Kid Cudi - Wzrd Review

While fans of Cudi won't hear much on "WZRD" that sounds dissimilar to previous tracks like "Pursuit of Happiness" or "Erase Me," the album is certainly a nice addition to the Cudi discography. Cudi has yet to make a wholly great album, if only because his many influences and ambitions constantly seem to evade his grasp.
Perhaps once Cudi can settle on a definitive sound, he will be able to form one completely coherent album. Until then, one can enjoy his hip-hop sensibilities and schizophrenic musical arrangements as he strives for an all-encompassing style. ...full text New York City’s newest hot spot W.I.P. was the scene for last night’s unveiling of Kid Cudi’s newest music adventure. He has teamed up with creative man Dot da Genius to create a super-cool album titled “WZRD”. ”WZRD” is a very mixed bag of tricks. It is an album with heavy alternative and Rock & Roll influence with a little Hip- Hop undertone. The whole album was played in its entirety, no discussion in between. Cudi and Dot da Genius were in the building to talk about the album and answer questions. While Dot da Genius was on silent mode last night, Cudi managed to be the mouthpiece for the evening. He spent a lot of time demanding silence from the audience. He was intent on observing the crowd’s reaction to the music.
WZRD is definitely a piece of creative work. The album opens with an instrumental. With heavy Pink Floyd influence, Cudi wanted the music to guide the listener and bring them where they needed to be musically. Most of the tracks are carried by the beat. Although Cudi has tremendous rhyming ability, there were minimal raps on the tracks. ...full text Kid Cudi's latest exhibition simultaneously forges a new path and remains true to the spirit of his music's foundation. While WZRD is technically a departure from his Man On The Moon series, its familiarity comes in the form of Scott Mescudi following the direction his heart and soul guide him. Dot Da Genius (responsible for Cudi's breakout hit "Day n Nite") is the perfect foil for his angst, with musicianship reflective of studying Classic Rock and learning multiple instruments. Throughout the project, heavy guitars (reminiscent of Green Day, Foo Fighters and Nirvana) accentuate Cudi's nearly ambient and hypnotic voice, its topical polarity ranging from contentment to vulnerability in celebrating success and exorcising his demons. Where "High Off Life" alludes to triumphantly overcoming a well documented drug addiction and "Upper Room" finds him in a serene space, "Love Hard" and "Efflictim" detail his struggles with matters of the heart. Despite the artist sporadically bordering on a cocksure vanity and a few glaringly ill-advised ideas such as "Dr. Pill" (which personifies therapeutic medication), his musical explorations make for an interesting journey overall.

WZRD's strengths are rooted in Kid Cudi's vocal tone, one that is gripping and melodic despite his quite limited singing ability. While some could consider the gumption of Cudi's aesthetic on this album a byproduct of self-absorbed pretense, he appears to organically gravitate to earnest experimentation. His gift and curse is the courage that expands his creative boundaries, making way for personal subject matter that perpetually risks rendering listeners uncomfortable. ...full text With third release WZRD, Kid Cudi has plugged in his amp and paired up with Dot Da Genius for an album that has critics fairly divided. Some argue that Mr. Rager is bringing something new to the table as he attempts to distance himself from the hip hop crowd, while others point out that his stab at rock simply isn’t any good. Teleport below to read what the Internet at large has to say, then let us know your own thoughts on WZRD!...full text