Album Review: Sean Paul – Full Frequency
3 min read
Grammy award winning Jamaican Sean Paul is back with his sixth studio album Full Frequency. His past five albums, plus collaborations with others, have seen Paul win numerous awards and gain devoted fans worldwide. With Full Frequency being so highly anticipated, especially after being delayed for almost three months, fans and critics are hoping that album number six delivers the same successful music as his previous albums.
Full Frequency features a slew of collaborations with big name artists, including Juicy J, 2 Chainz, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, Nyla, Konshens, Prince Royal and Damien Jr. Gong Marley. The six songs featuring these artists all come at the start of the album, and take up nearly half the tracks. I feel that Paul should have thought about this and wondered whether all these collaborations were really necessary.
The first few songs, Riot, Entertainment 2.0, Wickedest Style and Dangerous Ground are the worst offenders. These tracks offer disjointed melodies and the lyrics don’t blend well with the melody either, creating an incoherent and confusing song. The songs are also examples of songs that just flatline; there is no climax, it’s just the same level for the entire song, and this becomes repetitive. Other collaborations Pornstar and Want Dem All fare better, with tunes that make you want to get up and dance. Things mesh together to create a great coherent melody in these songs, but the lyrics leave a lot to be desired and let the tracks down.
However, the songs where Sean Paul goes it alone seem to be done much better. Many of the songs on this album are a blend of many genres, including pop, r&b, dance and a tinge of reggae. Synth beats underlie many of the melodies, giving the tunes an extra edge and that dance vibe. Hey Baby is the first song on the album which Paul attacks solo. The lyrics and melody are disjointed to begin with, but come together as the song progresses. Album singles Other Side of Love and Turn It Up offer up pure pop numbers. Other Side of Love has a ballad feel to it, the only sort of ballad included on the album, and reminds us that Sean Paul can actually sing. Turn It Up is a dance floor hit, with a deep bass setting the tone for its listener to groove.
Another noteworthy track is It’s Your Life. The verses offer an interesting and unique sound, with an intricate organ melody puttering along in the background. However, the burst into the chorus means a burst into a generic pop sound which seems to drag the song. Yet the majority of the song has an interesting tune and is one to listen to. Take It Low is another song that should be given a chance. It’s synth beats make for an extremely catchy song, but the lyrics “I wanna see you take it low/like a stripper on a pole” ruin the track’s charm.
Full Frequency is an album that showcases variety, yet somehow manages to fall short. The lyrics bring the songs down on many occasions, with common rap words “nigga” and “hoe” being thrown around many times in almost every track. Numerous things have to mesh together to create a great song, and in the case of Full Frequency, various songs just don’t make the cut.
