808s & Heartbreak

iTunes Review

808s & Heartbreak is an anomaly in the pop landscape: a nearly extemporaneous work that hews to its author’s emotional and creative needs rather than audience expectations. Precipitated by the death of West’s mother and his subsequent split with his fiancé, 808s & Heartbreak is a radical departure from Kanye’s career trajectory. Where Late Registration and Graduation presented a parade of colors delivered with a self-deprecating sense of humor, 808s is cold and mechanical. Despite its icy sheen though, the undercurrent of loss and despair comes through the strange grooves of “Love Lockdown”, “Coldest Winter”, and “Welcome To Heartbreak”. At times the album seems one-dimensional, but its significance comes as much from its concept and its audacity as it does from the music itself. For Kanye to take his art in a drastically different direction just as his superstardom is at its zenith shows an uncommon amount of courage. Though 808s & Heartbreak will not go down as the fullest realization of West’s musical talent, it may go down as the most important statement in the man’s career.