Someone’s Gonna Get Hurt and it’s not Gonna Be Me

Skylar Grey released her first album under the name Holly Brook back in 2006, a year before the female singer-songwriter boon launched by Sara Bareilles. But the Wisconsin native was much more moody than the others that came out of Southern California. Seven years, a name change and a bunch of singles that did about as good as her previous iteration, her sophomore album Don't Look Down is finally out.

Not surprising since Grey has made the in between years writing and singing hooks for rappers like Dr. Dre, Diddy and most famously wrote the Rihanna part for Eminem’s Love the Way You Lie, the new album takes on a more electric feel compared to her predominately acoustic debut (the piano only album closer White Suburban is the only song here that would not sound out of place on the Holly Brook album) . There are guest spots from Big Sean, Angel Haze and Eminem even repays the favor. Except none of those songs work especially the Eminem assisted C’mon Let Me Ride which aims for the charts with overly charged double, and a couple single, entendres but just comes off as embarrassing even if the song was meant to be either semi or fully ironic.

Though the music has taken a decidedly more hip-hop songs which rely heavy on drum loops, vocally and lyrically, the new album sound very similar to her debut (with decidable more expletives littered throughout the album). The songs oscillate between moody and sweet effortlessly (which the exceptions of whenever a rapper shows up to take you out of the mood). The best of the former is Final Warning where Skylar goes where many before her in the past decade have gone before by taking revenge on a former boyfriend. But where Carrie underwood is cute when she talks about taking a baseball bat to a dude’s pickup truck, when Skyler talks about picking up a knife, says, “Somebody’s gonna get hurt and it’s not gonna be me,” and then taunts him with some na na’s, you actually fear for the guy. And yourself a little.

On the nicer side of the album, Sunshine is an upbeat song and if you strip away the drum machine and add some banjo, the song could easily become a country radio hit. Don’t Look Down can be a bit schizophrenic at times, but Skylar Grey is turning out to be much more interesting than Holly Brook.

Song to Download – Final Warning

Don’t Look Down gets a on my Terror Alert Scale.