With his label, J Records, closing shop, Miami rapper
Pitbull moves to RCA proper for
Global Warming, a high-octane, well-funded party album that needs a bit of trimming to be considered officially "non-stop." It's the polished ballads that are the arguable snares, as the
Chris Brown feature "Hope We Meet Again" offers a pleasing, "one for the ladies" number at half the usual speed, and while it might be a worthwhile attempt to round out the album, it's surrounded by tracks that party like a speedy, overcrowded boat on Miami seas with "bottle service or die!" painted on the side. Put the BPMs in the right order and this could be the ultimate
Pitbull mix CD, which Mr. 305 himself would seem to prefer at this point, delivering his Pollstar numbers ("80,000 People in London Wembley/90,000 in Morocco, and I'm just getting warmed up") with true gusto on the massive "Don't Stop the Party," a wicked TJR production that rocks the house with a goofy,
Fatboy Slim vibe. Later, it's
Christina Aguilera and a sample of
a-ha's "Take On Me" for the glorious disco explosion called "Feel This Moment," while the
Usher and
Afrojack track "Party Ain't Over" is Dutch EDM with Miami pop-rap on top, truly the
Global Warming advertised on the album cover. No inconvenient truths as
J. Lo joins for the surprisingly minimal and deep bit of house called "Drinks for You (Ladies Anthem)," and as "Have Some Fun" mashes an old
Sheryl Crow hit with some very 2012-flavored, dubstep bass drops, it's guilty pleasure fireworks exploding through the speakers and the shameless high point of the album. "Tchu Tchu Tcha," with
Enrique Iglesias, is up for debate as its double entendre hook is on the border of creepy, but it's tucked toward the end of the album, timed to be experienced well after the bottle service has kicked in. Ask a polar bear his opinion, and it's an irresponsible album title, too, but
Pitbull's
Global Warming is the spicy pop-rap place to forget the world's problems, so forgive the fat, forgive the mess, and enjoy the heat. ~ David Jeffries