Kanye West's rise to utter ubiquity has not been without skill. He's a polarizing figure whose mouth may know no bounds (“George Bush doesn't care about black people”), but he's clearly a talented pop writer, despite his MC skills being a tad sluggish. Late Registration, his follow up to last year's College Dropout definitely mines familiar terrain, but West's zeal for clever wordplay juxtaposed with his unflinching confidence makes for a charismatic and often electrifying punch. Longtime Fiona Apple contributor Jon Brion adds an anachronistic swing to West's classy schtick with healthy dollops of brass and strings. It's a definite case of more of the same, but that shit ain't broke yet.