mixtape maestro (2.0)

So what happens when Mr. Hudson‘s “Supernova” single loses all traces of Kan-yeezy (both the rapper/”singer”‘s vocal presence and the 808′s & Heartbreak techno-hop crunch influence on the production)? By the sounds of this newly unleashed string quartet-backed version, it bascally ends up a far stronger record.

Thanks to some overly-stylized musical happenings and an attention-hogging guest star, the original “Supernova” had just too many distractions taking the listener away from an otherwise engaging lyric about a man’s attempt to re-grasp something real when immersed in a glitz and glamour-filled celebrity world that houses little authencity.

That same script fares much better when supported by a beautifully sculpted orchestral arrangement, haunting female-aided harmonies and a de-polished lead vocal by Hudson that hits a striking tinge of vulnerability with each strained reach at the chorus’ big notes.

Mr. Hudson, if you’re listening, we’d be so appreciative if you could re-illustrate the pre-leaked gem “Anyone But Him” in this same gorgeous context.

DL: “Supernova (Orchestral Mix)” (alt)

Mr. Hudson might have drew the attention of critics and a couple of BBC radio playlist-makers for the acclaimed 2007 release A Tale of Two Cities (we beg you to give that one a listen), but since contributing some key moments to Kanye‘s 808s (he co-produced “Street Lights” and provided back-up vocals on “Say You Will” and “Paranoid”) and earning a spot on the G.O.O.D. Music label, interest has grown a thousand-fold in what this intriguing, X-Men supervillain-looking figure has to offer on his upcoming project, Straight No Chaser.

For lead single “Supernova”, a duet with a once-again Auto-Tuned-out Kanye, Hudson smartly extends on 808s‘ techno-hop-meets-emo-soundtracked melodrama (“Before you make the biggest mistake of your life/ Just give me a chance to get it right”), infusing it with clouds-parting strokes of epic, U2/ Coldplay-esque grandeur.

It definitely has the sound of something with major pop chart-dominating promise, yet despite it’s 80′s sonic pizazz and a script that’ll pierce the soul of anyone currently cloaked in heartache, it also manages to feel very un-extraordinary, lacking a certain something that could truly make it as great as it seems to already think it is.

MR HUDSON [FEAT KANYE WEST] – SUPERNOVA from MrHudson on Vimeo.

On the other hand, future album cut “Anyone But Him” (also featuring West) is a complete winner.

Given an unsettled edge with it’s nervy display of plinky blips and synths and needly drum machine clatter, “Anyone” grabs your undivided attention from the start as Hudson spits out an endless stream of green-eyed venom after eyeing an old love’s new choice of bedmate (“Anyone but him/ I’d rather hear you had the whole football team/ Than have to watch his filthy lips on your skin…”), the chorus finding him liquified into a pitiful blob as he pinchedly moans “Who’s gonna take you home?” over and over as if he’s hoping she’ll have a sudden change-of-heart at the last moment and realize whose arms she really should be in.

West also makes a far more effective guest star here. Under the guise of the other man, he dishes out a devastating “nyah nyah” of a sixteen that opens with “When she go Black/ She ain’t never going back” and ends with him harmonizing along to Hudson’s chorus, providing this deliciously cocky alternate spin to the “Who’s gonna take you home/ If it isn’t me?” query.

DL: “Anyone But Him” (alt)