Ray Manzarek, a founding member of The Doors whose versatile and often haunting keyboards complemented Jim Morrison’s gloomy baritone and helped set the mood for some of rock’s most enduring songs, has died. He was 74.‘Wild Ones’ Flo Rida
Flo Rida has never been the main attraction on his own records: He’s best known for his collaborations with other artists. His first hit, “Low,” co-starred T-Pain, and subsequent ones like “In the Ayer” featuring will.i.am and “Right Round” with Ke$ha should have been an indication of the extent of his range, which is pretty limited.
On his new nine-track album, “Wild Ones,” he takes even more of a back seat than usual. But that’s not the only problem: some of the tracks “contain elements” of various songs, making the album sound like something you’ve heard before – many times.
“Wild Ones” sounds like it accidentally ingested beats from David Guetta or Pitbull; it’s a confused mesh of rock, rap and dance music. Not even the J. Lo-assisted “Sweet Spot” stands out from the crowd of diluted European dance sounds. The title track is somewhat enjoyable, but that’s thanks to Sia’s performance on its hook. “Whistle,” the album’s third single, is slightly danceable, but the metaphor it presents for dark corner activity doesn’t even come close to the catchiness of 50 Cent’s “Candy Shop,” a gem of sexual innuendo.
The album’s worst offender is the international hit “Good Feeling.” It samples Etta James’ “Something’s Got a Hold on Me” – but it’s sonically identical to the dance jam “Levels” by Swedish DJ-producer Avicii.
