Early Late Registration

Recently, I've had the opportunity to listen to an advance copy of Kanye West's upcoming album Late Registration. This copy only had nine songs on it which means that it's probably only half as long as the real album will be. Also, similar to my experiences with the advance copy of The College Dropout, songs could change dramatically between this advance and the real album (or not even make it at all). That being said, here are my thoughts.

It's tough to follow up a debut album that has gotten tons of critical acclaim. Fortunately, it looks like Kanye won't be subject to the infamous "Sophomore Slump" that befalls so many good artists (Lauryn Hill, for example, still has not delivered a studio followup). There are some very strong songs contained in this advance. "Hey Mama" is Kanye's tribute to his mother. Featuring a "na na na" type vocal sample that sounds like it came from a folksy song from the 60's, Kanye spits some of the most heartfelt and genuine sounding lyrics about a mother since 2Pac's "Dear Mama." "Improvise" is to Late Registration what "All Falls Down" is to The College Dropout. Over a sad piano beat that resembles Monica's "Knock Knock," Kanye tells the story of a black woman who tries to make it. On "Livin A Movie" Kanye cleverly weaves several movie titles into his verses. However, Kanye's personality is in full force on "Niggas Gossip," his response to all those who didn't think he would make it.

Overall, this advance gives the impression of an album that will be different from its predecessor. So far, it seems pretty promising. Some of the songs such as "Gorgeous" and "Wow" are kind of lacking, but that will probably change over the few months before the album's release. Plus, the other songs that are missing from this advance will probably more than make up for them. I'm highly anticipating the collaboration between Kanye and John Mayer that will appear on this disc. I've heard a 20-second snippet and it's very good. I cannot wait for Kanye's full, completed album to be released sometime (hopefully) this summer. It will probably be well worth the wait.