Charm (Danny! album)

Untitled

Charm is the critically-acclaimed third studio album from American rapper/record producer Danny! (see 2006 in music). As evidenced in the title, Charm was a huge milestone in Danny's career; after two unsuccessful attempts to make a name for himself in the music world (2004's The College Kicked-Out and 2005's F.O.O.D.), the record unanimously won rave reviews, culminating in the inclusion of the album on the 49th Annual Grammy Awards short list and, eventually, a record deal with Definitive Jux Records.

Widely touted as the strongest entry in his discography, Charm helped Danny achieve a moderate, albeit brief, buzz in the underground hip-hop community and become South Carolina's most heralded hip-hop artist to date.

Overview

Charm was lauded primarily for two reasons: its storyline and its production. Never shy to place credit on others -- specifically his influences -- Danny has mentioned numerous times that Charm's plot was inspired by that of City of Angels, a 1975 Motown album by The Miracles. Both LPs are considered "concept" albums and have a cohesive theme, though Danny's album takes place in the form of a dream. The beats used on Charm are also considered to be highly-polished and an extreme improvement over his previous efforts.

Clocking in at a staggering seventy-three minutes even and twenty-one tracks, critics that have since praised the record have also, in the same breath, denounced it for being too bulky. Each track feeds on the previous song in sequence, and virtually every track is preceded by a voicemail "skit" that presumably ties in with the song that it follows.

Charm marked the first -- and to date, the only -- time that Danny has worked with outside producers for a studio album of his own, though it was only for a mere two tracks ("Lip Flappin'" and "Now You're Gone"). Charm was also a departure in Danny's reluctance to feature guest rappers on his songs. Previously, Danny had only featured singers on various tracks, but G. Test, Peace and Jinx all contribute to four different songs on the album.

Development

It is widely assumed that Danny's admiration for the Miracles' album City of Angels, and the subsequent reinterpretation of its storyline for Charm, was initiated in 2005 when he sampled one of its songs for his second album, F.O.O.D. "Poor Charlotte", a somber ballad chronicling the life of a young woman longing for Hollywood stardom at any and all costs, was used for F.O.O.D. 's title track.

The chilling story about what one risks -- in this case, one's own life -- to become successful in the entertainment industry so moved Danny that he scrapped his original plans for a third album -- revealed on "We Gon' Make It" from his previous LP to be a sequel to F.O.O.D. -- to narrate a story of his own, and Charm was born.

Synopsis

The album opens up with an introduction ("Intro") that features a montage of clips from Danny's previous songs. After a brief commentary from a very self-aware Danny, he proceeds into a verse that explains his motives for pursuing a music career, brushes off critics by admitting he purposely chose not to be too complex with his lyrics, but that he could easily do so whenever he so chose, and reveals that during his rise to fame he nearly lost his passion. The album's "story" truly begins with the second track ("Give Me A Chance"). Now in narrator mode, Danny plays the role of a desperate musician, also named Danny, who feels he deserves recognition for his contributions to music and longs for stardom and wealth.

Two verses into the song, Danny receives a message on his answering machine from an A&R executive at Galaxy Records willing to sign him to the label. When the next song ("Charm") begins, Danny is riding high on his newfound success and describes in great detail the negativity he faced to get to where he is. The album then proceeds into "It's Okay", a short song in which Danny reassures his family that things are looking up and, now that he's achieved success, their financial woes are over. (It should be noted that many people in the entertainment industry who become successful feel an obligation to their respective families to rid them of any debt or financial problems; apparently, Danny is no exception here.)

After preparing for his first world tour ("Can't Wait"), Danny's employer urges him to return to his job, lest he face termination. Torn between stardom and his responsibilities at home he briefly returns, lamenting about his nine-to-five daily routine. His complaints are cut short, however, by a groupie who sends him a text message soliciting him for sex ("Temptation"). After a battle between him and his conscience Danny reluctantly gives in, only to regret his decision. After finally becoming willing to leave his hometown -- with the incorrect assumption that he would be escaping similar temptations in the future -- he announces his arrival for a second time ("The Last Laugh") and wryly pokes fun at those who made it difficult for him to achieve success ("Duck Soup").

