Kanye West. My guilty little pleasure. How can someone so arrogant and yet incomprehensible most of the time produce such soulful, well thought out music? His Latest endeavor with Late registration has some of the best hooks and beats I’ve heard out of any producer for some time, and yet his lyrics make me cringe most of the time. His lyrics weren’t great on College Dropout either, but there are some this time around that make you wonder why his lyrics aren’t as well mapped out as his tracks.

But therein lies the enigma. Despite the fact that the lyrics are substandard, they become a part of the song. Since he’s the mastermind behind the tracks, his incomplete lyrics make the song his own, and even the lyrics that sound out of place end up finding a place in your idea of the song. It’s also weird when you do hear him hit some lyric pretty well, but there are far many more misses than hits.

The whole album goes on a good line though, and Kanye’s sound has really grown some more. His music is carving a new niche that doesn’t really fit in the east/west coast spectrum. It reminds me a lot of Wyclef Jean’s The Carnival in that it’s a great eclectic mix of tracks starring another MC that isn’t very good. Of course, whereas Wyclef had a whole lot of help from others (especially Lauryn Hill) Kanye is doing it himself, with some help from his huge ego. But his two singles Gold Digger and Diamonds from Sierra Leone are just a taste of what kind of sounds he can produce. The album starts off strong with Heard em’ Say, where a floaty piano sample with Adam Levin (of Maroon 5) singing makes for a potent combination. From there it goes to Touch the Sky, which is a horn driven song where Kanye does some of his best lyrically. Then to Gold Diggers, where Kanye’s more traditional song style shines through with a Motown sound. The album has a life of its own it feels at times, and Kanye’s ability to write a solid melody that blends well with a beat catches you in just about every song.

So if you can muck past the mediocre featured MC’s (half good, half bad) and some lyrics that would make the ying-yang twins proud, just listen to the music and then you’ll understand why he’s becoming one of the most influential people in hip-hop. Mostly if you liked his first album, you’ll like this one. I can’t understand my guilty pleasure, and I don’t know how much staying power this particular album will have, but I’m having a fun time with this fling.