Cody ChesnuTT
's debut album,
The Headphone Masterpiece
, is what all
pop/rock
-
soul
R&B
hip-hop
hybrids should be: good, raw, fun, and funky.
ChesnuTT
mixes '60s-style
rock
with '70s
and '90s
and
in an eclectic celebration of sound. This
lo-fi
gem was recorded in his bedroom and sounds like it; it's essentially a 36-track musical diary. He sings testosterone-driven songs of passion and tender tales of mental anguish with equal abandon. When he whispers, "I know my breakdown is on the way," on
"My Women, My Guitars,"
you feel his impending fall. He plays almost all of the instruments and sings most of the vocals, and he's often out of tune and off-key, but that only adds to the emotion and recklessness of the album. He holds everything together with a few polished and catchy tracks that are scattered throughout. On
"Looks Good in Leather,"
he sounds like
Terence Trent D'Arby
or
Ben Harper
, but with a style that's all
.
"The World Is Coming to My Party"
is a full-fledged dance anthem, complete with a rafter-shaking groove that
Prince
would be proud of. He just as easily channels
Curtis Mayfield
on the smooth
"Serve This Royalty,"
which showcases
's soulful voice and may be the finest track, combining his great grasp of groove with clever lyrics like, "We can crown kings in Adidas."
is as comfortable in the
world as he is in the
spheres. He lays down a funky
rap
on
"War Between the Sexes,"
and few
hardcore
gangstas
can match his misogyny on
"Bitch I'm Broke."
While a few songs lack
's charm, the misses don't disturb the groove enough to hinder the overall effect: a masterpiece, with or without headphones. ~ Michael Gowan