Chris Glover - Hell Isn't Even That Funny

Genre hip hop Publisher Interscope Records External Links Official Website Interscope Records

Hell Isn't Even That Funny is the first album from "Chris Glover," a 20-something from New York (yes, the quotations marks are part of the name). Glover brings MCs Paul Barman and Lars to mind, being a white 20-something rapper with lines like "My shit is Charlie Rose / Your shit is Jerry Spring[er]," though it's hard to believe either of them would name their album after a lame response to "That's funny as hell." Glover's delivery comes across like a cross between Eminem and Justin Timberlake, divided about 80-20 between spitting lines and singing falsetto, though it doesn't reach the heights of which either of those two are capable.

The record takes musical cues from a number of sources, ranging from the rolling drums, piano, and trumpet of opener "Stand On Your Seat," to African harmonies on "Holy Moses," to sampled drums on "Many Mountains." While there's variety, the beats aren't banging: no one's going to bump and grind to the sample from "Der Meistersinger" that backs "Gopola Govinda Rama." The production lacks the deep beats and booty-shaking oomph of today's best producers. Glover is fond of long breakdowns and build-ups, and most of the songs exceed the four-minute mark.

A messianic, preachy streak runs through the lyrics. "If y'all don't want it, y'all don't need it / but it won't let me go," he sings over resigned horns on "Stand On Your Seat," claiming divine inspiration. "Holy Moses" sounds like an African-inspired spiritual, and, with backup singers chanting "Thank you, Lord," Glover sings "Thank you for choosing me as the one to tell / I'm so lucky that I am not someone else." The catchy chorus of "Nothing's Ever Gonna Change" is "Bet you didn't know that, did ya darling / when I left that I'd be back again to find my way" -- but even though Glover never raps about girls, he's not Jesus. His preachiness runs more to the self-aggrandizing, listen-to-my-wisdom school. It features pseudo-profundities like "Time keeps coming but i don't know where it's going," and marks him as a rapper, just one who has replaced bling and bitches with collegiate philosophy-lite. Maybe on a future album "Chris Glover" will relax (he can start by losing the quotes), and boost his booty quotient, but for now there's little to recommend Hell Isn't Even That Funny, unless your dorm room is awash in stereotypical undie-rap CDs.