Head for 'The Quilt'
From the band that gave us ‘Cupid's Chokehold’ and ‘Clothes Off!!’ comes "The Quilt", Gym Class Heroes most recent album. ‘Cookie Jar’ was probably the first music I had heard from Gym Class Heroes since they burst into the UK with 2007’s "As Cruel As School Children". But, after one listen to this song and the rest of the album’s tunes, this is looking to be quite a follow up.
I was never much of a fan of hip-hop until Gym Class Heroes came along. They have a way of appealing to everyone, no matter what your personal preference in music is. There is always the hip-hop value within the songs they are creating, but there is a special ingredient added to each song that makes it stand out; it’s called individuality.
There is the opener ‘Guilty As Charged’ that made an impact for its flashy brass arrangement, piano section and the vocals of Estelle. There is a sandy, sunny, beaming passion felt through ‘Drnk Txt Rmeo’. Then ‘Live A Little’ and ‘No Place To Run’ take on a rather indie felt style with the electric guitar riffs. One of the more emotional tracks seems to be ‘Like Father, Like Son (Papa's Song)’. There is a personal background and meaning, with the lyrics written in a biographical manner, explaining the history of Travis McCoy, the band's lead singer.
Something that stood out on the previous release was how many artists and producers Gym Class Heroes worked with. They continue to bring in friends and other artists on this album. Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump produces half of the 14 tracks and producers Cool & Dre, Tricky Stewart and Allstar produce the other half. On numerous occasions, there are guest vocalists; Daryl Hall, The-Dream, Patty Crash, Busta Rhymes and of course our own home grown talent Estelle. Having respect for Stump’s vocals, I was looking forward to listening to the tracks he lends his vocal talents to. However, where his voice was very noticeable on ‘Clothes Off’ and ‘Cupids Chokehold’ it isn’t so obvious on ‘Blinded by the Sun’ and ‘Catch Me If You Can’.
This album mixes all styles of music and I would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in diverse music.