Review Summary: Just as good as the hit TV show is itself.
When I heard about the brand new TV show "Empire" that premiered recently on FOX back in the Fall of 2014, I had no doubts about it possibly becoming a rousing success. It has it all: the heavy star-studded cast with Terrance Howard, the engrossing plot about managing a music record enterprise, and of course the music. It is a show most certainly directed for the music-hungry audience and for those who dig hip-hop immensely. It sure looks like it is built to last, nailing in a high 12+ million viewers for its premiere. After hearing the unofficial theme song "No Apologies", which has bombarded viewers until the very night of its premiere: I found myself captivated and intrigued by the strong lyrics from both artists featured and the piano and bass-laced instrumental. After hearing the multiple covers and renditions of hit songs from the 'other' music-based show "Glee", which had its moments and failures: I hoped to hear a soundtrack that was both refreshing and original. The debut album of "Empire" from the pilot episode doesn't just accomplish both of those: it hits it right out of the ballpark.
This debut mini-album doesn't feel like an album for a musical or anything between those lines, it absolutely feels like an actual hip-hop and R&B record. You can thank multi-platinum producer Timbaland for that, who along with being an actor on the actual show itself: is the executive producer of the album and for the future material that will be released after each episode is aired during the season. The production done on the record is nothing but excellent, conjuring up a mixture of hip-hop, R&B and even some soul incorporated into it. Tracks like "Live For The Moment", featuring a deep piano that is looped in the background with heavy bass along with some R&B elements, showcase how Timbaland can compose simplistic instrumentals yet makes them very enjoyable and garner high replay value. The duet between actor Jussie Smollett and rapper Yazz is pretty sweet, displaying pretty strong chemistry between the two as they sing and rap it out. Jussie reminds me of an early Jason Derulo aside from the hook with his otherwise stellar vocals and Yazz like Tyga almost exactly, with a gritty Southern flavor added with his fluid delivery and flow. While the comparisons of both featured artists to both mainstream artists is undoubtedly so, it really doesn't hurt the track: it in fact gives the track a sort of 'authentic' stamp of approval. It has the feel and potential of an actual hip-hop hit, unlike most soundtracks where their songs don't garner the same opinion. If you dreamed of a Jason Derulo and Tyga duet, this song is as close as you can get to one despite the different artists in Yazz and Jussie.
Other songs like the R&B-oriented ballad "What Is Love" featuring Veronika Bozeman showcase the variety featured in the mini-album. The ballad is a heartfelt plea made to her brother, who in the actual show died so you can hear the emotional cries made from Bozeman who sings beautifully with undoubtedly the strongest vocals in the album. The hip-hop tracks are very accessible, not much of the 'hard-core' elements that takes place in most records made in the genre so if you're into hip-hop tracks that don't feature explicit content this one is certainly the one. These particular tracks, despite being pretty 'clean', still are able to rock with the rest of the records that are the polar opposite so the mini-album is able to accomplish that. The debut mini-album for the show "Empire" is a pretty solid first attempt of creating R&B and hip-hop tracks that are professionally made and garnering the potential of actually becoming the hits that exist fictionally in the show. It certainly exceeds in production thanks to Timbaland and with the artists/actors featured in the mini-album. This short five-track album is just as good as the actual show is itself. The success of this debut album definitely sets the standard for future albums that will be released in the weeks and months ahead as new episodes keep coming in. The only question is this: can this solid debut be replicated or even bested in future material? We'll see as the first season progresses.
