The Colossus | RJD2

My review of The Colossus, the latest album from RJD2, ran today in the Boston Phoenix.

I really did not enjoy this record at all. There’s not a whole lot to say beyond that. RJD2 started his career as a very capable, innovative sample-based musician, and his first album, Deadringer made a strong case for the viability of pastiche as an artform. It appears as though he no longer agrees. His last album, The Third Hand, found him playing instruments and singing, and he does this on The Colossus too. He also loads this album with a lot of guest vocals. Basically, it seems like he’s lost interest in what made him relevant, which would be fine if he were any good at his new style, but he’s not. “The Glow” is essentially a Jason Mraz b-side.