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Q Magazine"Being herself" has resulted in her blandest record yet: it drifts from nondescript disco-pop and cloying R&B to woefully ersatz glam stomp. [July 2010, p. 132]
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The real problem with The Sellout is that it, in fact, wants to be a sellout but isn' a very good one. These blatant attempts to cash on famous names are weakest tracks here.
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Unfortunately, The Sellout doesn't just embrace the fluffier side of the Gray persona, it smothers it in an awkward, goofy hug.
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While there is plenty of soul in the sound, there is a lack of body in both delivery and melody.
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UncutCutting edge, it's not, as if that was ever the point, but the title of the collection seems less like a wry confession, more like wishful thinking. [Jun 2010, p.88]
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Easy as it is to root for the freaky underdog in any endeavor, Gray doesn't sound especially engaged here.
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Her scratchy charm gets her through some of the stompers, like "Kissed It" and "Still Hurts," and her old humor surfaces now and then. But the desperation rings all too true in "Help Me."
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The results of that effort are apparent, and they're not good. Gray wields one of the most naturally talented voices in R&B, but from the evidence here, she's not a songwriter.
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Despite the title, her new album is a softer sell--and more appealing--than 2007's Will.i.am-assisted Big.
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After listening to Gray's latest, The Sellout and going back to the music that had shifted through our slush pile unnoticed over the last decade or so, we're pretty stoked to find an artist making solid, soulful music beyond the confines of contemporary culture.