From Mr. 305 to Mr. Worldwide, Latin rapper Pitbull shows just exactly how he got his recognized nickname on his seventh studio album, Global Warming. Featuring collaborations from anyone and everyone, including Christina Aguilera, The Wanted, Jennifer Lopez and Havana Brown, the diverse project represents having a good time and partying until the sun comes up. The album balances the hip-hop, rap, pop and dance genres perfectly in order to create a fun listen from beginning to end. Preceded by three singles including “Back in Time” and “Don’t Stop the Party”, this new release will please some while alienating many who deem it as generic and predictable.
Every album seems to include an intro of some sort these days, so why should Pitbull’s new effort be any different? “Global Warming”, impressively incorporating a sample of “Macarena”, summarizes what the artist’s music is all about. The mix of rap, Latin and pop makes a nice, quick listen.
The real music begins with current single “Don’t Stop the Party”, which is slowly climbing the charts as I speak. With the first listen, the song sounds like a big mess, jumping around all over the place without finding a true sound. Yes the track will get people up and dancing, but I know the artist is better than the finished product of this release. It is a single, just not the best thing on the effort.
Having just released an album of her own, Christina Aguilera shines as she assists Pitbull on his effort’s next single “Feel This Moment”. The two artists, both with Latin backgrounds, complement each other nicely on this track of living in the moment every day. “One day when my light is glowing, I’ll be in my castle golden”, Aguilera sings just before the sample of Ah-Ha’s “Take On Me” makes its grand, magical appearance.
“Back in Time”, the album’s lead single, debuted during the end credits of Men in Black III and has been stuck in my head ever since. The song excels due to its use of samples and catchy production, but as a whole, it is pretty good. The track was a different sound for the artist, and except for the unnecessary use of dubstep during its last minute, it may be one of his better creations.
He seems to be receiving negative attention for everything he does these days, but Chris Brown is what makes “Hope We Meet Again” a delightful listen. Brown takes over the chorus, the song’s main highlight, while Pitbull lays down some clever rap verses. It may follow a structure all too familiar to pop radio, but it is done right. Forget the personal life of the featured guest and enjoy this song of hoping to make a second impression.
Collaborations keep on coming. This time around Usher and producer Afrojack get a chance to show what they can bring to “Party Ain’t Over”. Just as its title eludes the track deals with a never-ending party. Expect to hear this one blasting out of every club in the near future. “Tell the DJ, turn that motherf***er up, Yeah mister bartender, pour me another cup,” Usher yells on the chorus. This one goes hard.
In their fourth collaborative effort together, Pitbull and the world’s most beautiful woman, Jennifer Lopez, work their magic again on “Drinks For You (Ladies Anthem)”. Pitbull’s verses are comedic, in a good way, but J.Lo honestly steals his thunder here. The song has a good meaning, but some of the lyrics get tangled up at times. Lopez’ contribution may be too small to really enjoy, however, it holds the song together tightly.
My favorite boy band at the moment, The Wanted, is featured on the most shocking moment on the entire track list. “Have Some Fun” shows the group in a naughtier way than what we have seen from them before. Apparently Pitbull’s dual languages make him bilingual, enough to make any woman tingle. The Wanted’s chorus of “I got a feeling this party has just begun” is gold and I cannot stop repeating it.
I don’t really know who Danny Mercer is, but he is certainly on my radar now after listening to “Outta Nowhere”. Mercer opens up the track with a show stopping performance, one of the best moments on the album, before Pitbull takes over to give a somewhat more serious performance than anything that preceded it. The song is on the slow side and rids of itself of the party vibe. Really great song.
Pitbull’s Spanish background dominates “Tchu Tchu Tchu” featuring Enrique Inglesias as the two create another sexually-charged track that will certainly please men and women alike. “I’m picking you, you’re what I need,” Inglesias admits as Pitbull explicitly sings he wants to f*** you blind. The track is dirty, it is sexy and it was to be expected coming from a pairing of these two artists who succeeded together in the past.
“Last Night” shows off the great talents of one of my obsessions from this past year. Havana Brown kills her parts on this heavily Afrojack-produced track, they carry the entire thing. We all know what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, but apparently what happens in Miami never happened. Some of Pitbull’s verses miss their mark, but Brown and Afrojack pick up the slack on this 80s sounding, sure fire hit.
The final track on the album finally shows Pitbull tackling a song solo. “I’m Off That” does not contain a pop-influenced chorus or the vocals of a popular female artist, but maybe that is what it really needed to be successful. The artist gives a straight up, hardcore, rap performance, which works at times, but I feel it just needed a little something extra to make it truly great and memorable.
Global Warming is a good effort, despite my doubts about its strength before its official release. Pitbull has created a project similar to Flo Rida’s release in terms of finding success when incorporating samples of other works and calling on help from great featured vocalists. The singles released so far do not represent the album’s work as a whole. Many bright gems are sprinkled throughout, including the collaboration with Shakira, which sadly was placed only on the deluxe edition. Pitbull stumbles when featured alone, but that moment may be the only misstep. Want a fun, party album? You just found it. The album receives an 86%.
Tracks to Hear: “Feel This Moment feat. Christina Aguilera”, “Have Some Fun feat. The Wanted”, “Outta Nowhere feat. Danny Mercer” and “Last Night feat. Havana Brown”
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