It's not the first time he's used vocoder the hip-hop mastery of 'Stronger' flowed it to bold effect, but this is so positively drenched in effects, pitch twiddling and auto-tune it would have been impossible to make ten years ago. If this were any more heartfelt he would have released his still-bleeding heart, which is thankfully a defunct format in this digital age.įor such great affairs of the heart, the album sticks to a mid-tempo groove and most clearly answers only to him - there's barely any rapping, rather half-spoken singing and a tendency to hide behind effects. This is frequently uncomfortable listening, and initially best approached sideways in case it kicks. It's obviously the work of an angry, heartbroken perfectionist, one who lost his mother (also manager - dying following ill-advised plastic surgery) and split with his fiancé five months later: a hard time for anyone that no amount of posturing, success or wealth can disguise. And boy does it show this is like meeting a recent divorcee in the car park of a pub at closing time, before he drives home along the pavement. As opposed to the lengthy gestation of previous offering Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak was recorded in a mere three weeks, thereby preventing any tempering of feeling.