The The Heist [Clean]

by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis

Overview

When Macklemore declares his music is "David Bowie meets Kanye sh*t," it's a bit of an oversell on the Bowie side, but then again, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Keith Haring are also honored as influences during "Ten Thousand Hours," the biographical highlight that opens the Seattle rapper's vibrant sophomore release. These arty name-drops threaten to paint the album as more obscure than it is, but even as glitch electronica and Mad Rad member Buffalo Madonna strange up the breakup number "Thin Line," The Heist comes off as instant, alive, and oh so welcoming. Chalk it up to Macklemore's playful and open lyrics ("When I was in the third grade/I thought I was gay/Because I could draw, my uncle was, and I kept my room straight") or the album's not so secret weapon, Ryan Lewis, the producer who earns his co-billing with a George Martin or Dave Fridmann-sized sense of purpose and an Internet kid's sense of utilizing anything and/or everything. For the music industry takeover "Jimmy Iovine" with Ab-Soul as guest, Lewis' production is a mix of G-Unit gangster music and a Houston hip-hop trunk rumbler, while the pro-gay marriage highlight "Same Love" with Mary Lambert is supported by full-bodied piano and the sound of a bittersweet marching band, all of it familiar yet twisted through a laptop with hypnotic loops and catchy hooks coming out. "Gold" (feeling like "500,000 sold") is joyous and bright mini-electro that feeds the positive side of the soul, while "Can't Hold Us" comes with an irresistible bounce, both tracks being light, lovely, and in contrast to the numbers that deal with Macklemore's addiction issues and other obstacles. These two talented young bucks can't be contained, and hearing them offer one memorable, meaty number after another makes for an exciting listen, but this is unfiltered freshness released on Macklemore's own label, so the concepts of restraint and focus take a slight hit, leaving the is-he-Eminem, is-he-Childish Gambino, or is-he-Grieves question with no clear winner. Here, he's a mix of all of the above with some distinctive qualities, and with Lewis putting that kaleidoscope style underneath, The Heist winds up a rich combination of fresh and familiar. [A clean version was also released.] ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	02/26/2013
Label:	Ada
UPC:	0707541579995

Tracks

1. Ten Thousand Hours
2. Can't Hold Us
3. Thrift Shop
4. Thin Line
5. Same Love
6. Make the Money
7. Neon Cathedral
8. Bombom
9. White Walls
10. Jimmy Iovine
11. Wing$
12. A Wake
13. Gold
14. Starting Over
15. Cowboy Boots

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis   Primary Artist
Macklemore   Primary Artist
Ryan Lewis   Primary Artist,Vocals,Wurlitzer
Eighty4 Fly   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Wanz   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Buffalo Madonna   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Evan Roman   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ray Dalton   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
The Teaching   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
ScHoolboy Q   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Ben Bridwell   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Allen Stone   Primary Artist,Featured Artist,Featured Artist
Hollis   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Mary Lambert   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Ab-Soul   Primary Artist,Vocals,Featured Artist
Tim Haggerty   Vocals
Josh Rawlings   Piano,Wurlitzer
Jeremy Jones   Drums,Percussion
Evan Flory-Barnes   Bass
Greg Kramer   Trombone
Brooklyn Grinnell   Vocals
Camila Recchio   Vocals
Dana Albaum   Cello
Denny Middle School Choir   Vocals,Choir/Chorus
Sonny Byers   Vocals,Choir/Chorus
Andrew Joslyn   Viola,Violin,Vocals,Percussion
DJ DV One   Scratching
Lindsey Starr   Vocals
Josh "Budo" Karp   Guitar,Trumpet
Mark Isakson   Banjo,Vocals
Seattle Rock Orchestra   Strings
Zach Fleury   Guitar (Bass)
Natalie Hall   Cello
Noah Goldberg   Organ,Piano,Vocals,Wurlitzer
Owuor Arunga   Trumpet
Michael Wansley   Vocals
Benjamin Verdoes   Vocals
Tyler Andrews   Vocals
Victoria Fuangaromya   Vocals
Camila Recchi   Vocals
Elan Wright   Bass,Guitar (Bass),Bass (Electric)

Technical Credits

Mary Lambert   Writer,Composer
Benjamin J. Greenspan   Engineer,Recording
Raven Bowie   Composer
Herbert Anthony Stevens IV   Composer
Nathan Quiroga   Composer
Sterling Sound   Mastering
Amos Miller   Engineer,Engineer
Ab-Soul   Writer
Ryan Lewis   Design,Mixing,Writer,Composer,Engineer,Producer,Recording,Photography
Stacey Rozich   Illustrations
Pete Stewart   Engineer,Recording
Allen Stone   Writer,Composer
Eighty4 Fly   Writer,Composer
Dan Black   Illustrations
Devon Taylor   Composer
Buffalo Madonna   Writer,Composer
Evan Roman   Writer,Composer
Ray Dalton   Composer
Ben Haggerty   Mixing,Composer,Engineer,Recording,Photography
Chris Mansfield   Writer,Composer
Derek Erdman   Illustrations
Andrew Joslyn   Composer
Jenna Derosa   Design
ScHoolboy Q   Writer,Composer
Jordan Nicholson   Photography,Illustrations
Thig Nat   Photography
Zoe Rain Baxter   Photography
Kyle Johnson   Photography
Ben Bridwell   Writer,Composer
Reed Ruddy   Engineer
Brian "Big Bass" Gardner   Mastering
Macklemore   Design,Writer,Composer,Photography
Hollis   Writer,Composer