Word: songful
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...songs addressing relationships and the titular “Battle of the Sexes” are few and far between on the album. Perhaps this is because, for Ludacris, the words “sex” and “relationship” are effectively synonymous. The militant introductory song seems to promise a rap battle between Ludacris and female rappers addressing gender issues, but the album does not deliver. Perhaps “My Chick Bad” might be intended to be a shot in favor of women since it is somewhat complimentary to the fairer sex?...
...B.O.T.S. Radio” is the album’s ultimate, and most disappointing, exploration of the battle of the sexes. The song is set up like a radio show with rapped responses from Ludacris, Shawnna, and I-20 in response to caller complaints about their significant others. The music is sinister and aggressive and the song’s flow is very choppy. It could be intended as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on relationships, but the aggressiveness with which the rappers deliver their lines reveals a seriousness which makes the song all the more problematic. I-20?...
...unhappiness, partially obscured by pluck, prevents most other tracks from conveying diverse or interesting emotions. One gets the sense that she only writes abstractly about problems people might have, as opposed to her actual experiences. “Me and You,” a melancholy yet slightly upbeat song featuring poignant strings and steel guitar picking is one such example. It takes the song’s narrator out of the picture, and focuses on an abstract subject, with Deschanel urging, “You’ve got to be kind to yourself.” Coming from...
...features redeeming the complacency of most of the album is Deschanel’s voice, She & Him’s undoubted strength. Her vocals vary between soulful, childlike, and ethereal. Her voice adds enormously to the charm of otherwise run-of-the-mill songs. This is especially evident on the Ward and Deschanel duet “Ridin’ in My Car.” The song is typical She & Him: twangy harmonies deliver a bittersweet message of a lost summer love, matched with an upbeat poppy melody. But Ward’s voice fails to match Deschanel?...
...marching straight onto stage (or lane, in the case of a concert at a bowling alley), picking up their instruments and playing without preplanned tempos or set lists. In one scene, the band takes the stage only to play one note before walking off. In another, they trade songs with Inuit elders, who nod off in time to the blues stylings of Jack. Throughout the film, the Stripes blaze through their 10-year catalogue, now rife with hits, accelerating and decelerating throughout every song and playing with an unhinged passion worthy of any classic rock or punk greats. The audio...