Review: Troubadour – K’naan
Somali/Canadian MC K’naan returns with his second release Troubadour, after the critically acclaimed 2002 debut The Dusty Foot Philosopher, and his first on a major label. After six years and a change of label, it should be no surprise that both albums sound markedly different – The Dusty Foot Philosopher had a certain amount of restraint, the lyrics full of introspection, while Troubadour is, more simply, a celebration from beginning to end, and its probably not unfair to . But at the heart of both albums lies the undeniable charisma of K’naan, accompained by his original and poignant life story, borne out of his upbring in civl war ridden Somalia.
Troubadour, like any good Hip-Hop album, hits the ground running. Opener ‘T.I.A’ features a beat bound to get people moving and K’naan’s chants on the hook make it an almost certain club hit, while the breakneck speed is likewise continued with ‘ABC’s’ and ‘Dreamers’ funky bass and K’naan’s irrepresible enthusiaism. The bass heavy Damien Marley assisted ‘I Come Prepared’ slows things down slightly before we get the attempts at the radio hits, ‘Bang Bang’ featuring Adam Levine and a remake of ‘If Raps Get Jealous’ featuring Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett. The latter is far more successful, even though many will find the over the top guitar on the hook excessive, the mix of smooth bass with K’naan’s earnest breathless rhymes along with the explosive chorus makes for a particurly nice contrast.
K’naan’s flow itself isn’t particurly special, and he could lazily be described as sounding a bit like Lupe, just with inferior breath control. What matters is that K’naan’s personality and charisma comes across in abundance, essential when the music takes turns for the worst, the shiny production sometimes sounding generic and lazy, most notably on closer ‘People Like Me’. The most impressive track lyrically comes in the form of ‘Fatima’, which features K’naan telling a story of a young female friend disapearing, taken away to become a child soldier, easily the most poignant track on the album and almost as good as his masterpiece ‘I Was Stabbed By Satan’ from his debut.
By the end fans of his debut are likely to feel disapointed – Troubadour clearly attempts to find a balance, or a comprimise, between political themes and commercial sounds that The Dusty Foot Philosopher largely ignored. Its an exceptionally difficult thing to do, make political raps accessible and commercial but with Troubadour and its irrestible energy, K’naan pulls it off.
Rating: 4/5
