Game, ‘The R.E.D. Album’ – Album Review

Rapper Game's new LP 'The R.E.D. Album' was long in the making. Originally due to hit stores in 2010, the album was plagued with delays and numerous album leaks. Now after several mixtape drops and a bubbling new single, 'Pot of Gold' (Featuring Chris Brown), the Compton, Calif. rapper is in beast mode with his new album.

The 17-track collection (sans the Dr. Dre narration) is a good listen with only a few skippable tracks. The Game is still lyrically sharp and he name-drops constantly throughout the album. Some of the standout joints on the LP are his hardcore records including 'Ricky,' 'The Good, The Bad, The Ugly' and 'Born in the Trap.' While Game needs to have radio-friendly singles to sell the album -- like 'Pot of Gold' -- they slowed the LP down to a near halt.

Overall, Game's 'The R.E.D. Album' shows that he still has enough lyrical "game" (excuse the pun) to compete with the young rap lions coming out of California right now including Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle and Jay Rock to just name a few.

You can listen to Game's 'R.E.D. Album in its entirety here (Thanks to Jus Hustle).

1. Dr. Dre Intro
Dr. Dre talks about Game's upbringing in Compton, Calif.

2. 'The City' Feat. Kendrick Lamar
Game recounts his rise from the streets of Compton to now becoming one of the top rappers in the game. The Cool & Dre-produced track also features fellow Comptonite Kendrick Lamar on the chorus.

3. 'Drug Test' Feat. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and Sly
A bumping club jam produced by DJ Khalil featuring Dr. Dre spitting some bars. Sadly, Snoop Dogg doesn't get to shine on the track but still comes through with stellar rap quip. [Listen Here]

4. 'Martians Vs. Goblins' Feat. Tyler, The Creator & Lil Wayne
Game does his best to mimic the macabre lyrics delivered by featured guest Oddfuture madman Tyler, the Creator. It really doesn't work for him. Of course, Tyler is weird as ever as he raps homoerotic lines about Bruno Mars, Mel Gibson and Tyler Perry all in the same breath. Sadly, Tunechi is relegated to chorus duties and doesn't rap on the song. A big mistake on Game's part.

5. 'Red Nation' Feat. Lil Wayne
The kick-off single from 'The R.E.D. Album' in which Mr. Chuck Taylor and Tunechi wave their red flags in the air. [Listen Here]

6. Dr. Dre (Narration)
Dr. Dre talks again.

7. 'Good Girls Go Bad' Feat. Drake
A standout track on the album with Game and Drake spitting rhymes about all the groupies they have met after rap shows. "I don't hit on girls / I just hit on girls / Like, 'Hey little momma' / Come in Game and Drizzy's world / Get busy, girl," Game spits.

8. 'Ricky'
Another hard-hitting track on the album as Game raps about the perils of street life over orchestral strings and a thunderous beat. The song is inspired by Morris Chestnut's character in John Singleton's classic '90s coming-of-age film 'Boyz 'N' the Hood.'

9. 'The Good, The Bad, The Ugly'
One of the most interesting joints on the collection as Chuck Taylor resurrects Notorious B.I.G. and does a great job of mimicking the late rapper's mush-mouth vocals and storytelling style. On the song, the rapper is being interrogated by police as he recounts his daily routine of dodging bullets, committing crimes and avoiding the police. It's a phenomenal track, in our opinion, and for a few moments we actually felt Biggie's presence on the record.

10. 'Heavy Artillery' Feat. Rick Ross and Beanie Sigel
Game enlists two of the biggest men in hip-hop -- Rick Ross and Beanie Sigel. All three spit bullet-riddled rhymes over the somber, orchestral-sounding track.

11. 'Paramedics' Feat. Young Jeezy
A guitar-charging song with the Compton bomber and the Snowman rapping street rhymes about crime and death. Unfortunately, their lyrics are mundane, so we pushed the fast-forward button.

12. 'Speakers On Blast' Feat. E-40 and Big Boi
Bay Area rap legend E-40 and Atlanta rhyme-spitter Big Boi joins Game on this bouncy tune with blaring trumpets and repetitive chants.

13. 'Hello' Feat. Lloyd
The requisite rap ballad with Game in loverboy mode. The rappers promises his lover all of the finer things in life -- money, traveling, cars and clothes. Apparently, he's the Prince Charming of Compton.

14. 'All The Way Gone' Feat. Mario and Wale
Another rap ballad? 'All the Way Gone' sounds better than the previous song 'Hello.' Over a melodic piano groove and 808 drum kicks, Game and Wale boast about their bedroom prowess and how many girls they can catch. If you're too thug to love, you can skip this track.

15. 'Pot of Gold' Feat. Chris Brown
Game and Brown follow the rainbow in search of radio gold and didn't find it with this single. It's not a bad song but it didn't connect with pop audiences. [Listen Here]

16. 'Dr. Dre 2'
Dr. Dre, again.

17. 'All I Know' Feat. Lu Breeze
Game raps over some live production, which is quite refreshing. Unfortunately, he doesn't say much on the song. Skip it.

18. 'Born in the Trap'
Game recovers nicely with this fantastic DJ Premier-produced track. There's plenty of great one-liners on here, including this one: "S--- deeper than The Roots band / 15's drumming, Questlove in the coupe fam / Riding through Pittsburgh, Wiz got the Steelers / Born by the jungle so I came with gorillas." This song will definitely get instant rewinds.

19. 'Mama Knows' Feat. Nelly Furtado
Hitmaker Pharrell Williams produced 'Mama Knows,' which is dedicated to all the 'hood mothers raising their sons. Game gives props to his own mother for raising him through hard times and supporting his aspirations to be a rapper. Pop songbird Nelly Furtado (where has she been?) sings the chorus on the song, which is slightly reminiscent of Tupac's classic ode 'Dear Mama.'

20. 'California Dream'
The album ends with a song that will pull on your heartstrings. On the sentimental ballad 'California Dreams,' Game reflects on the final hours of his girlfriend giving birth to his baby daughter Cali Dream Taylor. Honestly, we got a little teary-eyed when Game let us hear the audio of the actual child birth. A nice way to end the album.

21. Dr. Dre Outro
Dr. Dre closes out the album.