tyler the creator cherry bombLet me start off this review by saying that the album was released with five different album cover art and the one with the guy holding an unlit cigarette is really unnecessary. Has nothing to do with anything and just wants you to remember it, but for all the wrong reasons. This rapper has made a career out of being dark and negative. Most of his previous stuff was bleak in tone and sound. Now, while this isn’t exactly Katy Perry perky, it is somewhat brighter. Brighter with still somewhat of an edge. Progression as a songwriter is on display on most of the thirteen tracks with some of that annoying “I am too cool to give a f*#k” attitude that he seems to think works for him. What really elevates the album from average to enjoyable is the sweetly titled track “Smuckers”. All three are at the top of their games and demonstrate what they can bring to a song when they feel like it. Another strong track is his companion piece to N.E.R.D.’s “Lapdance” entitled “Deathcamp”, which is the second single released off the album. N.E.R.D. member and a guy who seems to be everywhere, Pharrell Williams, makes an appearance on the album as a co-writer on the track “Keep Da O’s”. Overall, musically Cherry Bomb is surprisingly lush compared to what he has given us in the past. There are synths and strings aplenty.