Joe Budden knows exactly where his strengths lie and builds "Padded Room" on accordingly. He shines on most tracks by Savvy storytelling and complex lyricism, making an incredibly dense atmosphere is created.
"Exxxes", "Angel In My Life" and the brilliant "Pray For Me", in which Joe Budden staged a lengthy conversation with God, thereby highlight the clear highlights of the CD.
More Playing tips are the slightly faster "Now I Lay" and the story tracks "In My Sleep", "I Could not Help It" and "Do Tell".
Unfortunately, the album also reveals some minor shortcomings.
What Joe Budden for example, has ridden the "The Future" take completely falling out of the frame with The Game, probably knows only himself. The same applies to the bonus track "Family Reunion".
Further potential was presented by the partially overloaded, strange acting Instrumentals - at this point it is only once "Adrenaline" called. Here would have been there even more.
Nevertheless, Joe Budden provides with "Padded Room" one of the best albums to date from 2009, the whole class can be seen only after repeated listening through. The disk lives primarily from its lyrical intensity and urgency, rather than to prescribe with shallow, catchy melodies à la "Pump It Up" the mainstream audience.
The trip in the padded cell is worthwhile in any case !!