Late Registration

Rating

Album: Late Registration
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Wake Up Mr. West Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:41
2)	Heard 'Em Say Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:24
3)	Touch The Sky Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:57
4)	Gold Digger Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:28
5)	Skit #1 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:34
6)	Drive Slow Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:32
7)	My Way Home Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	1:43
8)	Crack Music Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:31
9)	Roses Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:06
10)	Bring Me Down Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:19
11)	Addiction Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:27
12)	Skit #2 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:31
13)	Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix - Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:53
14)	We Major Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	7:28
15)	Skit #3 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:24
16)	Hey Mama Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	5:05
17)	Celebration Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:18
18)	Skit #4 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	1:19
19)	Gone Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	5:33
20)	Bonus Track Diamonds From Sierra Leone Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:58
21)	Late Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:50

Album: Late Registration
#	Song Title		Time
1)	Wake Up Mr. West Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:41
2)	Heard 'Em Say Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:24
3)	Touch The Sky Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:57
4)	Gold Digger Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:28
5)	Skit #1 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:34
6)	Drive Slow Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:32
7)	My Way Home Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	1:43
8)	Crack Music Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:31
9)	Roses Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:06
10)	Bring Me Down Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:19
11)	Addiction Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	4:27
12)	Skit #2 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:31
13)	Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix - Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:53
14)	We Major Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	7:28
15)	Skit #3 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	0:24
16)	Hey Mama Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	5:05
17)	Celebration Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:18
18)	Skit #4 (Kanye West/Late Registration) Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	1:19
19)	Gone Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	5:33
20)	Bonus Track Diamonds From Sierra Leone Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:58
21)	Late Album Version (Explicit)	More Info...	3:50

Tracks

Performer Notes

Personnel: Kanye West (vocals); Common, Consequence, GLC , Tony Williams , Plain Pat, Jamie Foxx, Jay-Z, Nas, Strings, The Game , Cam'ron, Lupe Fiasco, Really Doe, Tony "Penafire" Williams, Don C., Brandy (vocals); Dave Tozer (guitar, guitars); Alyssa Park, Marisa Kuney , Amy Wickman, Audrey Solomon, Victoria Lanier, Terry Glenny, Eric Gorfain, Julie Rogers, Daphne Chen, Susan Chatman (violin); David Sage, Marda Todd, Tom Tally, Piotr Jandula (viola); Mathew Cooker, Richard Dodd, Armen Ksadjikian, Victor Lawrence (cello); Gary Grant, Daniel Fornero (trumpet, flugelhorn); Richard Todd , Brad Warnaar (French horn); Steven Holtman, Andrew Martin (trombone); Bruce Otto (bass trombone); Jason Torreano, Francis Senger, Denise Briese (double bass); Keenan "Keynote" Holloway (bass guitar); Michele Gondry (drums); A-Trak (scratches); Adam Levine, John Legend, Keyshia Cole, Paul Wall , Deray, Charlie Wilson (vocals); Ervin Pope, Tom Craskey (keyboards).
Audio Mixers: Craig Bauer; Manny Marroquin; Andrew Dawson; Mike Dean .
Recording information: Capitol Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Chalice Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Grandmaster Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Sony Music Studios, New York, NY; the Record Plant, Hollywood, CA.
Photographers: Sarah A. Friedman; Kris Yiengst.
Rapper/producer Kanye West's second album, LATE REGISTRATION, incredibly lives up to expectations following his universally acclaimed debut, THE COLLEGE DROPOUT, which took the art of sampling to a new plateau. Here, for example, "Gold Digger" features a sample of the legendary Ray Charles alongside actor Jamie Foxx in Oscar-reprising character as Charles. "Addiction" pairs a frenetic African beat with a stuttering, singular use of a snippet of Etta James crooning "My Funny Valentine," while "Diamonds From the Sierra Leone" teams the majestic Bond glory of Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever" with perfectly subtle Miami bass to explosive effect. All the while, West pulls lyrics out of his rhyme bag at a fever pitch, tackling hefty topics like civil war in Africa and the impact of drugs on leading Black minds.
Throughout the album, West merely continues to perfect his craft, slowing tracks down and speeding them up into an awe-inspiring mosaic. While his MC style is often discounted as being of secondary importance, he shines when put up against the best in the game, as with Common on the bluesy "My Way Home" or Nas on the lush "We Major." And in the spirit of Bob Dylan, West knows how to make the most of a very original voice. LATE REGISTRATION is ample proof of West's staying power.

Professional Reviews

Rolling Stone (No. 982, p.110) - 5 stars out of 5 - "...LATE REGISTRATION is an undeniable triumph, packed front to back, so expansive it makes the debut sound like a rough draft...."

Spin (p.65) - Ranked #1 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2005" - "'Gold Digger' is the best kind of hip-hop hit: relentless, obnoxious, too smart and self-deprecating and laugh-out-loud funny..."

Spin (pp.99-100) - "West showcases a more versatile, eccentric flow than on DROPOUT..." - Grade: B+

Entertainment Weekly (p.140) - Ranked #3 in Entertainment Weekly's 'Top Ten Records of the Year' -- West works on a commandingly large canvas. Hip-hop, not to mention pop, rarely sounds this surprising, panoramic, and irresistible."

Entertainment Weekly (No. 837, p.77) - "West thinks creatively, not just monetarily; he has an artist's head and heart...[LATE REGISTRATION] rarely fails to engross at every step." - Grade: B+

Uncut (p.88) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Nobody deploys vocal samples better than West..."

The Wire (p.41) - Included in The Wire's "2005 Rewind: 50 Records Of The Year."

Mojo (Publisher) (p.60) - Ranked #10 in Mojo's "Top Ten Urban Albums Of 2005."