Pitbull's new album, Rebelution, officially came out yesterday, though in these parts we've been hearing lead singles "I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)" and "Hotel Room Service" (and even "Krazy") for what seems like forever already. And because Pitbull seems like such a Miami phenomenon, it's almsot hard to fathom just how popular "Calle Ocho" was this summer. Just check out the Wikipedia stats on all its Billboart chart placements. The song hit number one in Spain and France, and scored top 10 placements in every other western European country. (It got to number six in New Zealand, and 12 in Australia.)
So now, the national media is starting to weigh in. Let's check out some of the higher profile reviews so far, after the jump.
Pop & Hiss, the L.A. Times' music blog, praises Pitbull for his "saucy, absurd floor-fillers," and finds him refreshing in his lack of gangsta pretense. "If he wants to
hustle curvy ladies and expensive speedboats, well, that sounds like
more fun than a '90s bi-coastal turf war," says August Brown.
The New York Daily News weighed in this morning with a surprisingly long and thoughtful review for that publication, and NYC has naturally been Pitbull's second-largest stronghold outside of our peninsula. That paper's Jim Farber is less kind, though, awarding Rebelution just two out of five stars. "The dance music that Pit centered on sounds like it came from the early '90s. Imagine C&C Music Factory, but with Pit subbed for the chesty rapper Freedom Williams." Ouch.
But there's more: "If such songs and sentiments struck you as corny then, imagine how much more so they will now." Farber even lobs the worst of all insults at the end -- Rebelution, he says, amounts to an audio version of Bravo's Miami Social, a "vain, venal dip into the abyss." Listen Farber, nothing -- nothing -- is as vain and venal as Miami Social.
Back in Pit's corner is Ron Harris of the Associated Press, who says Rebelution is "solid, perfectly produced, and should keep Pitbull tracks growling on the dance floor for years to come."
So far, not much on the national media hip-hop sites -- I couldn't turn up any actual reviews on SOHH, AllHipHop, HipHopdx, or The Source's site.
But enough of all those guys -- what do you think? Does the rest of the album live up to the hyper-kinetic bounce of "Krazy," "Calle Ocho," and "Hotel Room Service?" Has anyone yet listened to it all the way through? Opinions, please.
