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At 20 tracks and nearly 80 minutes, Eardrum is both too much and too little, never quite understanding exactly what it needs to be.
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There are enough different feels and flows to dazzle listeners with Kweli's dexterity, but some judicious editing could have produced something perhaps even more impressive.
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Kweli’s rigid delivery and obsession with self-empowerment remain liabilities.
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Entertainment WeeklyA procession of sharp cuts. [24 Aug 2007, p.133]
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The production work throughout provides a head-bobbing, arm-waving backdrop to Kweli’s lyrical genius, exactly as it should.
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Kweli's collaborative work has set the bar so high that his solo efforts routinely fail to meet these exalted expectations.
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MojoEar Drum confirms Kweli's position as an icon. [Oct 2007, p.106]
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Kweli's curse- 'n' cliché-free rhyme-ripping proves he needs no help on the microphone. He outshines his celebrated guests, including labelmate Grae, KRS-One, Norah Jones (!), Sonia Sanchez, UGK's Pimp C and Bun B, Musiq Soulchild and Raheem DeVaughn.
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He's made a nice to return to form, crafting a mature album that nods to his past without being a retread.
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I Think, one of Talib Kweli's major goals with his music is to speak to (and from the vantage point of) groups that have been marginalized from "the norm." Ear Drum comes mighty close to reaching that goal, with only a few stumbles along the way.
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Talib Kweli has made the career-defining work that his fans have been expecting for nearly a decade.
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Sexual and spiritual, conscious and just plain fun, Eardrum is a master class in lyricism from a man supremely comfortable in his own skin.
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Ear Drum doesn’t reach the highs of that far more ambitious and sprawling album ["Train of Thought"], but it’s a welcome return to form.
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Ear Drum marks the self-proclaimed BK MC's third full-length feature, and astoundingly, it's a captivating, cocksure rejoinder to everyone who abandoned him.
User score distribution:
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Positive: 35 out of 38
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Mixed: 1 out of 38
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Negative: 2 out of 38
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KyleZ.Sep 11, 2007Album of the year. Hands down. Production from long time partner Hi-Tek on More or Less is phenomenal. The quintessential Hip-Hop album.
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EdwardHSep 11, 2007
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prolifikSep 9, 2007Solid album from start to finish, way better and consistent than Beautiful Struggle