Album Review: Channel “Rocky”
Channel “Rocky”
Released: 2010
Reviewed By: E Pluribus Unum
Rating: 6.7 (of 10)
[xrr rating=6.7/10]
I’ve never heard of Channel, so I had no idea what to expect when I started to play this CD. Channel starts this project off with cheers chanting “Rocky!!! Rocky!!! Rocky!!!” But the sample was extremely unclear. To be honest, if the project wasn’t titled Rocky I would have no clue what was being said. I know that’s not necessarily that important to some, but it’s the first thing you hear and first impressions are important.
Truth be told, all of that is forgotten once Channel starts rhyming. I actually like his wordplay on this album. He had some pretty good lines from start to finish that made me smile. That’s a big complement that only comes with lyrics that are really funny, entertaining, or innovative. Channel was pretty innovative on this project with his lyrics.
The first song that I heard that was actually catchy was track #3 “Family”. The beat is fun with an innocent feel to it. Channel sings on the hook, but it’s not his singing that makes it catchy at all. It’s just one of those simple melodies with easy lyrics that provoke you to sing-a-long. I was singing this one long after I left the stereo. Next, he gets it krunk with “Paint the City”. Unfortunately, he follows up with the weakest song on the album, “Van Gogh”. I’m sorry, but if you name a track Van Gogh the track should be immaculate. It falls short tremendously. I heard some “good” songs on the album, but some of the music was lacking. Some tracks weren’t as good as they could’ve been because of certain sound selections. Other tracks were too monotonous, aka it got boring pretty quickly once I realized I wasn’t going to hear anything different for the rest of the song.
I took longer to do this review because I was trying to figure out what to say. The project as a whole is “ok”. But in the back of my head the only thing I knew was, it was missing something and it was killing me not being able to put my finger on it. I think I figured it out (I think). The production, as a whole, averages as a step away from being tight. Some tracks get there and some don’t. But the killer on this album is actually the lyrical delivery. Channel shows very little excitement in his voice throughout the entire album. He sounds like he was sitting back in a recliner and reading his lyrics off a piece of paper when he recorded this. His energy level rubbed off on me while listening to it. I couldn’t get excited at all. Channel has tons of potential, because I enjoyed his wordplay and punch lines, but he needs to improve in making his audience feel what he’s saying. When he mixes singing with his rhyming it shades this weakness a little bit, which is one of the reasons “Moonwalk” shines on this project. A difference in delivery would make people go crazy on that song instead of just nod their head. I noticed the production on that song sounds dangerously close to another artist we all know. …I’m just saying. There are definitely some lines that should’ve been re-recorded. “Rise and Grind” was another song I liked. I liked the brother who was featured on this song too, but once again, the delivery should’ve been smoother. A nice effect on his voice with a few more takes could’ve taken this song through the roof. It’s still a nice song. Overall, Rocky didn’t provide the knockout I was looking for. Good, but not great. But hey, everybody is a critic. I’m just the guy who wrote the review. Peace and much love.
Comprehensive Ratings:
- Music: 7 of 10
- Flow / Delivery: 8 of 10
- Lyricism: 8 of 10
- Content: 8 of 10
- Creativity / Originality / Relevancy: 7 of 10
- Credibility / Confidence: 6 of 10
- Personality / Character: 5 of 10
- Presentation Quality: 6 of 10
- Overall Production Quality: 7 of 10
- Potential Impact: 5 of 10
