Action Bronson - White Bronco Album Review

Story posted November 8, 2018 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Zach Hall

Action Bronson is a New York based rapper who made a splash back in 2010 with his
braggadocious rhymes and charismatic delivery. In the coming years, Bronson made several
albums and mixtapes that capitalized and expanded upon his strengths, digging his roots
deeper into the music scene. Along with this, Bronson has dipped his toe into reality television
with two shows on Viceland. The 2010s have been kind to Action Bronson, with some of his
best work being released in the latter half. Action Bronson’s latest album, White Bronco, seeks
to try something a bit different. White Bronco succeeds in creating a soundscape unique to
Bronson’s discography, but fails to give the same care and attention to make what made Action
Bronson so likeable in the first place work on this project.

In White Bronco, Action Bronson is as charismatic as ever. If there’s one thing that Bronson
does right on every single one of his projects, it’s selling himself as a likeable, carefree rapper
with the flows and lyrics to back it up. Unfortunately, this is one of the only things that translates
over onto White Bronco. For the majority of the project, Bronson’s flows stay consistent,
meaning each song has very similar energy despite the unique soundscape. Bronson doesn’t
do much to revitalize his lyrical content despite setting it to the backdrop of a soundscape that
he has not yet fully explored in his discography. Those same braggadocious lines and
cheeky one liners permeate the entirety of the project, and make for some of the best and worst
moments on the album. Bronson’s strengths become his downfalls on the project, with his
laid back flow and rough delivery coming through great on some songs and becoming quickly
repetitive on others. In order for Bronson to have made this soundscape work completely, some
work should have been done to switch the flows and themes that Bronson is accustomed to;
What worked so well for Bronson in the past doesn’t work nearly as well on White Bronco.

Instrumentally, White Bronco is Action Bronson's most unique project to date. A mix of several
producers worked to create a soundscape that heavily features live instruments. The beats
featured on White Bronco are a nice mix of groovy bass lines, grunge guitar riffs, punchy drums,
smooth synths and glittery piano. The aesthetical variety on White Bronco is its strongest point,
making the thematic downfalls of Action Bronson’s lyrics and delivery sting even more.

However, while some of the songs across White Bronco’s 26 minute runtime can feel repetitive
and out of place because of the instrumentation, Action Bronson still has great moments
throughout the project where his laid back flow and charismatic delivery work perfectly over the
jazz-fusion style instrumentation. Songs like “Dr. Kimble,” “White Bronco” and “Telemundo”
serve as some of White Bronco’s best tracks, where Action Bronson’s style plays off the
instrumentation perfectly. It’s a shame that what worked on these tracks as well as a few others
didn’t work on the rest.

Overall, White Bronco is a bit of a mixed bag. Action Bronson’s charisma and witty lyricism is all
over this project, with a few songs being some of the best he’s put out in a few years. The
production is a breath of fresh air for Bronson, giving him the opportunity to rap on a variety of
different beats and creating a soundscape that is as unique as it is enjoyable. However, with all that
White Bronco has going for it, Bronson’s stale themes and consistent delivery throughout the entirety of the project hurt the flow of the album from start to finish. White Bronco has great moments buried beneath repetition and a new style that Action Bronson hasn't quite captured yet.

Rating: 6/10

 

 

Zach Hall is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zth5043@psu.edu.