David Guetta: Listen
Details
Genre: Dance pop, Electronica, PopPros:
Nicki Minaj, edgy pop on "Dangerous" and an inspiring cut ("Lift Me Up") keep Listen from sounding like last year's EDM menuCons:
Guetta doesn't challenge guests enough; the tried and true melodies are becoming predictable in Guetta's craftHousehold EDM name brings palette of superstars and familiar beats on 2014 disc
Household EDM name brings palette of superstars and familiar beats on 2014 disc
Since 2009’s One Love, David Guetta has become a household name. He’s produced some of the biggest dance records of our era on others (Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feelin’,” Rihanna’s “Right Now”) and on his own. It’s also a different league in EDM; younger and bolder architects like Avicci, Calvin Harris and Disclosure are changing the conversation. Guetta, now 47, is starting to look like old news. In 2012, Rolling Stone placed Diplo and drove of newer stars ahead of Guetta on their list of best DJs. But he’s still a significant presence to the music world and isn’t afraid to roll up his sleeves when producing new music — evident on his latest LP, Listen. Like 2012’s Nothing But the Beat, it is crammed with star vocalists, many who turn Guetta’s co-penned compositions into makeshift platforms for their own muse. This time around, the artists tend to overshadow any vision and creative direction dropped on the record. John Legend, known most for crooning ballads, enters the title track like an extension of “All of Me.” Sia’s faux-Barbados vocals on “Bang My Head” continue her trek into Rihanna territory. Like Coldplay, Guetta is also becoming notorious in developing his songs around a signature theme, a climatic chorus that dances around a conspicuously repetitive melody and bright synths. It’s ripe on the Ryan Tedder-guested “S.T.O.P.,” on “Lovers” and the disco-driven Emeli Sandé-supported “What I Did for Love.”
But Listen isn’t exactly a ho-hum adventure. It’s propped up by a few fun and heart-pounding risks like “Dangerous,” which pounds better than a modern-day Maroon 5 track. Nicki Minaj’s ass-clap jam “Hey Mama” is also a sleek ear tease. Then there’s the sincere inspiration of “Lift Me Up,” where the sing-a-long lyrics sound like something etched out of a heavenly hymnbook: “Lift me up to higher ground/Not to proud to say I need you now.”
Guetta along with co-producer Giorgio Tuinfort still needs to have better control of their own creativity and album agendas. By luring the guest artists to sing things outside their common element — similar to what Disclosure did with Sam Smith on “Latch” and Calvin Harris did with Florence Welch on “Sweet Nothing” — the disc would have become more of a game changer. Exploring newer riffs and tapping into more genre-bending resources would also put more gasoline in the Guetta machine. Listen reveals drops of hope; it’s just not rife with golden opportunities.