Much to his dismay, Danny's first encounter on the road is marred by racism ("Strange Fruit") as an unscrupulous hotel manager who learns of Danny's skin color prevents him and his friends from checking into a room he had previously reserved. On top of that, the mother of his child has been accusing Danny of having let the fame go to his head ("What Now"), an accusation that Danny vehemently denies. Hoping to temporarily forget his troubles, a good friend invites him out to a club ("Move Somethin'") in the area. However, after a few drinks too many, Danny is whisked away by his manager to a venue in which he had been scheduled to perform (but presumably forgot about due to his excessive drinking at the club).

In his dressing room Danny turns back to his bottle ("My Problem") and laments to himself all the issues he's had to deal with as a result of his fame. While naming out countless problems -- family turning their back on him, not being able to shop without being mobbed -- his only real "problem", alcoholism, takes an ugly toll and Danny blacks out six minutes before he is scheduled to go on stage. Consequently, Danny is rushed off to the hospital and his show is cancelled.

En route to the hospital Danny laments again that, despite his escaping the day-to-day routine of his hometown, his life is still much like a merry-go-round ("Carousel") in which he does not wish to ride. His health regained, he heads to the studio to begin work on his album but the label pressures him to use the same clichés and nonsense prevalent in his genre of music ("Lip Flappin'"). Frustrated, he storms out of the studio and lashes out at those who feel they deserve a piece of Danny's success ("You Owe Me").

Meanwhile, an affair that Danny becomes involved in with another man's wife takes a nasty turn as the woman is murdered by her trucker husband ("Where Were You"). Visibly shaken, Danny resumes his tour but becomes extremely paranoid about the audience's response, or lack thereof, to his performances ("No Guarantees (remix)"). It is at this point that Danny learns that fame is not all that it's cracked out to be. Wishing for a return to the way things once were ("Fly"), Danny decides to resign from music while wistfully imagining how his career would've turned out without the stifling of his creative freedom ("Cafe Surreal").

Danny eventually awakens ("Rise & Shine (interlude)") to realize that everything that had transpired was merely an all-too-real dream. The mother of his child continues to chastise him for his decision to pursue a music career, financial woes are still in existence and he is still obligated to the job he dreads going to. Despite his drudgery, Danny couldn't be happier. His daughter's mother urges him to check the answering machine for a message left for him; upon playback it is revealed to be an A&R executive from the aforementioned Galaxy Records, interested in signing Danny to a recording contract just like his dream had foretold. But now that he is well aware of the dangers of fame, will Danny bite at the chance of stardom in real life? His decision is not revealed and is left up to the listener's imagination.

Following the conclusion of the story, Danny steps out of narrator mode and laments the loss of two former close friends, one by death and one by disassociation, on Charm's epilogue ("Now You're Gone"). Danny's final verse on Charm reveals his real-life plans to retire from music indefinitely, and the reasons behind his decision. He likens his leaving the music business as the "death" of his Danny!/D. Swain persona, alluding to his pompous boasts and colorful lyrics over the years as being a separate entity from himself. Though he evidently regrets his decision to leave, Danny hints at the fact that the hip-hop audience will, in time, rue it more than he ever will and would one day wish for his return. Charm ends abruptly near the end of Danny's final verse, making it to the 73-minute mark and ending on a defeated, sorrowful note.

Reception

Both fans and music editors have since praised Charm not just for its cohesiveness and overall concept, but for Danny's seemingly effortless way of pulling it all off. Even the most hard-nosed of critics, who may have previously bashed Danny's first two albums, have admitted to the appeal of the record, considering Charm to be Danny's definitive album. Since this was the first time many had even heard of Danny, most reviewers felt as if he just "popped up out of nowhere"; RapReviews's Steve Juon inquired how "somebody with Danny!'s talents fell through the cracks...and remained completely beneath my radar".

By the time the initial -- and unexpected -- buzz for Charm subsided, Danny had transformed from a virtually-unknown talent into an artist on the rise. The Recording Academy would go on to include Danny's breakthrough album onto their shortlist for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards, a major accomplishment for any underground hip-hop artist without a manager or a record deal.

Few have disputed the fact that Charm is Danny's strongest work to date, with much of its content either based on events that had actually transpired in Danny's life, or that would eerily play itself out in the wake of Charm 's success (for example, receiving a phone call from an interested record label).

