Chester French Reactiones

TheSideNote is just on fire with reviews today. Here is another semi-highly anticipated album, but unfortunately the hype (mostly that we created) was a little too much for the actual album. Don't get me wrong, Chester French is going places, just not right now. Don't worry about it guys, good try!

BREAK IT DOWN NOW:

1) Introduction: Powerful strings, foriegn language, cresendos and orchestration. This is going to be a wild ride.

2) C'mon (On My Own): Well thought out rock pop, catchy and driving hook. Exactly what I was expecting from the newcomers.

3) Bebe Buell: This is the first time I had to google a hook in a pop song. "This ain't groupie love, cause you mean so much to me/ You're my Bebe Buell, you're my Puerto Rican Pamala Lee." It may not seem be flattering give your girl the pet name of a Playmate heartbreaker, but when you're Chester French, maybe its not so bad. The rock star serenede drives with guitars, electronic beats, and lyrics worth reading.

4) String Interlude: It's exactly what you think it is. Can they play the violin and chello? Hmmmmmm, rockers with classical tendences. Rock me, Amadeus, indeed.

5) The Jimmy Choos: The combo of synth, oooOoOoOoos, and design shoe name dropping actually works. So far, no real stand out track. All are solid tracks, but who knows if they'll still be good the 10th spin around? B, so far.

6) Time to Unwind: More synth, more beats, more quirky pop.

7) Fingers: "You're so fresh, you're fresh to death / but you've turned your tricks, made such a mess" See, its ironic because there's a grand piano track under it! Oh, and there's the strings from Track 4, I thought they'd pop up again.

8) Country Interlude: There are only a few times where I've looked foward to a track less. And its 5+ minutes. And now I'm thouroughly confused. This is no country track. Kind of a creepy techno/acoustic mash-up. To top it all off is the xylophone. Just a disorienting track.

9) Beneath The Veil: Now THIS is the pop/rock country I was expecting before. Tap dance solo as an added bonus.

By this point in the listening, I was decently bored. I had high expectations coming into the album, and none of these songs were going to stick in my head for more than a few hours. I really stopped listening to the album, except for the supposed single She Loves Everybody. The track has a rather large replay value on MTV, so I figured I'd check it out. Really, the chorus stands out because its straight-up hooktastic. The rest is like the love for a promiscuous woman that they sing about: you know you shouldn't like it, but it just keeps growing on you. Until you get crabs. And then you have a problem. The music video is worth a look though. Nothing says artsy like black and white and ass-kicking.

For a duo who rocked As I Em w/ Asher Roth, they did not deliever. 2, 3, 5, and She Loves Everybody are worth a replay or two, but not much. I'm tagging Love the Future with a heartbreaking C+. They're 1/2 to a solid CD. They just gotta finish strong.

"You think we should finish our CD?" "Nah, let's lounge in this preppy room some more."

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• Chester French: She Loves Everybody (Chopped and Screwed) (idiomag.com)

This may be one of the more anticipated albums to be released during the '09 year. Now I won't say that the album was a disappointment, but it had some very solid parts, and some iffy songs. Asleep in the Bread Aisle is Asher Roth first album, and ironically (or not so much), it was released on a holiday celebrated by many around the world (April 20th). Now why might I say that this highly album was not so great? Well maybe it is because of the hype and expectation level that surrounded the album leading up to its release date!? Well I don't know, I guess I am going to move on with the rest of the review...

Let's start with the good parts to the album. It featured some pretty sick tracks, had some fantastic features on the track listing, and it also shows that Asher can bring it on an LP. The album shows the kid has some versatility and has the ability to blow up sometimes.

Coming into the album I was a bit nervous about Asher's vulgarity, and was hoping that he wouldn't go overboard. Yes, some of his tracks are a bit vulgar, but I feel like he did everything in his power to control himself on this album. I loved it!

CAN I GET A DRUM ROLL PLEASE?!?!?!

AND NOW...THE DEBUT OF OUR NEW WRITER: TheSideNote!!!

Finally, a CD release! And wouldn't it be from the other other white meat, Asher Roth. I was waiting for Bread Aisle since IceCrush and SoSick first got word of an actual release. And, 12 tracks later, I'm surprised and elated at the lyrics and flow of Mr. Roth.

Cue the track by track breakdown:

1) Lark On My Go-Kart: I heard this one on the mixtape. Really not that impressed, but props for the MarioKart references. Do you really need to talk about getting play the entire time to have a good CD? The first lines are "Sitting on a truffet / Puffing on the best cut bud tryna get but from ms. muffet" Nothing says hardcore rapper like smoking a blunt while macking on a character from a nursery rhyme.

2) Blunt Cruisin’: And here's the obligatory song about weed. Nothing special.

3)I Love College: The whole album really picks up from here, which is great considering it's Track 3. Amazing for its simplicity and honesty, as well as rhyming Hakeem Olajuwon with beer pong. This def deserves to be in the Top 10 of iTunes. Suck it, Madonna.

4) La Di Da: Solid track, and kind of reminds me of a combo of Flashing Lights and Superstar. I really like the underlying beats, and he just has great flow.

5) Be By Myself (Ft. Cee-Lo): You can feel the Gnarles Barkely influence seeping out of the track, which is an amazing thing. He got a spectacular vernacular, what can I say?

6) She Don’t Want A Man (Ft. Keri Hilson): Amazing use of Miss Hilson. A notorious dance track, it's been on repeat for a long while.

7) South Patch Kids: IceCrush's favorite track. Mmmmm, sour patch.

8) As I Em (Ft. Chester French): My absolute favorite track on the entire album. Amazing use of Chester French, necessary message, representing for his own respect. And he did it without pitting down Eminem. All day long, all day long...

9) Bad Day (Ft. Jazze Pha): Another story song, and pretty hilarious.

10) Lions Roar (Ft. New Kingdom, Busta Rhymes): Would be just another "don't hate the player, hate the game" track, but I could listen to Busta Rhymes do anything. I just want him to follow me around and narrate my life. Dream come true.

11) His Dream: Really deep track. Nothing says love liking making a song for your Pops. Mr. Roth must be some kind of dad.

12) Fallin: One of my favorite tracks, and one of the many about his past as a random white kid emerging into hip-hop. His rhymes tell a story and are ridiculously poetic at the same time. Also, I'm lovin the chorus. Just listen to it. The faded voices and keyboard make sense for a flashback.

13) Perfectionist (ft. Beanie Siegel) BONUS TRACK One of the more musical songs on the album, but I think that's because of Beanie. I'm digging Beanie part, if nothing else but the contrast between his style, flow and voice and Asher's. ICECrush approved too!

Asher Roth knows how to use his featured artists really well. Hopefully, everything he got from this one will carry over into his next recordings. I'd give it a solid A- (much better than EW's B). Worth many more spins and replays, and an awesome freshman attempt. Tha Good Life loves our Asher, so we're looking for any other tracks he has hidden around.

-SoSickWitItYo, ICECrush, and TheSideNote (Give him a round of applause!)

As it turns out, all Jewish boys look like this in the morning. Really.