Album Review: T.I.- Paper Trail

Copped the new T.I. album the other day and gave it a few spins. Although he can be annoying and repetitive at times, TI has proven that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Hit the jump for the review…

+Positive

Production on this joint is pretty well handled. Yeah, it’s pretty much the same Big Beat synthesizers, deep bass punches, and that same damn snare drum roll that starts off almost every Young Jeezy song; But there are a couple tracks on there that would be perfect to crank up in your car.

Swagga Like Us – T.I. feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z and Lil Wayne

-Negative

Get off the damn auto-tune effect already!!! On the two biggest club-bangers of the album, “Live Your Life” and “Swagga Like Us” the little electro-box is used by either Kanye West, Lil Wayne, or Rhianna. I can accept both Kanye and Wayne using it; Kanye is on some whole other ish, I won’t get into that right now. And Wayne, it doesn’t even matter. That dude could sneeze on a track and make it a hit. But Rhianna, she is supposed to be a singer right? If you can refrain from using the auto-tune, please do. That thing is played out to the max.

+Positive

There was a nice balance of pace in this album. On one hand there are songs like “I’m Illy”, where T.I. just drops continuous rhymes bragging about his skills over a classic dirty south, hood-rattling beat. On the other hand, tracks like “Slideshow” ƒ. John Legend have a softer and slower sound. This contrast is definitely one to respect, would you want an album full of songs that sound almost the exact same?

-Negative

TI hasn’t changed his lyrical content at all since his first album, I’m Serious. It’s all the same “I’m rich”, “I’m the king of the south”, “I like bitches” ish that everyone has been talking for awhile now. Plus, he keeps referring to “you” in all of his tracks like we know who he is talking about. I’m not implying that he go “Game” on us and start dropping names left and right but if you are calling out somebody…

Final Word:

A couple tracks off this album are worth grabbing to play in your car and what not but overall I was not too impressed. TI’s albums all are beginning to sound pretty much the same.

Grades:

Lyrical Content: C+

Lyrical Delivery: B

Originality: C-

Production: B+

Top Tracks:

“I’m Illy”

“Slideshow”

“Swagga Like Us”

Overall Grade: B-