Nicki Minaj Cures Her Whacked Out Persona

Nicki Minaj and level-headed don't tend to occupy similar turf. I agree with Tim Duncan saying "Who wants to be normal?" but Nicki has often pushed it off the ragged edge. That said I think her new "Pills N Potions", despite "I still love you" being sung too much, and despite repetitive choruses being one prime turn off to any song, succeeds at taking the prize as Nicki Minaj's most sedate effort to date. Orchestral it definitely is. Even the rapping itself benefits from restraint. Anyone who's been close enough to someone else's iPod can attest to how sometimes it's hard to tell whether Nicki is animal, vegetable, mineral, or space alien. That doesn't hijack the song here. She takes the moral high ground throughout in dealing with niggas who haven't earned the respect they believe is coming to them. She doesn't wish on death on them...she reflects on them. The title pretty much screams drowning one's miseries in booze and pills. How she manages to keep anger at bay even though she's at odds with her man is a mystery. Now then, though I applaud Nicki's cranium not being set on that high frequency only dogs can hear I fear that's the highest praise I can give "Pills N Potions". I likely won't remember any distinguishing features a week or so down the line. It sort of floats along like the cotton candy you get at the state fair. She sings the title with some grace, again a relief from her rivet machine type of subtlety. I'm sure that the subject matter doesn't fly over my head what with my being a bony square white guy ignorant of the travails of minority youth in the hood. What it lacks is urgency that your A-list rap stars preternaturally exude. Preening black youths are hardly a novelty concern. For me to really dig a song a prominent hook must be part of the bargain. No such good fortune here. The melodies aren't loathsome and that's a point in the song's favor. Unfortunately some oomph behind the wheel would've helped "Pills N Potions" succeeded in reaching a level of artistry that doesn't sound phoned in. In its final format "Pills N Potions" doesn't even rate the revulsion that comes from having icky meds flushed out of your system. No flavor to be found. Only mild leaf rustling in an inconsequential wind.