Word is Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy was inspired to write his first solo album after getting dumped (and allegedly cheated on) by Katy Perry. I was expecting a Pink-scale break-up album, but really the only track that overtly expresses his pain is "Don't Pretend," where he cleverly and angrily manages to imply the word "whore" by starting with a verse that rhymes with it and then ending it differently. That said, Travie seems more interested on skirting the fine lines that separate pop, rock, and rap with relatively upbeat messages. There are few hits and misses; here are the ones that knock it out of the park:
"Dr. Feel Good" feat. Cee Lo Green
I guess you could say this counts as a post-mortem break-up song, but it's so party-friendly with its super catchy chorus sung by the hook-champ Cee Lo, you barely notice.
"Billionaire" feat. Bruno Mars
This is the first official single off the album. A summer anthem for all the budding entrepreneurs in L.A., N.Y., and all over. With singer-songwriter-producer Bruno Mars singing the chorus, it has a Caribbean reggae vibe. I'm not sure why, but I feel like it so could be topped off with a female voice--maybe Alicia Keys or Estelle. But I really like the video. Instead of showing him acquire hundreds of useless items to denote his wealth, he goes around doing good deeds: giving a frustrated skateboarder a new board, buying a struggling musician's music after a day of rejections, giving his car to a hitchhiker, bringing more beer to a dry beach party, and giving a graffiti artist a much-needed extra can of paint.
"Need You"
It's the only rock song I liked on the album, probably cause it's more pop rock. It's about reopening your heart after having to lock because of heartbreak. I know. I know. I said it wasn't really a breakup album, but honestly it could be worse. Instead of just saying the line "I'm tired of laying low, let's give the world a show," he could've said...her name. lol
"After Midnight"
I like to think of this as his "I Gotta Feeling"-track, just not as annoying. It's a perfect party song.
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