Travie McCoy - Lazarus (Album Review)

For people that aren't too familiar with Travie Mccoy, he's the front man to the pop/rock/rap convergence, known as Gym Class Heroes. So if you were expecting a rap album from this guy, you'll be sadly disappointed. This is a genre hopping mix of emo rock and pop with a spinkle of rap sensibilities. This is not your average rap fan's kind of music. Matter of fact, this is not anaverage person's kind of music.

The disc opens with a guest appearance from Cee-Lo Green on "Dr. Feelgood". The track is a catchy and infectious tune about needing a pick-me-up after going through some sort of trial in life. Immediately following that is "Superbad (11:34)", which is a song about feeling stagnant in your life and trying to have a little bit of fun while you're trying to figure out what to do. It starts to become evident Travie isn't one to rap about things he hasn't experienced. That's where "Billionaire" comes in. With Bruno Mars crooning about wanting to buy himself all the things he's never had, one might think this is going to be a record filled with delusions of grandeur. But that's not the case at all. Travie spits about visiting the places most effected by Hurricane Katrina and doing more for those people than FEMA.

That's where the positives of this 10 track confection stop. After "Billionaire", Lazarus becomes a schizophrenic mess. Where one second, you're on the crazy train living it up and the next, whining about being dumped by an ex-girlfriend. He's still bitter even after two years. At one point, you don't know if you want to give this dude a hug or punch him in the arm and tell him to man up. And if that weren't enough, Travie brings in guest artists like T-Pain and Colin Munroe to lead us out of the schizophrenic area and stright into the town of bizarre. T-Pain sings the hook on "The Manual". on it, he sings," I'm just trying to be who you say you are...But who are you?" Confused much? Exactly.

Do yourself a favor, don't waste your time. Lazarus is a gross misrepresentation of Travie McCoy's talent and ability. If you want to hear him when he's on his A game, go pick up or download As Cruel As School Children by Gym Class Heroes. You'll appreciate him a lot more than if you listened to this nonsense.