Score: 3.5/5

Faith in a God seems rather impossible to have. Faith that an omnipotent being is out there looking out for you doesn’t seem logical to think about when terrible things happen in your life. But for faith to be strengthened, you must doubt and trust in that faith. And Kanye West’s seventh album, “The Life of Pablo”, is where my faith in Yeezus was tested.

Between changing the title from “So Help Me God” then “Swish” then “Waves” then now to “The Life of Pablo”, Twitter beef with Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, changing the tracklisting and all the outlandish tweets Kanye posted, the album might finally be here.

It’s not a certainty that this is the actual album as he posted on Twitter a day after the album came out, “Ima fix wolves,” the 13th track on TLOP. But this review will be the one he released Feb. 14 and this album is disjointed, confusing, abrasive but beautiful.

“Pour out my feelings, revealing the layers to my soul,” Kanye raps on “FML.” And you get every layer of Kanye on this record. From the egotistical Kanye, to the soulful Kanye, to the reflective Kanye and to the angry Kanye, it’s all on this record.

“I hate the new Kanye, the bad mood Kanye, the always rude Kanye, the spaz in the news Kanye,” he raps on the song “I love Kanye” in a clever nod to the people’s critiques of him of being too brash and abrasive as he is known in the media.

The Kanye mostly present in the first half is the one the media usually presents. The braggadocio and rude Kanye basking in his fame. This formula has worked for him in the past, as this has been his modus operandi since his third album “Graduation.” But on TLOP, some his self-indulgent lyrics have gotten more annoying and less clever.

The ordering of the songs themselves leaves one to question the proper order. From “Ultralight Beam” to “Waves,” the musical cohesion leaves much to be desired. Moving from the upbeat and soulful samples in “Highlights” to the sinister violin of “Freestyle 4,” it’s a huge tonal shift that leaves the listener, again, questioning why.

The album opens up to it’s greatness when Kanye opens up about himself in an honest way, reminiscence of his early work. From “FML” to “No More Parties in LA,” he talks about his struggles with women and being faithful in his marriage, surviving the media “wolves” and questioning his friendships due to his fame.

Looking at the album art, the whole concept is clear on what Kanye was trying to do. The repeating line of “WHICH / ONE” is Kanye asking which he will eventually pick from the two photographs. One photo, Kanye’s parents’ wedding day, signifying his want to be a family man or a swimsuit model with a gratuitous butt, signifying his chase for fame, money and women.

This album is a look into inner working of Kanye. It might not be a consistent and cohesive journey through his mind, but it’s small peeks into vignettes into a man struggling with keeping faith through his fame in a sonic mosaic that proves Kanye West’s prowess and faults.

Best Tracks: Ultralight Beams, FML, No More Parties in LA

Worst Tracks: Facts, Fade, Low Lights