Lazarus

Photographer: Chris Phelps.
His first official solo album away from Gym Class Heroes (though he has released some mixtapes), Travie McCoy's Lazarus finds the band's charismatic frontman as upbeat as ever on his summery debut. Right from the get-go the album opener, "Dr. Feelgood," establishes the album as a top-down, good-time summer album, with a funky uptempo beat and a hook by none other than Cee-Lo Green, whose falsetto adds a nice touch of soul to the track. Further in, "Billionaire" has guest Bruno Mars and McCoy channeling Sublime on the laid-back reggae-inflected jam. The real highlight of the album comes from "Akidagain," where McCoy does his take on Ahmad's "Back in the Day," reminiscing about being a kid with a flow that's looser and more natural than anywhere else on the album. Even though every track on the album isn't a keeper, like the Auto-Tuned "Superbad" or the Black Eyed Peas-style "We'll Be Alright" (which borrows the hook from Supergrass' "Alright"), it has some solid additions to any summer playlist and will definitely please fans of Gym Class Heroes. ~ Gregory Heaney