This Unruly Mess I've Made (studio album) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

From louisjwyatt 02/29/2016 21:01

I've been highly anticipating this album since first hearing and quickly falling in love with Downtown. Once again, Macklemore isn't breaking any boundaries with his music, but he's delivered another highly enjoyable release. Ryan Lewis also delivers some of his best production to date here, channeling the likes of Dr Dre (coupled with Macklemore's likeness to Eminem in his more comedic moments) and RZA (see: Buckshot).

There's a good balance between feel good moments and heartfelt conviction, complimenting both the funky and gospel aspects of the production. The guest appearances from KRS-One, Anderson Paak and Chance make This Unruly Mess a real treat as well.

I was initially skeptical of the album's overall direction after feeling somewhat lukewarm towards White Privilege's straightforward preachiness, but it ultimately works well as the closer here. All in all, this album is definitely worth your time, despite having a relatively unnatural sounding flow in parts. It's sentimental in parts, and yet it doesn't take itself too seriously through the entire 13 tracks. And, of course, it's got great hits like Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's previous releases. This could easily be a top ten album of the year for me, but it's only February still.