After three years of waiting, Lupe Fiasco’s fans finally got to listen to “Lasers.” Listeners can expect catchy beats and Fiasco’s typical wit, but should be ready to be bombarded by second-rate collaborators.
Like his previous albums, the majority of the songs on “Lasers” include featured artists, but this time they add very little to the sound. The opening track, “Letting Go,” features Sarah Green, and it seems her only job is to provide an awkwardly whiny ending for an otherwise great song.
Other tracks use the additional voice well, however. John Legend’s smooth voice mixes well with Fiasco’s rhymes in “Never Forget You.” Skylar Grey breaks up Fiasco’s controversy-baiting attacks in “Words I Never Said.”
Although the album is preachy at times, Fiasco stays true to his established disdain for vulgarity and instead opts for a more inspirational message, usually hidden within his attacks on media and politics.
In “Words I Never Said,” listeners hear his ideas on war, media and the education system. The song includes lines such as “your child’s future was the first to go with budget cuts” and calls out Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck as racists (making the addition of Grey’s soothing voice a good idea).
The delay of the album’s release does not go unmentioned. Fiasco opens his track “Till I Get There” by complaining about his album’s postponement. He offers the opening verse as more of an excuse than an apology, but the witty metaphors and head-bobbing beat of the song more than make up for its tardiness.
Some will see it as inspiring, others will see it as controversial, but one thing true to all opinions is that “Lasers” represents Fiasco doing what he does best: entertaining listeners with his wit and insight, although he may need to “Kick, Push” some collaborators off any future work to maintain his tone.
