Tracklist

1. Ultralight Beam ft. Chance The Rapper
2. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. I ft. Kid Cudi
3. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2 ft. Desiigner
4. Famous ft. Rihanna and Swizz Beatz
5. Feedback
6. Low Lights
7. High Lights ft. Young Thug
8. Freestyle 4 ft. Desiigner
9. I Love Kanye
10. Waves ft. Chris Brown
11. FML ft. The Weeknd
12. Real Friends ft. Ty Dolla $ign
13. Wolves ft. Sia
14. Frank’s Track ft. Frank Ocean
15. Silver Surfer Intermission
16. 30 Hours ft. André 3000
17. No More Parties In LA ft. Kendrick Lamar
18. FACTS (Charlie Heat Version)
19. Fade ft. Ty Dolla $ign and Post Malone

After much anticipation, debate and criticism, Kanye West released The Life of Pablo on February 14th, 2016. It is his seventh full length album. The work features many talented artists, such as Chance the Rapper, Frank Ocean, Rihanna, Kendrick Lamar, and many more.

West released the album on a streaming service Tidal, a decision that came under much criticism. Without a wide platform to release the album on, it has been subject to an extremely high amount of illegal downloads. West has reportedly lost over 10$ million in potential revenue for the album due to the decision to release it on Tidal. He has stated that he will continue to release his music on Tidal.

This is Kanye’s best work so far. He has combined sounds across a seemingly limitless and broad platform to create this masterpiece. “Ultralight Beam” features the soul power rival to some of his first works. The talented and intriguing voice of R&B singer Kelly Price and the clever flow and lyricism of Chance the Rapper put this song on another level. “Father Stretch My Hands” parts 1 and 2 bring a heavier aspect of his music to light. Talented young producer Metro Boomin crafted these tracks with elegance and precision. You can feel the depth of sound in every note and sample.

“No More Parties in LA” and “FACTS” were released as singles before the album but their inclusion was pivotal. Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics and delivery layered over the guitar and bass riffs on the beat are a perfect combination. Kanye’s ferocious lyricism on “FACTS” display his ever present cocky side, bragging about his shoe model’s success with Adidas. Frank Ocean is featured for 30 seconds, which is the most anyone has heard of him since Channel Orange. Short and sweet is the best way to describe his contribution to the album.

Here at the Gig Harbor Sound we’ve decided to give the album overall a 9 out of 10. We loved the complexity of not only the sound but the messages Kanye brings forth in his music. For those who are not as sold on the album don’t worry, because Kanye is going to re release it with more features and edits to the tracks. A Vic Mensa feature and Frank Ocean full song are on the list of possibilities. That move alone is a testament to Kanye’s style; sparsely perfect but always unique.