[Remixed]

Nicki Minaj… Lady who?

Those not au fait with the world of US pop can often confuse the work of pint-size, outré, hypervisual rapper Nicki Minaj with the work of pint-size, outré, hypervisual pop star Lady Gaga. In a crowded market you might have thought that defining your niche was all-important.

But Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, the second mainstream album from the rapper, does very little to allay this confusion. It's an album that purposely sets out to baffle even those who do know the difference, by making an aggressive bid for Gaga's territory.

Halfway through these 19 tracks, Lady Gaga producer RedOne steps in for a run of four songs, inaugurating Roman's pop-orientated back end. "Automatic", for instance, is an off-the-peg, chart-seeking missile full of rave dynamics. "I assure you I'll be stuck on your brain," Minaj sings, and she's right, but not for the reasons you would wish for.

Downbeat and sing-song, "Marilyn Monroe", meanwhile, could be Rihanna. For those whose enthusiasm for Minaj is predicated on her astonishingly idiosyncratic rapping – revealed in dizzying bursts over the past five years via mixtapes, guest verses and last year's debut album, Pink Friday – hearing her sound like any other off-the-peg producer-puppet is not the reason you pressed rewind all those times. Only the pumping, half-rap, half-pop "Pound the Alarm" finds a persuasive compromise between this album's chart fodder and its rap turf.

Inevitably, then, Roman Reloaded's triumphs all come early, on the album's hip-hop front end. In full flow, Minaj remains a delight. A few short months ago, rumour was that her second mainstream album would be handed over to Roman Zolanski, a fierce male alter ego. Just one of Minaj's brimming grab-bag of voices, Roman went head to head with Eminem, the black belt of dizzying unpleasantness, on Pink Friday, the first Minaj album, and came out cackling. He begins the hip-hop half of the album – or, rather, his mother does, in a fake British accent: Limey Nicki is one of Minaj's less appealing alter egos – think Dick Van **** in revealing swimwear – and, mercifully, once she is through on "Roman Holiday", she doesn't crop up too often.

There's relatively little, too, of the squeaky-voiced Harajuku Barbie-Minaj, and not nearly enough of the horror-film, gosh-golly voice that made Minaj's verse on Kanye West's "Monster" hit arguably the guest verse by which all guest verses should be judged . But, even curtailed, Minaj's deranged eloquence remains undimmed. You even hear her chanting "O Come, All Ye Faithful" in the manner of (first) a monk and (shortly after) a gospel singer.

The outstanding "Come on a Cone" is a stark, bragging track whose righteous grandstanding ("And I'm not masturbating/ But I'm feeling myself") finds room for actual glee: "When I'm sittin' with Anna, I'm really sittin' with Anna/ Ain't no metaphor/ Punchline/ I'm really sittin' with Anna," Minaj beams, referring to a picture of herself sitting next to Vogue's Anna Wintour at a fashion show.

Quite why her Roman alter ego was not allowed to have his day on an album bearing his name remains a mystery: it would have been so much better. But then, in Minaj's world, you wouldn't have been surprised if there were a song sung from the point of view of a woolly mammoth – the character she voices in the upcoming Ice Age film.

3/5 stars

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...?newsfeed=true

[satellites.™]

It's funny how yall hate Vin for constantly attacking Gaga and yet all of you do it to Nicki.

[Konichiwa]

So much in this.

[BeysusKnowles]

Hm, Onika i see you.

[Remixed]

Originally posted by satellites™

It's funny how yall hate Vin for constantly attacking Gaga and yet all of you do it to Nicki.

This is just The Observer's REVIEW, chill.

[I RUN L.A.]

I agree. The hip hop tracks are fire... The pop tracks.. some are great, while others are throwaways.

[Remixed]

Originally posted by I RUN L.A.

I agree. The hip hop tracks are fire... The pop tracks.. some are great, while others are throwaways.

I actually really like Starships. Just because they both use RedOne, I don't really see similarities in the music. I think the reviewers are focusing too much on her fashion and incorporating it into the reviews

[Maelstrom]

This thread is wrong - the review is actually by The Observer. It's just hosted on Guardian's page.

The Guardian itself gave the album 4-stars and called Nicki the best popstar the UK has.

[MusicTalker]

Best review I've seen. I agree with everything.

[Siya]

Originally posted by Division

This thread is wrong - the review is actually by The Observer. It's just hosted on Guardian's page.

The Guardian itself gave the album 4-stars and called Nicki the best popstar the UK has.

Woop there it is.

[Remixed]

Originally posted by Division

This thread is wrong - the review is actually by The Observer. It's just hosted on Guardian's page.

The Guardian itself gave the album 4-stars and called Nicki the best popstar the UK has.

The Observer? I changed the title.

[Lil Misty]

Originally posted by Division

This thread is wrong - the review is actually by The Observer. It's just hosted on Guardian's page.

The Guardian itself gave the album 4-stars and called Nicki the best popstar the UK has.

Let me remind them of some other popstars

[Doc]

Originally posted by satellites™

It's funny how yall hate Vin for constantly attacking Gaga and yet all of you do it to Nicki.

Although this particular review isn't that negative, in general, I completely agree with you, Sats.

[DG1]

There is a review thread.

[J a y]

Reviews are normally written by 1 or 2 people.
There's no right or wrong view of something unless it's broad enough (several of the same opinions) to be justifiable.

I only care about the overall outcome of reviews, not some ****** newspaper that's free on a train

[Kieran]

Reported? WTF.