Tyler, The Creator - Cherry Bomb (Album Review)

Tyler, The Creator, like many rappers this year, has pulled a quick album release. He announced the album and released it in a matter of days later. We've seen artists like Kendrick Lamar, Earl Sweatshirt, and Young Thug do a similar release style this year. After the completion of his trilogy (Bastard, Goblin, Wolf) Tyler returns for a new outing with Cherry Bomb.

The album itself is more concise. It may not be as immediate in terms of standout songs like Tyler's past albums. It is shorter and flows much better than Goblin and Wolf. Tyler's production continues to improve. In some places it almost overtakes his rapping ability. As always though Tyler knows how to deliver rhymes that are noticeable. For the better or worse depending on your controversial sensitivity material meter. The therapist element found on the trilogy is absent from this album, which helps it move into a new direction. Kanye West and Lil Wayne show up on "Smuckers" a song that due to the big star power screams single. Kanye delivers a pretty decent verse; it's not his best but he does sound interesting rapping over Tyler's production. Lil Wayne sounds interesting as well. He flows over the beat nicely and he and Tyler have a call and response moment that is neat.

There are more than a few moments when the production reminds me of the Neptunes/N.E.R.D. It's obviously meant to as Tyler name drops N.E.R.D's classic album In Search Of on the song "Deathcamp" which is one of the more heavily N.E.R.D influenced tracks. "Deathcamp" starts the album and it's an immediate song that is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. There are still plenty of those classic sounding Odd Future production style elements sprinkled in the album. Tyler and the album don't seem to lose their identity on hero worship influences. This still very much sounds like a Tyler, The Creator album. He just finds time to throw a few new bells and whistles into the mix which I think adds to the listening experience and broadens the sound some. The title track is a super heavy song and it just glares with intensity. It feels so immediate in the way a heavy Death Grips song does. It's an interestingly produced song and it's an energy infusion at the midway point of the album. It's so abrasive, but it has these really well sung parts placed in the song amongst the chaos. It's another standout on the album.

The biggest pitfall on the album is the way the vocals were mixed in some places, which at times feels a little too low in the mix to make everything out. I think a few of the songs are meant to be that way, but it can take away from the listening experience a little. It may not be enough to knock many enjoyment points off but it definitely was something that bothered me.

Some of the early shock value may be gone as Tyler, The Creator continues to mature in his career, but he continues to improve in all the areas that matter. His production and style are improved on this album. I think this album leans more on artistic merit over the shock value probably more than any other Tyler release to date. Tyler still has more than a few controversial lyrics, but they seem to be more of the backdrop to the production style and song writing. I think Cherry Bomb shows Tyler in a transitional period between what he's been doing to what the future might sound like and I think for the most part it really works. I'm digging this one. I think it's a pretty solid album with a lot of standout songs.