B.o.B–Cold As Ice

Not released as a single, at all.
“No Genre” is a mixtape released by B.o.B on December 7, 2010.

Well, he was the guy who did the rapping on Nothin’ on You and then impressed me with the Hayley Williams collaboration on Airplanes. I then sat through Magic disappointed, and Don’t Let Me Fall was just pretty decent. The album came, and it was somewhat controversial, in a manner slightly like how 808s & Heartbreak was such for Kanye West – though the transition wasn’t as dramatic here as it was for Kanye. Some viewed it as selling out; for me, because I was introduced to B.o.B by the very definitively pop song Nothin’ on You, I guess I can’t speak from that perspective.

No Genre includes a variety of tracks, some of which seem a bit of a response to such criticism (Beast Mode and So So do, at least), while others seem to continue somewhat in the same pop-rappish vein as the album did. (Feet Don’t Fail Me Now, for one). However, this track stood out in a good, good way. When listening to it, at first it seemed like a pretty standard, slightly good track. The little piano thing that plays in the verses is nice, a bit haunting, and goes well with the message…

It’s basically the story of a bank robbery laced with revenge, but VERY well executed. The hook is mildly catchy and of pretty decent quality, but the star here lies in the verses. They’re interesting in terms of content, and his delivery on verse 3 sent a few chills. Verse 1 isn’t anything special, basically establishing the setting of the situation.

But we lived packed in a shack
Like the old lady who lived in a shoe

Heh, a bit funny! Yup, a small space. (“She had so many children she didn’t know what to do.”) Let’s go to the hook:

You’re as cold as ice (you’re as cold as ice)
You’re willing to sacrifice our love

Well. So fast? She hasn’t breached his trust, yet, has she? Well… I think “cold” here means “calculating” or “detached” i.e. she’s perfectly willing to gamble on a well, risky bank robbery. She’s willing to sacrifice their love ‘cause if they get caught…

And now you got me (froze), I said you got me (froze)
Because you’re so c-cold, you left me cold tonight

Verse 2 describes the first part of the attempt, and is pretty much narrative, really. However, when we get back to the hook things get a little bit more interesting. Their plan may have failed – however, at this stage, it may have been an honest mistake. She chooses to stay rather than run, which isn’t a wrong act per se because the police would not know then that she was involved in the crime at all, and since she was “on the clock”, well, yeah. She would be fine. From a self-preservation point of view, correct decision. However, playing it cool may have, well, alarmed B.o.B’s character. Let’s go to verse 3.

So as I get escorted out, to my surprise what do I see
Thats my baby sittin’ in cuffs tellin’ the officers everything

The frustration becomes more apparent in his tone…

I said, “Baby, why baby, what did I do to forsake you?
How can you turn your back on me? You’re selfish, I hate you!
All I ever wanted to do was love you, were you fakin’?”

The build-up here for the climax to come is pretty impressive too. It’s hard to describe; just give the track a listen.

So I snatched the gun from my officer, and I cocked it and I aimed it
And said, “This is for all the pain you done put me through!
You’re ungrateful, how could you?!………. All I wanted to do was save you!”

Brilliantly epic.

And here I am day 55, with 55 hundred to go
When you love a girl who is as cold as ice, eventually you’ll get froze

The contrast of the somewhat calm, resigned tone of his voice here to the frenzied madness of the past few lines serves to highlight the extent of rage he faced a moment ago. Well, he killed her (that’s 15.2 years, thereabouts… which is longer in most cases than it would be for bank robbery)… The hook this time can be interpreted both literally (cold cause… she’s dead) and figuratively (for telling on him). The bridge is just a little weird extension of the song, it seems:

32 degrees below zero, you’re like 31 flavors you’re oh so cold
Feels like 30 straight days of falling snow

32 degrees F is the freezing point of water, so okay. 31 flavours of Baskin Robbins ice cream. The 30 straight days of falling snow is pretty bad, though… It’s quite nice to listen to, though. And as I said, the few sparse piano notes do enhance the song significantly.

OVERALL RATING = 8.0 / 10
Cold As Ice, in terms of delivery is sharp and powerful; it definitely gave me chills the first time I listened to the third verse. While it did not engage me on a cerebral level (like Airplanes or So Sick, at this writing the top 2 songs I’ve reviewed on this blog did), the execution is, as far as I’m concerned, highly commendable. His rapping, singing and the production combine together very well.

Ne-Yo–So Sick

Released January 24, 2006.
Billboard: Peaked at #1.
UK Charts: Peaked at #1.

To begin with, the video for this song is pretty impressive. The snowy landscapes in the background are nice to look at and complement the smooth background instrumentals. I’ve also been a fan, I guess you could say, of Ne-Yo’s voice – from this (relatively) old piece to his later work like Because of You, Hate That I Love You, and up to the recent One In A Million. It makes for a strong, rather dim yet still emotionally considerable piece that’s rather nice on the whole. Looking at the cover, though, I wonder what’s with the pencil. Anyway, pencil scores points for me – I like carrying a pen or writing instrument around with me too!

Lyrically this one’s a bit of a puzzle. Of course, there’s the pretty obvious interpretation that he’s lost his girl, and, well, he’s “so over being blue, (over) crying over (the girl)”. These are self-assertions he tries to make; even though the ground supporting them is weak as he still struggles to accept the relationship as closed (so why can’t I turn off the radio?). He still holds on to memories of his girl, and despite knowing it’s over, he still hasn’t fully accepted it in his heart. The love songs that his character’s “so sick” of only serve to hurt him further, because hearing them causes him to recall the memories that he had with his ex. This interpretation works pretty well, and the lyrics in this way are effective at portraying the depth of Ne-Yo’s character’s pain.

However, So Sick is clearly a love song too – and not just that, it’s pretty much “so sad and slow” (note that there’s nothing wrong with such songs at all!) as far as songs go. I don’t know, but to me this seems like a pretty powerful use of irony – yes, he tries to believe that he’s sick of these love songs, and by extension is sick of the girl – yet, he really can’t get over it at all, as evidenced by him not just listening to such songs, but even singing one himself!

Thus, I guess it seems that once the puzzle is ironed out a little, the song falls into place. In my opinion, it’s a great song – and though it’s one of his earliest releases, as far as I’m concerned it’s one of his best as well. It’s strong both performance-wise and lyric-wise.

OVERALL RATING = 8.0 / 10
So Sick basically tells the story of Ne-Yo’s character’s heartbreak over his loss of a girl, and explores the tensions between his knowledge that the relationship is over and his desire for the relationship to continue. The story is told and delivered very well, though.