Review: J. Cole's '2014 Forest Hills Drive'

For an artist recruited by Jay Z to be the new face of his Roc-Nation label in 2009, it's amazing how little use rapper J. Cole has had for his legendary patron. Aside from a perfunctory Jay Z cameo on Cole's debut album, the 29-year-old North Carolina native, to his credit, has been just fine on his own, building his own brand and releasing two No. 1 albums on which he also served as lead producer.

Still, after hearing his third album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive (* * ½ out of four), out Tuesday, it seems as if it wouldn't hurt Cole to have someone like Jay in his ear every now and then, if for nothing else but to save him from himself.

You at least have to admire his conviction. After two good-but-not-great albums, Cole is doubling down on the premise that, this time, he'll get it right without retooling his formula.

Presenting himself as rap's cocky yet vulnerable everyman, he gets off to a convincing start. The smooth and self-assured manner in which he addresses his career so far on January 28th makes you believe this LP will be the one. Wet Dreamz could be the album's best moment, a breezy nod to awkward adolescent hookups that serves as a showcase for his self-effacing wit and storytelling skills. Those same talents are used to darker effect on 03' Adolescence, as he strikes an honest emotional tone in rapping from the perspective of a despondent friend urging him to stay focused on his career.

Ironically, that's right about the point on Forest where Cole could use a friend. Not including any guest artists and insisting on singing every chorus may seem like a brave choice, but the album's second half exposes the fact that, talented though he might be, Cole is not as singularly compelling as he thinks he is. Fire Squad offers lukewarm battle raps over what sounds like a reheated '90s Wu-Tang beat, just as A Tale of 2 Citiez echoes a tepid rehash of Kendrick Lamar's m.A.A.d. City. Continuing on through St. Tropez, G.O.M.D. and No Role Modelz, Cole constructs lumbering tracks weighed down by extended instrumental bridges, choir vocals and over-elaboration. They become so bloated and desperate to be taken seriously they stop being fun, diminishing the pleasure of noticing the right balance is finally achieved on penultimate track Love Yourz.

Forest confirms that Cole dreams bigger than most major-label rappers, but he has yet to realize that vision in LP format.

Download:Wet Dreamz, January 28th, Love Yourz