Grades:Overall: C-
Music: D+
Vocals: D
Lyrics: F
Creativity: B
Catchiness: A-
Transgender value: B+
I really, really wanted to hate this album. I wanted to write a review that would clump it in with earlier 2009 releases by atrocious acts such as Millionaires, BrokeNCYDE, and Breathe Carolina. I wanted to give it an F. Take one look at the album cover and you may want to hate Jeffree Star too. Blood on his hands, a transgender look that makes Manson seem macho, a MySpace celebrity status akin to Tila Tequila - at least Star is actually gay. And the lisp he uses when he sings is almost as hilarious as a fight to the death between Star and Perez Hilton would be.
But the truth is, Beauty Killer is not bad. Let me repeat that, in case you ignored me the first time: Beauty Killer is NOT bad. Morbid Mansonesque production lends itself to Star's talent for hooks and macabre 21st-century imagery, and the combination with club beats makes for an interesting listen. It isn't exactly like anything else out there, and though its critics will almost certainly give it the middle finger, Star is no Miley Cyrus. This isn't unlistenable shit, however much you may want it to be. But if you come in with expectations, it may not avoid them.
The thing is, Jeffree Star's music is oxymoronic. Horrible lyrics ("Gumdrop, lollipop, take a lick and don't stop/ So sweet, such a treat, I'm the king of candy"), stupid song titles ("Bitch, Please!"), and every pop music cliche should, by all rights, be easy to turn off...but Beauty Killer is shockingly addictive. From the "I'm gay, but I'm creepy" attitude of "Louis Vuitton Body Bag" to the Eurythmics-style title track to the screamy "Fame & Riches, Rehab Bitches" (featuring aforementioned Denver dumbasses Breathe Carolina), the songs are highly memorable. Despite the autotune and the airbrushed effects, both in the songs and on Star's face.
"Love Rhymes With Fuck You" is a typical Star song. Fading in like the end of Ben Folds' "Rockin' The Suburbs," except this time with the line "you can fuck me till the sun comes up," the track is crude and crass, danceable, full of hooks, and dumbed down just enough for the MySpace generation. I get the feeling that, like Marilyn Manson, Star is actually an extraordinarily intelligent individual who simply knows how to milk the public. But we shall see.
A short list of the sentiments on Beauty Killer:
"let's give each other lobotomies"
"if I can't be beautiful, I'd rather just die"
"don't try to bite me like Chris Brown"
"30H!3 warned me not to trust you hoes,
sucked off Kanye West, now I'm one of the bros"
"fuck me, I'm a celebrity"
"it's all about the C.U.N.T."
"if you're famous, you're hot, thank god for Photoshop"
"I'm fresh meat and vintage Dior,
stealing from the rich and giving Gucci to the poor"
Try: most of the album on Star's MySpace. Preview and buy:
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