Danny! Albums (7)
'And I Love Her: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack'
Release Date 1/22/2008
Tracks 18
Label 1911
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
It's fitting that, on an album which mutates hip-hop in jokes into lush, solipsistic psychedelia, one of the first lines is a self-serving Def Jux diss. As a production showcase, And I Love H.E.R. may just be the diametric opposite of El-P's sound: fleet and uptempo drums where El-P's lumber murkily, samples pluming like silk here where El-P's stab, whine, and thud. That he casts such lofty contrasts, of course, is Danny Swain's entire intent. As often as his rhymes dip into melancholic self-doubt throughout the record, these starbursts of dusty violins and mariachi horns are the expression of an artist in complete control. Hence these manic flights of artistic whimsy: the Guitar Hero solo on "The Groove," the knowing, indulgent lifts from OutKast and A Tribe Called Quest on "I Want H.E.R. (She's So Heavy)," the audacious syncopation of "Do You." Spaced over 17 tracks and 70 minutes, it's a rich listen, demanding headphones but rewarding the investment. In this regard, it's a release that draws as much from post-millennial Chicago rap (probably the closest scene to which we might peg oddball South Carolinian Danny!) as it does Prince Paul's finest mid-'90s output. ~ Clayton Purdom, All Music Guide
'Dream, Interrupted'
Release Date 8/14/2006
Tracks 23
Label 1911 Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Danny! has been making and using his own beats since his debut, The College Kicked-Out, was released in 2004, but it wasn't until a few albums in that he decided to release a record that showcased this skill only. Dream, Interrupted, which was meant to accompany Charm (some of the tracks were originally supposed to be included on that record), is a 23-song affair that highlights the production talents of Danny! (or, as he prefers to be called here, Daniel Swain). But Dream is not so much an album of beats over which to rap (though those certainly exist) as a complete musical entity in itself, melodic and warm. As with his other work, sped-up soul samples dominate the beats, violins playing an equal role to the percussion tracks he lays down underneath. Yes, Swain has a formula (a short vocal sample, four-bar loops) that he sticks to pretty well, but he's also careful to bring in enough other elements so that things don't get too predictable. "Dream On" uses salsa guitar chord changes with a more straightforward hip-hop beat, "Jaded" samples Bette Midler's version of "Superstar" but then turns into an eerie but reflective piano- and drum-driven piece, while "Passion Fruit" is light and breezy and loungey without becoming saccharine. A heightened sense of emotion is actually a problem from which Swain suffers from occasionally, with a few too many of his songs turning into explorations in smooth jazz, soaring tenor sax included, but thankfully there are enough strong moments on the album -- the previously mentioned "Jaded," "Sea of Tomorrow," "Salon des Refuses," to name a few -- that are well put together (he's very good at adding just right amount of layers: enough to be engaging and fun but not so many to seem conceited or overblown) and interesting. Dream, Interrupted runs smoothly as a whole, as a contemplative landscape, proving that when you have a lot to say, as Swain does, it comes out just as clearly in your beats as it does your rhymes. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The third, and allegedly final, record in the young MC's career, Charm finds Danny! at his most adventurous, and probably at his most mature. It's hailed as a concept album that traces the rise and (probable) fall of an artist who found overnight success, and though this isn't incorrect, Charm's really more of a frame story, a dream bookended by the reality of trying to work and support a family while pursuing a musical career. Though Danny!'s rhymes aren't always profound -- many of them deal with the sexual benefits afforded to a superstar, and are pretty standard -- he still does a good job of achieving that objective. He explores quotidian struggles of a struggling artist, but he also presents the different sides of fame, from its seductions ("Temptation") and perks ("Can't Wait") to its pressures ("My Problem") and its effects on relationships ("What Now") and artistic integrity ("Lip Flappin"). Danny! has an easy way of rapping that he sticks to throughout the album (though occasionally he does switch up his delivery, on "It's Okay," for example), almost like he's talking or telling a story, which aids in conveying the sense that Charm is a snapshot of sorts into the life of a musician, his personal musings, and reflections on his own life. Production-wise, Danny! has never sounded better, now able to move away from the short four-bar phrases that dominated his previous albums into beats that are much more complex. While lyrically "Where Were You" has a predictable ending that seems fairly contrived, it has a fantastic musical backdrop that works to emphasize the sadness of the song. Background voices sing in a bittersweet descent as a slow bass echoes the pain of the described loss, a forlorn trumpet entering to highlight the shock and despair. Yes, it's affected, and perhaps it's a bit overdone, but it's stirring nonetheless and shows off Danny!'s talents in the studio. And as the album ends with the (post-dream) approach from a record label, it's hard to believe that though there's no conclusion, Charm will actually be Danny!'s last. He's set himself up for a sequel, and if he continues improving as much as he has, it could be a pretty good thing. