Symmetry & Ryan Lewis – Symmetry & Ryan Lewis

 

In a unique and experimental variation on the white rapper schtick, Symmetry and Ryan Lewis present a crossover album with ideas lifted from hip-hop, MTV pop, indie rock and elsewhere, to mixed but generally agreeable results. Back In Business finds Symmetry exuding the finesse of a young and pre-ego trip Kanye West, guns blazing over an epic beat, and On Your Toes is a similar, confidant sampling of a big band waltz.

Ryan Lewis’s influence is more obvious on the album’s more melodic moments –the dreamy ballad Pardon Me, for example-but this undulation from hip-hop bravado to Maroon 5-style love songs makes for a confused overall vibe. That said, when American chart pop collides with rap, it’s usually in the form of absurd misogynists ruining the tunes, so the hook-laden but imaginative Make Me Yours offer refreshing takes on a well worn formula. A welcome addition to the hip-pop playlist. [Joe Barton]