Gorillaz – Humanz

Not sure what to make of this album. Overall, I'd say it's a disappointment. On one hand, this album makes for a very good club mix; put it on Shuffle and you won't even realize you're listening to the same CD, but that's what also makes this album so disappointing. The album is dominated by the guest artists - it reminds me of Travis Barker's Give The Drummer Some - guest artists seem to prop the album up while the Gorillaz handle that backing vocals and mixes (difference is Travis is strictly a drummer who needs guest artists while The Gorillaz have the capability of creating a complete song).

Although there are some good tunes in here ("Ascension", "She's My Collar" and "Andromeda"), it's mostly just a random mix with Damon's voice occasionally popping up in the background. I think there are only 2-3 "regular" Gorillaz songs. I will give them credit for always coming out with unique albums (that said, I'd love some more Demon Days or self-titled, but I respect them for always doing something different).

I much prefer when The Gorillaz sprinkle in guest artists to compliment the album - Humanz is essentially a Damon produced mixtape. This album is for those hardcore collectors or true Gorillaz fans

I hate to break hearts but this album was rather disappointing. From someone who tends not to have their expectations too high, especially with their favorite musicians, I was quite surprised to hear a rather Damon-less Gorillaz album. Not saying that he completely disappeared though. It just sounds like the guest musicians have taken the spotlight with only a handful of songs that really have him at the forefront including the dreamy-sounding "Busted And Blue" and "Andromeda". Aside from Damon sounding like a guest star himself on most of the album, there are still some fine songs here like the few really catchy ones like "She's My Collar", "Strobelite", and "Let Me Out". Other than that, not much is memorable to me, the most frustrating one being "Saturnz Barz", having a good groove destroyed by an ugly Auto-Tune filter. It's a shame because there are some powerful lyrics like on "We Got The Power" and "Hallelujah Money", which I can see people talk about the most thanks to such lyrics. So, while not awful, Humanz isn't as fresh and memorable like the band's self-titled debut or Demon Days, at least to me. Whether or not this will be a grower remains to be seen.