Will Smith Based On A True Story

Critic's Take

In a characterful, occasionally scolding voice the reviewer finds the best moments on Based On A True Story to be the more substantive, emotionally grounded tracks - notably “Bulletproof” and the plaintive “First Love” - because they reveal some of Smith's affability and musical creativity amid a lot of slick distraction. The critic repeatedly returns to how the album masks potential vulnerability with overproduced instrumentals and unnecessary guests, so the best tracks are those that cut through the clutter and actually feel like songs rather than TV episodes. Written with wry impatience, the review frames these standout songs as glimpses of the storyteller still present, even if the record overall often opts for corn and commercial safety.

Key Points

• “Bulletproof” is best because it combines commercial appeal with a reminder of Smith's affable, substantive rapping.
• The album's core strengths are musical creativity and occasional heartfelt moments, but these are often buried by overproduction and gimmicks.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a tone that never softens, Will Smith's Based On A True Story plays like a two-decade comeback written as damage control, with the reviewer singling out “Int. Barbershop - Day” and “Rave in the Wasteland” as emblematic misfires. The record treats the Chris Rock slap as a teachable moment, but the best tracks here are the ones that at least try to translate that apology into music - namely “Int. Barbershop - Day” for its delusional skit energy and “Rave in the Wasteland” for its awkward, gospel-tinged grandstanding. Stylistically corny and theatrical, the album's few moments of purpose are overwhelmed by therapy-platitude lyrics and showtune production, leaving listeners searching for genuinely memorable best songs on Based On A True Story.

Key Points

• The best song moments are the ones that at least attempt to turn the slap into music, notably the opener “Int. Barbershop - Day” for its boldness.
• The album's core strengths are its occasional gospel-tinged production and theatrical ambitions, but these are overwhelmed by corny, vague apology rhetoric.

Critic's Take

In Joshua Mills' frank voice, Will Smith's Based On A True Story finds its best moments in songs like “Tantrum” and “Beautiful Scars”, where collaboration and switched-up beats make Smith sound genuinely engaged. Mills writes with impatience about Smith's refusal to confront The Slap, noting that the album teases confession but delivers aphorisms instead. The reviewer praises the energy on “Tantrum” and dexterity on “Beautiful Scars” while insisting the record overall is smoothed-over and oddly evasive. The result is an album that sometimes works because of star wattage, not because it reveals much more about the man beneath the celebrity.

Key Points

• “Tantrum” is best because Joyner Lucas’ chemistry and trap production make Will sound energised and engaged.
• The album’s core strength is star wattage and occasional strong collaborations, but it avoids genuine self-examination.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a voice equal parts contrition and showmanship, Will Smith leans into confession on Based on a True Story, but the best songs - notably “Tantrum” and “Beautiful Scars” - are the clearest demonstrations of why those tracks stand out. “Tantrum” supplies one of the album’s most visceral moments, Smith growling his credentials, while “Beautiful Scars” pairs rapid-fire testimony with club drums that actually land. Still, the record too often substitutes inspirational jargon for specificity, so the strongest tracks win by feeling lived-in rather than by lyrical invention.

Key Points

• The best song, "Tantrum," is best because its visceral delivery and boastful lines cut through the album's platitudes.
• The album's core strengths are Smith's storytelling, generational touchpoints, and moments of genuine vulnerability amid overwrought inspirational prose.

Themes

Critic's Take

The reviewer, with their incisive, slightly scolding tone, argues that Will Smith's Based On A True Story often trades craft for sermonizing, but a few tracks cut through. They single out “Int. Barbershop - Day (feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff & B. Simone)” as driving, old-school fun, and praise “You Lookin' For Me?” for its throbbing, actorly confrontation of the slap fallout. Yet the critic insists songs like “Tantrum” and “Hard Times (Smile) [feat. Teyana Taylor]” turn into limp teachable moments rather than hits, leaving the album uneven. The narrative answers the question of the best tracks on Based On A True Story by pointing to the Jazzy Jeff collaborations as the real standouts, even as the record mostly disappoints.

Key Points

• The Jazzy Jeff-linked "Int. Barbershop - Day" is best because it recaptures the old-school, fun chemistry that suits Smith.
• The album's core strength is Will Smith's nostalgic chemistry with past collaborators, but its weakness is preachy, overworked self-examination.

Themes

Critic's Take

Will Smith arrives with Based On A True Story trying for confession, but the record rarely lands as catharsis. The review finds real moments in “Int. Barbershop - Day” and “Beautiful Scars” - the former’s self-deprecating cartoony energy and the latter’s faith-inflected tenderness with Teyana Taylor are singled out. Yet many songs, from the hoedown electronica opener to tracks like “Bulletproof” and “Make It Look Easy”, fall back on vague platitudes rather than the probing candour promised. The result is an album that gestures toward revelation but stays more postured than revelatory.

Key Points

• The best song is the opening “Int. Barbershop - Day” because its self-deprecating, cartoony energy and back-and-forth deliver genuine entertainment.
• The album’s core strengths are moments of breezy playfulness, faith-tinged sincerity, and catchy, pop-sampling production, but these are undercut by vague platitudes and posture.

Themes

Critic's Take

Robin Murray remains blunt and unsparing: Will Smith's Based On A True Story limps rather than triumphs, with only the jazzy Fresh Prince callback “Int. Barbershop - Day (feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff & B. Simone)” offering a genuine highpoint. The reviewer singles out “You Lookin' For Me?” and “TANTRUM” as missteps - the former laboured and limp, the latter stumbling under awkward fast flow - while nodding to Ye-inspired moments on “Bulletproof (feat. Jac Ross)” that hint at ambition but never cohere. In Murray's tone, the record reads as a thin, sometimes weird slog, an album of gestures rather than a convincing artistic statement.