During the production of Charm, Danny revealed that his latest project would be his last, and that he had no plans to record or release any new material. Since that announcement, however, Charm has gone on to quietly achieve a great deal of success: music critics applauded his efforts immensely, media websites (AOL Music, Artistdirect.com, et al.) began hosting his discography, and in October 2006, the first of two ballots drafted for the Grammy Awards of 2007 nomination process included songs from Charm in four different fields, spanning seven categories.

Post-success

Despite all of this, Danny remained steadfast in his decision to retire from the music business, though he would later clarify that he planned to work on other artists' projects as a producer rather than release anything of his own. All the same, his decision continued to baffle many who considered Danny to be on the brink of recognition and real-life success. Danny professed his disenchantment with the music business in the last verse of "Now You're Gone", and some people theorize that the loosely-based cautionary tale of Charm, and its prevalent warning of the negative consequences that fame can have, was a reflection on Danny's true feelings about "blowing up" and his desire not to go down the same path.

Definitive Jux Records caught wind of various tracks from Charm via a talent contest sponsored in part by MTVu and, impressed with what they heard, awarded Danny as their grand prize winner; Danny was subsequently added to Def Jux's roster of artists in January 2007, giving him his big break. Danny has recanted his talks of "retirement" and has since released two instrumental albums and an EP prior to his Def Jux debut project.

Track listing

#	Title	Producer(s)	Performer(s)	Composer(s)	Time
1	"Intro"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, G. Benson	3:55
2	"Give Me A Chance"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, J. Watson	3:25
3	"Charm"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, A. Adams, R. Adams, G. Hampton	4:25
4	"It's Okay"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, C. Kinsey, P. Winslow	1:32
5	"Can't Wait"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, A. Green	4:00
6	"Temptation"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, L. Sylvers	4:16
7	"The Last Laugh"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, H. Mancini, J. Mercer	2:33
8	"Duck Soup"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, N. Caldwell, G. Horman	1:32
9	"Strange Fruit"	Danny!	Danny!, Peace, 'Drea	A. Hunter, D. Swain, H. Fukumura, S. Watanabe	4:03
10	"What Now"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, V. Hargreaves, K. Merkel, F. Munzer, G. Spirka	3:23
11	"Move Somethin'"	Danny!	Danny!, G. Test	G. Edwards, D. Swain, W. Griffin	4:07
12	"My Problem"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, P. Adams, D. Jordan	3:37
13	"Carousel"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, T. Kallio, T. Malm, K. Rantala	3:35
14	"Lip Flappin'"	Alex Goose	Danny!	A. Goose, D. Swain, A. Jobim, J. Hendricks, N. Mendonça	3:47
15	"You Owe Me"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, T. Bell, L. Epstein	3:10
16	"Where Were You"	Danny!	Danny!, 'Drea	D. Swain, J. Arthey, S. Cutugno, P. Delanoe, P. Losito, V. Pallavicini	4:50
17	"No Guarantees (remix)"	Danny!	Danny!, Jinx	C. Dorrah, D. Swain, D. Hall	3:45
18	"Fly"	Danny!	Danny!, Peace	A. Hunter, D. Swain, S. Garrett, G. Johnson, L. Johnson, Q. Jones	3;00
19	"Cafe Surreal"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, T. Abou-Chanab, V. Carboni, R. O'Donoghue	4:00
20	"Rise & Shine (interlude)"	Danny!	Danny!	D. Swain, A. Butler, M. Lindsay	2:13
21	"Now You're Gone"	G. Test	Danny!	G. Edwards, D. Swain, L. Dozier, B. Holland, E. Holland, W. Johnson	3:40

Credits

• Danny! - Executive Producer, Producer, Composer, Featured Vocals
• Alex Goose - Producer
• Guleus "G. Test" Edwards - Featured Vocals, Producer
• Angela "Peace" Hunter - Featured Vocals
• Andrea Boutte - Featured Vocals
• Christopher "Jinx" Dorrah - Featured Vocals
• Morgan Sherman - Special Consultant

External links

• "Charm" audio snippets courtesy of Barnes & Noble
• "Charm" lyrics courtesy of the Original Hip-Hop Lyrics Archive (OHHLA.com)