thing for the most part. The production is eclectic to say the least, but that’s also in a good way. The songs are catchy and lyrically sound, and each

Is Hudson his first or last name? And that blurrry image is a little "Paranormal Activity"ish...lol

cameo adds to the vibe of the album…

…Except Kid CuDi’s. I know technically this is his avenue, but I didn’t like him in his one (whew) appearance.

And surprisingly… a couple of the songs just KNOCK HARD in speakers. “Straight No Chaser” (the title track) just sounds great from the beginning, and his vocals go well with most of the songs on the album. Even if you don’t like a song originally, some of the songs are composed to escalate, so for me a lot of the songs (“Supernova”, “White Lies”, “Instant Messenger”) take a minute to catch on for me.

The Bad: If you read the Good, you can kind of see what I’m about to expound on. The album does flow well together, but it sounds the same. Most of the album has the same vibe to it, which is a double-edged sword in this case. If you like the album, then there you go. If not… you’re going to have a huge issue with this one. This is not a typical music album, and I don’t even like to clarify it as R&B because it sounds so different.

The “Why Are You HERE?!”: I said this earlier, but it’s so important that it bears repeating. Kid CuDi. No. I’m not hating, but for “Straight No Chaser”, I’d rather not hear him. If anything, I was more impressed with Kanye on this album because his appearances were great for the most part (for this type of album, of course).

Bottom Line: It’s different. But it’s quality.And it’s possible that in a week it might grow on me. If you like “808’s and Heartbreaks” and Kid CuDi’s album (which is too long to type, lol) then this is something you MIGHT want to check out. However, if you didn’t like those albums…there’s nothing really for you here, except the Outro track, “Time.”

—–> Final Rating: 3 / 5 <—–

Favorite Tracks

• “Straight No Chaser”
• “Time”
• “Supernova” (with Kanye West)
• “Lift Your Head”