Review: Mr. Hudson – Straight No Chaser
Mr. Hudson – Straight No Chaser (2009) [G.O.O.D.] // Grade: C
Auto-tune is becoming a scourge. Like, just an awful, unending punishment—nails on a chalkboard. There are for sure moments when it’s appropriate (e.g. Wallpaper) and even functional as a cover-up, the modern equivalent to a thousand layers of reverb. But when it becomes a useless staple for a guy like Mr. Hudson, a guy who has one of those insane, piercing voices that even already amazing singers pray for, you know it’s become a problem.
So here we are at the auto-tune friendly Straight No Chaser, Hudson’s first on Kanye’s G.O.O.D. label and his first to fully embrace this pop-star thing he’s been flirting with for years. That Hudson is a seriously great producer, has a seriously great voice and, really, is a natural choice for the next sorta-kinda rebellious chart-topper makes me desperately want to like this album. I’m trying to like this album. I mean, it’s not without its moments: the no-bullshit 80s production, especially on tracks like the komische-ish “Knew We Were Trouble” and the glitched “There Will Be Tears”, is legitimately addictive. So are the really rad beats a la Amerie’s “1 Thing” backboning several of the songs. And when Hudson breaks it down on “Instant Messenger”, a thumping 80s piano ballad with some of the best background melodies of the album (is that a sampled accordion?), you start to think that maybe Straight No Chaser just took a few minutes to really get started.
But then you rewind to the opening track (and first single/UK chart smasher) “Supernova (feat. Kanye West)”, and suddenly: Coldplay with a Kanye verse. Ew. And “White Lies”, a punchy hip-hop stomp with, duh, those overblown synth pads everyone loves right now; it wants to go somewhere but never does. Bleh. And the auto-tune: why is Hudson using auto-tune? It does nothing but further cement Straight No Chaser to this particular moment in hip-hop/R&B production and, unfortunately, muddles both the desperation in his voice (this is, after all, an entire record of doomed love stories) and the brilliance of whatever hooks you can pick out. Pop-stardom doesn’t come without its price; in this case, a few great 80s pop songs overshadowed by several banal, boring chart grabs. And it seems to be working—we’ll see what happens when this releases in the States on December 1—so maybe Hudson and Kanye have it right after all. Still, I’ll only ever listen to five of these songs again.
November 20th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Basically what I was expecting for this but what I truly don’t understand is… auto tune has become a walking joke, does it honestly still sell records?
:\ Maybe don’t answer that.
November 20th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I know I’m in the minority of people who thought 808′s & Heartbreaks was fantastic, but Auto-Tune can be used productively. Kanye basically uses it as a vocoder, and I really appreciate that sound and effect. I also felt it worked really well on Kid Cudi’s album.
On Mr. Hudson’s album it’s just odd that he chooses to use it as heavily as he does when unlike Cudi and Kanye, he can actually sing and doesn’t really need it’s melodic camouflage.
November 20th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
since when is there a kanye verse in there will be tears?
November 20th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
ps. kid cudi specifically said in an interview that he hadn’t used autotune on his album so shits cash really
November 20th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Cudi can say whatever he wants but his album clearly uses an Autotune. It may not be on full blast, but it’s definitely there.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Since I had the song titles mixed up in my notes, apparently. It’s been fixed, thanks for the catch.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
I’m not sure how you hate “White Lies” so much. I thought it was the best song on the album.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Ugh, are you serious? I thought it was so lackluster and desperate to turn into this epic jam, and then just completely failed on execution. Put back to back with Supernova, and I was totally hating this album at first. A lot of my reaction to it could be the pacing–I don’t think it works as a second track at all–but even on its own it just makes me fall asleep.
November 20th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Yeah I’m serious. It’s the closest the album comes to a Gore/Gahan, Tennant, Clarke or even Annie Lennox type of melodic moment. I didn’t there was anything epic about. It was just a catchy, simple pop song. It into “Know We Were in Trouble” is the best moment on the album.
“No More Tears” in contrast I absolutely hated.
But is till think the album is a C regardless.
November 20th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Okay, that moment is good, I’ll give you that. But I don’t hear Gore/Gahan at ALL on that song–it’s nowhere near as moody or dramatic, at least not to me–it just felt like a ho-hum follow-up to the ho-hum opener. Nothing about the production, vocals or lyrics really left me with any impression other than “eh, I’ve heard better”.
November 20th, 2009 at 4:40 pm
To clarify: the little breakdown is what bothered me most. It just stood there shuffling its feet. And it made absolutely no sense to me, because it sounded like it wanted to do SOMETHING, to go SOMEWHERE, and then it just forgot. And it’s not static in that tense, surprising way…it just feels lazy, like the sonic equivalent of ending your novel with ‘and then they woke up’.