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
South Carolinian MC Danny Swain, also known as Danny!, received a relative amount of local notoriety after the release of his first record, The College Kicked-Out, which hit the scene ten months after the release of Kanye West's critically acclaimed debut, The College Dropout. Wanting to show the world that he was more than just a one-time act, Danny! issued his second album, F.O.O.D. (which stands for Finding Out Our Destination), in 2005. In F.O.O.D., the MC is eager to prove his own abilities, both as a rapper and as a producer, and so a large number of the songs address this, bragging about verbal superiority, sexual prowess, originality, and dedication to making music. Typical hip-hop themes, it's true, but because Danny! has the ability to also not take himself seriously, none of this comes across as overbearing or pompous. Rather, it's more like a young man's exaggerations of the facts when he's telling his friends what happened to him. That's what Danny! is, actually, a storyteller, and a pretty good one, too. His easy approach to his rhymes makes them seem conversational, almost effortless (though perhaps some of this comes from the fact that he spends an inordinate amount of time actually speaking in his songs), and for the most part his lyrics are pretty good ("Sometimes I get to wondering/Brainstorming and thundering, lightning and rain/Inside of the mind of D. Swain") and creative. Musically, Danny! follows the lead of 9th Wonder and other Carolinian producers, with sped-up, melodically strong soul-sample intros that turn into eight-bar loops, which keep things simple and generally nice. His pattern does get repetitive throughout the 18-song record, and he does have a few lines that try a little too hard and come up short ("It smelled worse than sweaty armpits," "I walked softly so the manager would not toss me"), but overall F.O.O.D. does a good job of showing off the talent and potential of the young MC. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'The College Kicked-Out'
Release Date 11/2/2004
Tracks 14
Label 1911 Music
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Shortly after Kanye West's 2004 record, The College Dropout, was released, Danny!'s own debut, The College Kicked-Out, came out. Besides the similarities in titles (Danny!'s came from his own personal experience, too), the styles of the two MCs resemble each other. Both employ a slower delivery that emphasizes their inventive, sometimes quirky rhymes, and both as producers use a similar sample set upon which to base their beats. Though West does take the upper hand in these areas, especially production (Danny! has nothing that comes even close to "Jesus Walks" or "Spaceship"), Danny! doesn't do a bad job, especially considering that he had considerably less money and experience than West did. There are a few questionable overlaps between the two records (both have rhymes that reference the SARS virus, and both use Irene Reid's take on "My Way" as a sample in songs of the same name, though West's version appeared on 2005's Freshman Adjustment, a collection of pre-The College Dropout demos), but for the most part The College Kicked-Out does its own thing, and does it pretty well. Danny! covers a lot of topics, from the dangers of Columbia, SC (where he's from), to thanking both Jesus and his mother (in separate songs), to struggles in his own life, to going to a club, though the flow from track to track is unfortunately broken up by how much actual talking Danny! does. Most songs end with spoken commentaries that distract from their actual content, which can really be quite good ("I'm Movin' Out," for example, sampled from the Billy Joel song, is about leaving a woman who's been no good to him, while promising to stay in his daughter's life). Danny!'s a very honest MC, aware of his own shortcomings, both personally and as an artist (in "I Wish" he hopes to become "more advanced lyrically" and throughout the whole album calls himself out when his rhymes fall short, which does happen occasionally), a rare and refreshing thing in hip-hop. Yes, The College Kicked-Out could use some improvement, but overall it's a pretty solid debut. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
