Review: 2.8/5
Best Songs: Party Rock Anthem, Sexy And You Know It, Champagne Showers, Best Night
I can admit, one of my guilty pleasures over the last summer has been LMFAO’s second album Sorry for Party Rocking. In terms of technical rap skills, it’s pretty obvious LMFAO is horrendous. On almost every song their vocals are hidden behind huge kicks, autotune and large synths, but you know what it’s fun as hell when they get it right and intolerable when they get it wrong. The secret to LMFAO is to drive home their personality and lifestyle which is to make teens think that wearing speedos and having champagne showers is cool (I can vouch for the latter). Now for this review I have to turn off my “rap ears” and turn on my “pop ears”.
1. Rock the Beat II (featuring Redline)
Aside from the cheesy narration, this “intro” sounds like a crazy dubstep remix of Euroupe’s The Final Countdown.
2. Sorry For Party Rocking
I do dig the Beastie Boys influence here which some people may not get, but there’s way too much going on in this song for repeat listens.
3. Party Rock Anthem (featuring Lauren Bennett & GoonRock)
When I first heard this song, I think it was in spring at a friend’s house, the radio was just playing it over and over again. It had such a wide kick and of course that catchy hook, which is pretty much the centerpiece of the song. While this song is entering played out territory, you have to give it props for successfully mixing three genres into a track and making it work. Tell any little kid “Everyday I’m shuffling” and watch them light up with laughter.
4. Sexy And I Know It
The new version of Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” but even better because the kick at the breakdown is so deep if your heart stopped it would resuscitate you. Even the way they flipped the hook which could at first be interpreted as being directed at a girl (which would be super cliche) they re-direct back on themselves. The only problem I have with this song is the “wingle, wingle, wingle” part, which becomes old fast.
5. Champagne Showers (featuring Natalia Kills)
While this can come off as a hot mess of auto-tune and synth saws and bleeps, the work up at the bridge (“shake that bottle and make it *pop*”) is just too much fun not to enjoy.
6. One Day
This is where LMFAO starts to shift from their old style of yelling raps telling the club to throw back shots to auto-tuning their love for a girl they just can’t bag. It’s very similar in style to the sound the Black Eyed Peas pioneered on their last two albums, albeit not as refined.
7. Take It to the Hole (featuring Busta Rhymes)
A pop album isn’t complete without one feature from a member of the holy trinity of pop rap (Busta Rhymes, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg). If you can make it past the blaring synths, the hook, the “meant to be cheesy” verses, and a beat change, Busta does come through with that “Look At Me Now” flow.
8. Best Night (featuring will.i.am, GoonRock & Eva Simons)
One of my favorite cuts on the album because it’s just so smooth even though there’s a ton of autotune here it’s not annoying in the way T-Pain has been using it lately. Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am shows up for a scene stealing verse.
9. All Night Long (featuring Lisa)
You don’t even want to waste time listening to this.
10. With You
This is actually a super funky disco outro to end the album on a high tip as LMFAO reminisce about their life before they we’re stars.
Last Word
While avid rap listeners will dismiss LMFAO’s rudimentary flows, I do believe LMFAO does it all in the name of “fun” and with a sense of irony. What up-and-coming rappers can take from LMFAO is their ear for catchy and light choruses and making the WHOLE song entertaining, rather than just their verse. Another innovative or destructive thing (depending in how you look at it) about this album is in the way it’s been engineered. It’s super bright, meaning the eq is turned up on the high frequencies, which for most rap listeners (myself included) took some getting used to. Also the vocals are not really the focal point of the songs like traditional rap songs, but rather the deep kicks, breakdowns and synths are (similar to the music of the 70’s and 80’s). If LMFAO can continue to innovate and become better songwriters I don’t think they should have anything to be sorry about.
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