Kanye West presents GOOD Music: Cruel Summer – review

Kanye West's penchant for superabundance is one of the most exhilirating things in pop music. Where others might make do with a single producer, Kanye will have three and finish it up himself when they're not looking. While other rappers will showcase their lesser-talented mates, Kanye signs Common and Clipse's Pusha T. As for guest vocalists, why not R Kelly, John Legend and The D.R.E.A.M? All appear on this impromptu project that's somewhere between album and mixtape: some tracks coming over like sketches; others as pastiches of hip-hop trends. Either way, Cruel Summer has more highlights than most long-gestated efforts, from Kels's To the World and its operatic chorus, to Jay Z's verse on Clique or Kid Cudi's plaintive emo R&B on Creepers. But while the ear-catching moments belong to the guests, West's touch is detectable everywhere and in the refrain, "Mitt Romney don't pay no tax", he may have the best line on the album. This isn't just a side project, this is a Kanye side-project.