“This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” the sophomore album from rap team Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, is just as its title states — an unruly mess. The songs on the album are not bad, but the track arrangement makes the album feel confusing and reduces the effectiveness of its more serious tracks.
The album’s biggest flaws are its comedic songs, such as “Brad Pitt’s Cousin” and “Dance Off.” An example of this attempt at comedy can be found within the introduction of the former song, in which Macklemore says, “Hold up, let me get my cat a bar / She's filthy, hey Cairo come here baby / (Meow) Now my cat's more famous than you ever will be.” While there is nothing wrong with rapping in a comedic fashion — even the humorous songs on this album are engaging — the execution creates issues on “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” as the songs decrease the project’s cohesion.
The album takes on deep social issues, such as racial inequality in “White Privilege II,” national superficiality in “Light Tunnels” and flaws in the American medical system in “Kevin.” The latter, for example, delivers powerful lines such as, “Got anxiety, better go and give him a Xanax / Focus, give him Adderall, sleep, give him Ambien / 'Til he's walking 'round the city looking like a mannequin / Ups and downs, shooting up prescriptions you're handing him.” When meaningful lyrics like these are paired with lines like those from “Dance Off,” which refer to a grandma’s sexual activity, among other geriatric lewdness, the power of the album’s message is significantly diminished.
Many of the songs on “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made” are very enjoyable and are worth multiple listens. However, the album feels much better as a cohesive project when the intentionally comedic tracks are skipped.
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