The importance of artwork

Tomorrow it will be the first day of the new Academic year and, same as last year, I'm going to skip it. It is über ridiculous that I would take the train to Antwerp, ok it is only 30 minutes, just to pick up my college schedule, which can be found on blackboard.

Today I downloaded the new Joe album and I am kind of disappointed for two different reasons.
I always loved the guy's music. It's a fantastic cross between R&B and smooth vibes. Great music to listen to when you want to spend a romantic night with your sweetie (even though I still prefer D'Angelo for that). But this album is crap! There wasn't a single good song on it. Joe Thomas, New Man a big disappointment music-like.

And also the CD-cover sucks big time. Hopefully it is not the definite version. I mean, a crappy damask background in an ugly brown color and some horrible brushing-away around the head. Then a red line (who doesn't match the brown damask) and a black text with a standard yellow inner glow/bevel and emboss. The sunglasses with this non-natural glaze and bad/forgotten details, especially the left glass.

So what qualities does a good CD-cover need to have? Can't say there is a standard road to success. One time a simple and clean album cover can do the trick, the other time a flashy and catchy is the way to go.

Let me guide you through some great CD-covers. The first one I want to discuss is Hotel Impala (Baloji). It has a clean broken white background with his face painted on it. The colors are chosen very well. They are all significant for the African continent. The font is kept neutral and simple so the face gets all the attention. The guy who made this true piece of art is Pablo Gonzalez. The cover is inspired by His California Album by Bobby Blue Bland. Baloji wanted the cover to be simple, something which he succeeded, and the inside to be colorful, something in which he succeeded too. The cover matches the concept this CD was based on so I would definitely give it a 4 star rating.

Next up is The Birth of Cornelius (Corneille). This album cover is pure class. His face is clearly PhotoShopped, but it is done flawlessly! Use of colors is a big thumbs up. Simple gray color range that matches the jacket he is wearing. And the purple scarf looks so soft and it breaks the hard gray by gives the image this warm feeling. The medallion and grungy effects, together with the tissue of the jacket completes the old portrait-look. 3 and a half star for this classy and sophisticated look.

Erykah Badu. If you know her music, you will also know that you can't put her in a box. She has different influences and her music has some strange twists once in a while. So is her artwork. It's different, colorful and yet controversial. If you look closely to her latest CD-cover, New Amerykah Part One (4th World War), you will notice the hand with the chains (a symbol she frequently uses), but also foetuses, a plane dropping a bomb, guns,... The designer really thought carefully about this and he portrayed her concept about America in a subtle way. You really have to look closely to see what it is all about. Hands down one of the best album covers I've ever seen so I will give it 5 stars.

M.I.A. She's this vivid girl from Sri Lanka with her catchy music that can get everyone up their feet and shake what your momma gave you. Her artwork is just as crazy as her music! The colors are too bright, the shapes are too mind blowing,... It is one masterly unorganized organised (contradiction in terminis, I know) artwork, that shows that the designer thought about this concept for longer than 1 second! Everyone can make trashy things, but it is a true art to make something as kicthy as this and still succeeded to actually make it work! I give it 4 stars.

Nigger, that's how Nasir Jones initially wanted to call his latest album. It was so controversial that he had to change it. But as Nas said "the people will always know what the real title of this album is and what to call it." The cover is kept dark and grungy, yet simple so all the attention would be drawn onto his back with the N. This N is created by falligation scars as a reference to the racial slur and how slaves were tortured. The scars look a bit too "made", but the overall effect does raise the desired emotions this image in created for. A 3 and a half star for this one.