Review Summary: Another solid showing, but some glaring signs give it an otherwise worrisome outlook for the future ahead.
This show continues to get better and better every week. Ever since the premiere of Empire, critics and viewers alike have lauded the show for its 'larger than life' ambiance and stellar cast. Critics have even proclaimed it as 'the greatest thing to happen to television', a bit of an overstep right there but nonetheless it is deserving of the mass praise. The music has been critical to the success of the show since the very beginning, bringing out accessible hip-hop and R&B to all audiences, including the audience who doesn't desire explicit content especially in this particular genre. The last two episodes haven't seen EPs, but with 'Dangerous Bonds' it has returned with more tracks than the last two have seen as of late. Question is, is this still living up to the standards of what Empire has been bringing the music-hungry audience in past material?
Executive producer Timbaland has done a fine job creating the material with actors like Jussie Smollett and rapper Yazz in albums past, and the trend continues with another solid showing. Another R&B ballad shows up with the piano-led "The Point Of It All", with the passionate yet also graceful vocals from Anthony Hamilton shining on this one. He doesn't oversing this one, shying away for the most part but it works. The Yazz collaboration with Serayah McNeill, the commercialized "Drip Drop", sees a first for the Empire albums with explicit lyrical content evident in the song, and another bass-laced instrumental with some synth elements. It isn't the best song for sure, the generic lyricism and the average beat assist in giving it a case for one of the more unpleasant tracks that has come from Empire. It is certainly Timbaland's worst outing yet in terms of the overall track, and one that hopefully he checks out the door in future material
Fortunately "Dangerous Bonds" ends on an otherwise stellar note with another Jussie Smollett track, the R&B/hip-hop-oriented "Keep Your Money", an ode to how Jussie's character Jamal will not take anymore money from his father Lucious Lyon, the CEO of Empire Records. Jussie's vocals have always been one to take note in the numerous tracks he's been featured on in past albums, and this doesn't cease to do the same. All in all, Empire's "Dangerous Bonds" continues to roll in more enjoyable, accessible R&B and hip-hop with mostly solid production and great performances by all artists in the album. It is still a pretty solid outing, but it isn't up there with the last two EPs. The glaring issues that showed in "Drip Drop" is one that needs to be accounted for because it could spark an otherwise terrible trend in which has been the case for soundtracks for ages, the sheer fact that has given soundtracks the bad rap it gets. Let's hope that Empire doesn't succumb to the same stereotype, especially in their future material.
