Tracklisting:
1. Dr. Feel Good (Feat. Cee Lo Green)
2. Superbad (11:34)
3. Billionaire (feat. Bruno Mars)
4. Need You
5. Critical (Feat. Tim William)
6. Akidagain
7. We’ll Be Alright
8. Manual (Feat. T-Pain and Young Cash)
9. After Midnight
10. Don’t Pretend (Feat. Colin Munroe)

Known internationally as alternative superstar front man of Gym Class Heroes, Travis McCoy has decided to step out of the superstar fame and back into his own roots. McCoy’s solo debut sees a pairing of writers, artists and producers alike featuring T-Pain, Bruno Mars and the Smeezingtons (B.o.B, Cobra Starship, Flo Rida) just to name a few.

The album opens with the song Dr. Feel Good (feat. Cee-Lo Green), which lives up to it’s name with no hesitation. From the second you put on the first track, you see the direction that Travie has taken with his solo project. The optimistic beat, and cheerful lyrics are exactly the theme you should expect through this album.  Superbad flows on next, and takes you down a notch, while still leaving a glimmer of hope.  You can begin to feel the vibe of this album, and notice a boost in maturity within the lyrical content since previous Gym Class Heroes releases.

As the album progresses, it peaks at my favorite track, and the single Billionaire (feat. Bruno Mars).  The first single ‘Billionaire’ is currently the #5 song on iTunes and #15 on radio.  This song is what makes Travie McCoy, well, Travie. To this day, I had not a clue who Bruno Mars was, but now all I know is that he is talented, and an amazing musician. I can’t wait to hear more of him in the near future, and thanks to Travis for the introduction. The lyrics on this track are outstanding, and so empowering. Such a positive song is a nice refreshing change of pace within the industry these days, that it is almost calming in a strange kind of way.

The album then leads into a few songs which can be expected from Travie. Need You and Critical (feat. Tim William) show the roots of Travie. Both songs can easily remind you of Gym Class Heroes albums, which is by no means a negative aspect of the album.  I find it refreshing to hear the tracks into a mixture of various genres combined into one single album.

Akidagain follows, which is another great song. This song is hands down the runner up for best song on the album. I think the addition of kids doing group guest vocals, adds a personal touch to the song, which plays great on the meaning on the track. It’s a song that puts you in Travis’ feet as you reminisce about the old memories, and past.

We’ll be alright loosely makes me think of Gym Class Heroes – Clothes Off!, which in itself is a fun song. It’s just a genuine song about being happy, and being up-beat and living life to it’s fullest and enjoying every moment of it, which seems to be a significant theme throughout the album. The Manual (feat. T-Pain and Young Cash) follows, leading us into After Midnight, which again plays into the theme of living life to it’s fullest and enjoying every moment of it.

To put an end to an immaculate album you will be graced by Don’t Pretend (feat. Colin Munroe), which is very much so a ballad about broken hearts and lost romances.  This is possibly the most serious song on the album, and the song to throw you off the most.  After an album filled with happiness, and excitement, this is the equivalent of throwing an acoustic song into a Metal album featuring repetitive breakdowns. It might have been unexpected, but it was worth while none the less.

All in all, this album is a absolute must buy for any fan of Gym Class Heroes, or hip hop for that matter. This album is promising, and an absolute pleasure to listen to. With the release of the album comes the press, and Travie is going to be celebrating the release of “LAZARUS” with Bruno Mars on national television appearances and performances on both NBC’s The Tonight Show with Jay Leno followed by a June 21st appearance on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

You can also catch Travie with Gym Class Heroes on the tail end of The Too Fast For Love Tour with Cobra Starship and 3OH!3:

4 Dallas, TX @ Palladium
5 Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
7 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
8 Pompano Beach, FL @ Pompano Beach Amphitheater
9 Orlando, FL @ House of Blues – SOLD OUT
11 Philadelphia, PA @ Festival Pier
12 Asbury Park, NJ @ Stone Pony Summerstage

Please make sure to pick up this album IN STORES or on iTunes on June 8^th. You will not be disappointed.

Connect with Travie @MySpace // @Twitter // @Web

Special thanks to the good folks at Fueled By Ramen.