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MTV UNPLUGGED
Jay-Z
(Uni/Def Jam)
Ah, the unplugged album.
A recording industry fad that mercifully died out in the mid-'90s.
It did little for music other than show how many emperors were in fact unclothed, as well as create a cheap cash cow for the artists, the labels, and the main perpetrator of the heinous and rather pointless crime against the consumer -- MTV (the "M" is for what again?).
That's why the appearance of this new album of unplugged material from top hip hop artist Jay-Z, who's currently enjoying a major wave thanks to last year's The Blueprint, is one that should be viewed with mixed emotions.
Though not an essential release by any means, it is, itself, quite a good recording.
Joined in the MTV studio by a string quartet, members of The Roots and special guest Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z performs acoustic versions of his hits such as Girls, Girls, Girls, Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem) and Izzo (H.O.V.A.), as well as a tacked-on new track, People Talkin'.
For the most part, the songs are buoyed by the looseness of the live setting and the exceptional back-up by The Roots, not to mention the very vocal studio audience.
All of that said, there's a lot riding on this release, the first since the American video-less music video station revived the Unplugged show.
If this album does well, as it probably will, you can expect an endless stream of these releases.
I ask you, are Unplugged albums from *NSYNC, Creed, Limp Bizkit and Jennifer Lopez really something we need?
Or, more importantly, something you're prepared to have on your conscience? (More on Jay-Z)
Track Listing