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REVIEWS
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MOVIE:
Cadillac Records
Chess records may have been your parents' or even your grandparents' favorite recording studio. In the 50s, artists on the Chess label ruled the airwaves, and Cadillac Records tells their somewhat muddled story. Full of powerful music performed by the actors themselves, Cadillac Records is an entertaining movie that breaks up the holiday season monotony.
The main draw for many will be Beyonce's role as the incomparable Etta James. Her performance is the best of her young career, with her vocal talent on display as she cranks out her character's famous tunes.
Chuck Berry is played by musician-turned-actor, Mos Def. Def shells out a great performance as one of the godfathers of rock'n' roll. He even does a
Most of the story chronicles Chess Record's arguably most famous artist, Muddy Waters, played by Jeffery Wright. Wright gives his best performance by far as the soulful blues man. He brings an intensity and fire to the screen as his fingers thunder on the guitar. His voice sounds almost like the real deal.
knockdown job of doing Berry's signature "duck walk" across the stage, easily one of the film's funniest sequences.
While the music is first rate, the story sometimes doesn't translate like it should. The story changes from artist to artist, sometimes leaving things unanswered or hazy. The film as a whole looks as glossy and nostalgic as the Cadillacs each musician drives, hence the name of the film.
Cadillac Records is one of the year's most entertaining movies, with some of the year's best performances. The music will entertain even the biggest skeptics, and will keep them humming its tunes long after the screen goes dark.
—Mark Arehart
At first listen, Kanye West's newest album, 808s and Heartbreak, is shocking—a record so dramatically different from his previous work that it's hard to believe West had a hand in it at all. The album's heartbreaking display of emotions, West's use of a TR-808 drum machine, and his decision to sing through an autotuner gives his newest release qualities few could have expected. Qualities that separate him from his former self while at the same time reinforce old character traits such as his confidence—or, some would say, insufferable egotism. West was obviously confident enough to do something completely different from what was expected of him, and he also doesn't hesitate to wear his heart on his sleeve while doing so.
MUSIC: Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak
808s and Heartbreak portrays West as a despairing man, just as the title would suggest. Among his woes is a failed relationship with his fiancée—"How could you be so heartless?" West asks his ex on the track "Heartless" and in his track titled "Welcome to Heartbreak," West laments, "Look back on my life, all my life gone, where did I go wrong?" You can hear rapping on a few points throughout the album, including Jeezy's collaboration on "Amazing" and Lil Wayne's appearance on "See You In My Nightmares." Even so,West's
unabashed display of heartache fused with synthesized beats can be redundant. For example, the opening track, "Say You Will," is a song with a long, repetitive outro that quickly becomes tiresome.
Of course, it's hard to deny the catchiness of some of the songs. "Love Lockdown" is an undeniably likable track, and West's use of strings and synths makes for an entertaining listen. Listeners looking for West's previous brand of ingenuity and eloquence won't find it on this album, however. 808s and Heartbreak is exactly what its title sounds like: West's experimental combination of drum machines and dejectedness.
—Amanda Sorell
22
December 11,2008