Tweet or Delete: Jamie Foxx – Best Night of My Life
I’ve been a Jamie Foxx fan for a long time. After Jamie’s last smash with “Blame it On the Alcohol”, I went into this album optimistic. To be honest, I want to love this album! But I can’t. As I listened, I soon realized that Jamie was being positioned as a crossover artist. On “Best Night of My Life”, he attempts to please everybody, and his core fans are left wanting more. It says a lot when my favorite songs are the interludes, Ideas that should have been nourished into full songs.
The intro had me thinking this album was promising. I liked his version of “This will be” (natalie cole’s hit), and found myself wishing it was a full song. The other stand out was “Let Me Get You On Your Toes” – Promising from the initial “Pop Champagne” beat. Definitely something I would bang while on the way to the club, or cruising through LA. But way too short.
“Living Better Now” was made better with the Biggy sample, but it reminded me of a “jerk” song. I’m too old to be jerking, so maybe it was suited for his younger audience.
“Freak” had an annoying 80′s melody that began to irritate me quickly, so it didn’t last long.
“Yep Dat’s Me” with Ludacris and Soulja Boy was geared for the south. It sounds like 5 songs in one. My said “he’s too old for this song”. She’s right. He conjures up images of the old man in the club. Even Luda can’t save this track, and he usually breathes life into any track he spits on.
“Fall for your type”, the lead off single feels more like Drake than Jamie. I enjoy Jamie more as the life of the party than as the Melancholy introspect. The haunting melodies are beautiful though.
“Sex On the Beach” Jamie’s pop cross over song. Expect this in heavy rotation on your top 40 station.
Jamie’s album has everything you would need for a hit album: the requisite pop song with the dance beat and autotune, a “jerk song” for the LA youngins, a down south track with Luda, a couple of baby making love songs, and a guest appearance by today’s new radio prince Drake. It’s missing one key ingredient; Soul.
