K'Naan — Troubadour

Troubadour

A&M/Universal

Kate Harper (CHARTattack)

02/24/2009 2:51pm

K'Naan's star-studded sophomore album features guest appearances from Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Chali 2na, Mos Def, Damian Marley and Maroon 5's Adam Levine. It's not a complete 180 in comparison to 2006's The Dusty Foot Philosopher debut, but, as its guest list attests, it's definitely different.

Troubadour is a bit less influenced by world music beats and east African rhythms, and it's clearly an attempt to market K'Naan to a wider, more American audience. "ABCs" still isn't mainstream rap material, but it's much more party rap than anything you'll find on The Dusty Foot Philosopher. "Does It Really Matter?" at first seems to be an attempt at a more mainstream kind of rap, but its lyrics and beat indicate it's really K'Naan poking fun at more popular rappers. That several of the songs contain traces of Ethiopian jazz indicates (thankfully) that K'Naan hasn't gone all Jay-Z on us just yet.

There's no track nearly as gut-punching as Dusty Foot's "Soobax" or "What's Hardcore?" nor is there anything as meaningful or lyrically shocking on Troubadour. "Wavin' Flag," with its incredibly catchy chorus and typically uplifting lyrics ("When I get older, I will be stronger/They'll call me freedom/Just like a waving flag"), comes close, but doesn't quite hit the mark. Similarly, "Somalia" and "Fatima" are definitely catchy, but they lack the intensity which marked this album's predecessor.

All this said, Troubadour will still probably be one of the better rap albums released this year, even if it lacks The Dusty Foot Philosopher's immediacy.

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