LAZARUS
| Travie McCoyLAZARUS
Lazarus is the debut studio album by Gym Class Heroes lead singer Travie McCoy, released on June 8, 2010. McCoy announced his plans to pursue a solo career in early 2010, although he insisted that Gym Class Heroes had not broken up. After creating demos of melancholy and low-tempo songs, McCoy decided to abandon his early material and start over, as he claimed the songs were "too personal". He began to write more uptempo "party anthems" with lyrical themes of overcoming grief. Musically, McCoy draws from various influences on the record, including hip-hop, reggae, and rock. The album contains collaborations from Bruno Mars, Cee Lo Green, and T-Pain, among others.- WIKIPEDIA
Critic Reviews
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Creative Loafing
the overall vibe is, in a word,
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sputnik music
Is it a keeper" Probably not for most. But, if you're looking for a fresh new sound, pick this up and loop it a couple times. One must go farther than "Billionaire" to experience the whole sound. Keep that in mind.
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RollingStone
His polished croon-rapping is more unctuous than charming, but he gets credit for dreaming of getting rich so he can fix New Orleans and pass out cars like Oprah.
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Entertainment
It's a summery set that serves as a nice break from Class.
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SPIN
McCoy revisits his emo roots on the moody "Need You," but most of Lazarus is so bright you'll need (designer) shades.
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The New York Times
Mr. McCoy, the Gym Class Heroes frontman, is an elastic, jokey-sounding rapper with an ear for bright melodies and optimistic, buoyant rock. But on almost every song here something sinister lies underneath.
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Hot Press
Half brilliant, half laughable solo debut from Gym Class Heroes front man.
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BBC
An unmemorable collection of clichéd rap numbers from the Gym Class Heroes vocalist.
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contactmusic.com
The result is an eclectic mixture of electro, RnB, hip hop and indie.
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INDEPENDENT
while there are a couple more hits to come from Lazarus, it's unlikely to make him a household name.
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ALL MUSIC
Even though every track on the album isn’t a keeper, like the Auto-Tuned “Superbad” or the Black Eyed Peas-style “We’ll Be Alright” (which borrows the hook from Supergrass' “Alright”), it has some solid additions to any summer playlist and will definitely please fans of Gym Class Heroes.
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billboard
The 10-track album's inclusion of reggae-influenced beats and dance jams may polarize listeners, but its snappy wordplay and deep introspection will appeal to a wide demographic of music lovers.
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METRO
It’s a shame that McCoy lapses into teary schmaltz on Don’t Pretend – he’s much more convincing as a good-time guy than a bleeding sweetheart.
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Uber Rock
This album will not appeal to everyone but will cheer up the people who take a punt on this and listen with their ears wide open.
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Daily Star Sunday
Tongue in cheek brill or downright terrible? This reviewer is torn.
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Digital Spy
The artist formerly known as Travis hops from genre to genre like a vacillating karaoke fanatic... on crack.
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Get Addicted
There are few hits and misses.
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