Album Review: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - The Heist

Macklemore's second release, The Heist, in collaboration with Ryan Lewis, displays a hugely impressive maturity in both production and lyricism, and as a result is a remarkably enjoyable record. The album opens with Ten Thousand Hours, whose complex and insightful lyrical content and catchy verse structure set up the record brilliantly. The artists display their versatility in terms of production and vocals with Can't Hold Us, which is conspicuously faster and more upbeat, and again serves as an impressive introduction to the album.

Thrift Shop is certainly Macklemore's catchiest track to date and as such has garnered an incredibly enthusiastic reception, both critically and commercially. The true depth of the artists' work, however, is displayed in Same Love, which is both political and emotive, and as a result one of the record's clear standouts. Make The Money then introduces another shift in lyrical content, while retaining the simultaneous depth and clarity of verse structure and lyricism that makes this album so impressive. The artists then include an instrumental interlude with Bombom, effectively acting as a bridge between the LP's two halves.

The record then adopts a more epic, electronic feel with the buoyant beat and flawless production of Jimmy Iovine. The true highlight of the record, however, is the insightful social commentary and integrity of delivery in A Wake. Cowboy Boots, the record's final track, is somewhat weaker than the preceding songs and almost feels anticlimactic when positioned as the closing moments of the album. Despite this, however, the record is at once immediately engaging and technically complex, the combination of which is certainly no mean feat in this genre and makes for a truly impressive collection of songs.