Kanye West 808s & Heartbreak (2-LPs w/CD)

3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Thankfully, there are those 808s. Kanye constructed the songs using a classic Roland TR-808 drum machine, and the results are a pleasant shock: stark, spacey tracks, which owe far more to Eighties electro and synth pop than anything on hip-hop radio."
"[H]is flair for wordplay remains gratifyingly intact....He offers this glimpse of the soul beneath the swagger, and we like him better for it." -- Grade: A-
"[H]is lyrics he tempers with humour, and these enormous tracks, built like New Orleans blues-like dirges, have the soft touches of piano and chords given the full sustain."
Billboard (p.41) - "Sonically, West pushes the envelope by relying on the drum machine from which the album takes its title, as well as the ever-popular vocoder."
4 stars out of 5 -- "808S AND HEARTBREAKS' bravery makes it compelling...it feels honest....It is his most fascinating, and bewildering, record to date."
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A] chunk of emotional permafrost -- a beautiful soundtrack for a long, harsh winter....He's found a way to turn numbness into art."
Clash (Magazine) (p.102) - "Given the reduced palette with which Kanye is working, it's amazing there is such a spectrum of styles and influences covered."