22. J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story

There has been a slight change in the 365 challenge. Every Monday I will listen to an album that gets released on that day, today it's the debut album from Fayetteville rapper J. Cole. 

This young guy is a very talented MC who can go from boasting, to conscious rap, to storyteller mode without sounding contradictory. One of the things that caught me off guard was how good J.Cole is behind the boards on production. Cole handles 12 of the 15 songs on the album and the beats all sound fresh and original, there's soulful production (In the Morning, Sideline Story), off-kilter Timbaland sounding beats (Cole World) and even dubstep sounding tracks (The Jay-Z featuring 'Mr Nice Watch'). 

This album isn't perfect though, the aforementioned 'Mr Nice Watch' for me is probably the weakest song, 'In the Morning' featuring isn't a bad song, but it was released over a year ago. When I'm listening to a new album, I don't really want to hear a song that's over a year old. The Trey Songz assisted 'Can't Get Enough' is also an average pop-oriented offering, aimed at the pop charts. 

There are standout songs though, 'Sideline Story' is a great track, as is 'Rise and Shine' which is a booming drum-heavy banger which perfectly compliments Cole's aggressive delivery.

This is not in the same vein as debuts such as 'Illmatic', 'Ready to die' or 'Doggystyle', but it is certainly a solid body of work. If J. Cole can reach his potential, the sky's the limit. 

Until tomorrow.....
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Favorite Song: Sideline Story