Review Summary: NF creates another great album.
Rapper Nathan Feuerstein's music has always been about his life. His songs are usually very personal, with a specific theme which is easy to catch. His songs are very atmospheric whether they are hard-hitting or slow burning.
Those facts continue in Perception, where he sings or raps about various occurrences or feelings in his life, with great atmosphere. His flow and lyricism have improved since last year, and the messages are as clear as ever.
I'd like to break down individual elements of the album.
LYRICS: Here NF talks about who he is, and how his mind has changed since last year. "Intro 3" has his alter ego saying he's the one who made the music, while Nathan did nothing. Nathan eventually comes to a realization, and it is a great moment on the album. "Outcast" has him talking about how he isn't like the other rappers, and doesn't want to be. He doesn't care that he's different. "Outro" has my favorite lyrics on the album, where he debates whether or not he can let all his pain go, or even if he should, as he believes it's made his career.
There is a lot of boasting on this album, as in his past records. As usual, some lines are great, others aren't. No songs have lyrics that are so bad that they ruin the song.
FLOW: NF is faster here, and his flow is smoother. He relies more on choruses then in the past, but they are good choruses.
INSTRUMENTATION: The music here is good. It's atmospheric with 808 drums, electronics, and orchestral mixings. My problem with the music is that most of the time, they are generic rap beats, with looped electronic bits. Last year's album was diverse in it's instrumentation, while here the songs are all very similar.
There are some exceptions. "If You Want Love" has an acoustic guitar running through it, while "Outro" has a great violin towards the end that makes the song feel huge.
PRODUCTION: Production-wise, Perception sounds great. Everything is clear, and is allowed equal volume.
HIGH POINTS: Every song is great, but the ones that stand out are
Intro 3
Outro
My Life
Know
One Hundred
LOW POINTS: I don't dislike any songs, and each low point has it's merits, but the ones I find the weakest are
Let You Down
Green Lights
Dreams
Lie
All in all, this is a great album with very good lyrics and music. The lyrics are his best to date, but his instrumentation is not varied enough, especially compared to previous works. Still worth a listen, whether you're a fan or not.
