Album Review: Yelawolf's 'Love Story,' A Well Done Joyride Fans Will Enjoy

What seems to have been somewhat of a renaissance for Yelawolf has bred an artist with so much diversity that it's literally bursting out of every track off his brand new album "Love Story."

The opening track titled, "Out Space" is a little misleading in a sense that it differs completely from all of the singles that Yelawolf released leading up to the release of "Love Story." The opener features a hyped up slightly electronic beat with an in your face style of rap. It's a high intensity start to what is a very solid album with a ton of diversity.

Yelawolf has managed to take on his Southern roots and give his fans a little more of a taste of where he's from.

Not many can appreciate the mix of singing and rapping from Yelawolf but it's so well done that you can really get the sense of the stories he tries to tell over every track. He takes a political stance in "Change," urging his listeners to feed hungry minds and do not starve as he says in an alienated sounding voice.

The follow-up track, "American You" differs immensely from the opener as Yelawolf fuses the sounds of Van Morrison and John Mellencamp with a twist of himself all in sweet harmony.

Just when you think he's forgotten how to rap from the sounds of "American You," Yelawolf slaps you in the face with the lyrical onslaught that is "Whiskey In A Bottle." It's funny that many artists like J. Cole, Logic, Kendrick Lamar and other big names a credited for their ability to tell a story through their music but Yelawolf is overlooked in this area.

Granted his stories are about growing up in the slums of Alabama, it's nonetheless a story that is his coming of age tale.

He wasn't prepared for stardom before but now that he's had years to age similar to whiskey, he is ready to be heard.

The acoustic transition "Ball And Chain," is short but very pleasing to the ear as Yelawolf speaks to the person who drove him to the success he has now.

The Southern Folk sound is experimented with on "Til It's Gone" fuses the world of Folk sounds with Hip-Hop delivery where Yelawolf answers everyone who has told him that he's changed.

The soul and pain that is within Yelawolf can be felt in his track titled, "Devil In My Veins." Sure it's not Hip-Hop and not the singing that he showcased on the previous tracks, however, "Devil In My Veins" is a haunting track about a man who's lived a troubled life.

"Best Friend" is one of the highly anticipated tracks off the album because of the feature with Eminem. It plays well to Eminem's ability to relive a troubled past and the criticism he received while coming up.

The overall tone of this album is dark and sad with the undertone of hope finding it's way towards the end of every cut.

Meanwhile, the second half of the album breaks into more of Yelawolf's Hip-Hop style with the exception of "Have A Great Flight" that is a cross between "Devil In My Veins" and "Til It's Gone."

"Empty Bottles," "Heartbreak," "Tennessee Love," "Box Chevy V," "Love Story," "Johnny Cash," "Sky's The Limit," "Disappear" and "Fiddle Me This" close out the album in a superb way. They cover everything from, drugs and politics to fame and tragedy. The entire album is about making it out of a tough situation and having that make you stronger.

It's one of the most unique approaches to an album and because the scale is tipped more in the Hip-Hop genre, the outstanding amount of influences may be overlooked. You really have to listen to every word of the album to understand how deep it is.

This is one of the most artistic and creative sides of Yelawolf to grace fans so far. Fans can stream the album below.