Yelawolf’s second album, “Love Story,” hit the market on April 21, and fans were surprised by its abrupt genre change —this is not the same Yelawolf we saw in his first album, "Radioactive," back in 2011. It seems Yelawolf has ditched his tongue-twisting rap phase to get more in touch with his southern roots.
Slowing it down and softening up seems to be a better pace for Yelawolf. Although he didn’t completely abandon the rap scene, he did add in a whole lot of country. This can be heard in his debut song “Love Story,” which features a twangy guitar and a soul voice that sounds unfamiliar coming from Yelawolf.
Seeing this new side of Yelawolf isn't necesarily impressive , although it is quite endearing. People who are into the southern-rap genre know that soul comes from the heart and that your voice comes from your diaphragm. However, it seems Yelawolf never got that memo.
On almost every track, Yelawolf tries hard to sing the hook, despite the fact that his throat is begging him not to. After listening to all 18 tracks, the only track he figures it out on is “Have a Great Flight.”
Despite his grotesque voice, the Alabama native actually chose a decent balance of hip-hop and country. Traces of the old Yelawolf can still be heard in songs like “Til It’s Gone” — however, his fast-paced rapping has turned into something more like spoken word.
The lyrics are deeper and the conviction of his deliver is strong and piercing. It is obvious that this album hit a little closer to home than "Radioactive." The country add-ins may not be settling with his prior fan base, but there is no denying that Yelawolf’s flow is tighter and meaner than ever.
Although Yelawolf has remained an under-the-radar rapper, he has big name connections. He proves this in his song “Best Friend,” which he collaborated on with Eminem.
Like many of the tracks on “Love Story,” the instrumentals are slow and progressive, leaving plenty of room for Yelawolf to dig deep and pull out emotions we haven’t seen from him before.
The production quality of the album is top-notch. It easily sounds like it came from any of your top rappers such as Tech N9ne or Eminem, which is strange because Yelawolf sounds more like Kid Rock this time around.
It’s unlikely that this will be Yelawolf’s breakout album into the mainstream. However, he makes quite a bold attempt at switching his style and genre. Only time can tell if the adjustment will work in Yelawolf’s favor.
On May 6, Yelawolf will be coming to Music Farm in Columbia at 9 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance.