If you expect R&B or Hip Hop, you’ve come to the wrong party. West, arguably a main culprit behind the over-syrupy R&B sound of today has gone all minimal. A classy move with mixed results.

Respect to West for turning his back on a successful formula after seven years and trying something different. Gone are the Hip Hop beats and in come touches of Jamaican Dancehall and European Electro Pop. Gone, too, is the rapper and in comes West the singer.

The beats hit you first. Deep bass drums that twist and linger like in Dancehall or Dubstep. On top you get a bit of tribal percussion as on ‘Love Lockdown’ or Electro Pop stylings like on ‘Paranoid’ or ‘Robo Cop’.

Ever so often, West strays slightly into early Chicago House territory (’Street Lights’). Well, West grew up in Chicago and the 808 in the album title is the Roland 808 drum machine, the engine that drove House music. So maybe this is West’s soul searching, me and my hometown album?

Electro Pop features high on the list of influences you can hear on tracks like ‘Say You Will’, ‘Welcome To Heartbreak’ or - West at his best - the cinematic ‘See You In My Nightmares’. That makes sense.

After all, House was created by Chicago clubbers used to high energy Disco records when the homegrown supply dried up and the rest of America went Hip Hop. They first turned to European Pop and, inspired by the simple Electronic rhythms of most of these records, later made their own tracks.

In a way, West is going back to the roots.

If only he could do without the gimmicks.

For an artist with a reputedly huge ego it is strange that West hides his voice behind a nagging special effect. You remember that irritating nasal warble made famous by Cher on her 1998 hit ‘I Believe’ and more recently employed by R&B singers like Lil’ Wayne and T-Pain? That’s what West does on 80% of the tracks here. Check out ‘Love Lockdown’ below and you’ll hear what I’m on about.

Watch The Video For ‘Love Lockdown’

The culprit is a piece of software called Auto-Tune. Used mainly to correct bum notes and polish up vocals in the studio, you can tweak the settings and get the warble. Auto-Tune’s manufacturer even calls it the ‘Cher Effect’. Undoubtedly, the cheesy ‘I Believe’ will be caned once again this season at office Christmas parties everywhere.

Did West really need to Auto-Tune practically his entire album? I know, Lil’ Wayne and T-Pain have (re-)started a fad and I’m sure you can sell a few more Cher-ified hits. West already featured T-Pain on his previous album ‘Graduation’ in 2007, so his interest in this sound goes back a bit. But to go out and put a liberal helping of cheese onto your whole album?

Auto-Tune really ruins ‘808s & Heartbreak’ for me. And that’s a shame, because I think the album has a lot to offer musically. Can’t wait for the instrumentals to pop up.

We say:

You can download Kanye West’s new album here from iTunes UK.

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