Key Points

• The Fresh Prince-referencing interlude with Jazzy Jeff is the album's clearest highpoint and most successful nod to past strengths.
• Overall strength lies in nostalgic callbacks and occasional production moments, but the record is thin, inconsistent, and often unconvincing.

Themes

Critic's Take

In a voice that refuses to look away, Will Smith turns the moment into material on Based On A True Story, with songs like “Int. Barbershop - Day (feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff & B. Simone)” and “You Lookin' For Me?” squarely addressing the Oscars slap. Stuart Heritage's writing is dry and weary, noting that Smith has every right to respond while also demanding factual accuracy, and that makes these best tracks feel like uneasy confessions rather than vindications. The reviewer frames those songs as the album's clearest reason to listen, even as he finds the acknowledgments incomplete and not particularly satisfying.

Key Points

• The best song is the opener because it explicitly and insistently confronts the Oscars slap.
• The album's core strength is turning a public scandal into the record's central subject, forcing reckoning even if it does not fully satisfy.

Themes

Critic's Take

The best songs on Based On A True Story are those that briefly pierce the album's glossy veneer - notably “Int. Barbershop - Day” and “Beautiful Scars”. Tara Joshi delights in the album's self-deprecating cartoony opener and praises the Teyana Taylor duet as a "quite lovely" moment, but otherwise finds Smith skimming platitudes rather than delivering the raw mask-off honesty fans might expect. The reviewer frames the record as glimpses of intrigue amid awkward, quasi-inspirational filler, so searches for the best tracks on Based On A True Story will likely land on those few moments that actually resonate.

Key Points

• The opener "Int. Barbershop - Day" is the best song because its self-deprecation and cartoony energy actually land.
• The album's core strengths are occasional heartfelt moments and catchy, playful production, undermined by platitudinous lyrics and lack of sustained self-interrogation.

Themes

Critic's Take

Paste Magazine's roundup does not mention Will Smith or Based On A True Story by name, and it offers no appraisal of songs like “Beautiful Scars (feat. OBanga)” or “First Love”. The review is a broad streaming-movies guide rather than a music critique, so there are no in-text best tracks on Based On A True Story to evaluate in the reviewer’s voice. Because the reviewer never discusses individual Will Smith songs, this piece cannot answer which are the best songs on Based On A True Story beyond noting their absence from the text.

Key Points

• No specific track is discussed in the review, so no best song can be determined from this text.
• The review’s strength is curated streaming movie recommendations; it does not cover the album’s songs or qualities.

Critic's Take

The review contains no discussion of Will Smith's Based On A True Story or its songs, so there are no grounded observations to rank the best tracks on the album. Because the text focuses on PJ Morton and his work, I cannot responsibly list the best songs on Based On A True Story or identify standout tracks like “First Love” or “Make It Look Easy” from the reviewer’s voice. For readers asking "best tracks on Based On A True Story," consult a review that actually addresses Will Smith's album.

Key Points

• No best song can be determined because the review does not discuss any tracks from the album.
• The review's core strength is focused artist interview content, not album critique, so it offers no evaluation of Will Smith's record.

Critic's Take

The review does not discuss Will Smith's Based On A True Story or its songs, so there is no authoritative take on the best tracks on Based On A True Story. Because the writer never mentions “You Lookin' For Me?” or any Will Smith track by name, I cannot identify best songs on Based On A True Story from this review. The text instead focuses extensively on Phish and its catalogue, leaving readers seeking the best songs on Based On A True Story without guidance. The review is detailed about another artist but provides no usable evidence about this album.

Key Points

• No specific Will Smith tracks are discussed, so no best song can be identified from this review.
• The review's core strength is deep, detailed appreciation of Phish; it contains no evidence about Will Smith's album.

Critic's Take

Larry Fitzmaurice does not actually discuss Will Smith's Based On A True Story in this text, so there is no critic-led list of best songs on the album. Because the review body contains unrelated material and no track references, it is impossible to identify the best tracks or explain why songs like “Make It Look Easy” or “First Love” might stand out from the reviewer's perspective.

Key Points

• No specific best song is identifiable because the review text contains no discussion of the album tracks.
• The review provides no substantive commentary on the album, so its core strengths cannot be extracted from this text.

Critic's Take

The review does not discuss Will Smith or Based On A True Story or any songs on that album. The critic's voice is longform, analytical and comparative, so queries like "best tracks on Based On A True Story" or "best songs on Based On A True Story" cannot be answered from this text because no tracks from Will Smith's album are mentioned.

Key Points

• No specific songs from Based On A True Story are discussed in the provided review text.
• The review's core strength is sustained, detailed film analysis and comparative critique, not music evaluation.

Critic's Take

This review does not discuss Based On A True Story by Will Smith in any detail, so naming the best songs on Based On A True Story or declaring that “Beautiful Scars (feat. OBanga)” or “First Love” stand out would be unsupported. The writer instead ranges across filmmakers, TV, and music history with no focused critique of the album, meaning there is no evidence here to answer "best tracks on Based On A True Story". Because the review never addresses specific songs, any ranking or praise would be conjecture rather than derived from the text.

Key Points

• No specific track is identified as best because the review contains no discussion of individual songs.
• The review's core strength is broad cultural commentary across music, film, and TV rather than album-specific analysis.

Critic's Take

Will Smith's Based On A True Story is framed here less as a musical event than as a cultural moment, a record that keeps circling the fallout of the Oscars slap and public image. The reviewer zeroes in on the album's references to that controversy, suggesting songs like “Based on a True Story” and related tracks lean into explanation rather than revelation. The tone is wry and skeptical, noting the album contains "not-exactly-illuminating references" and framing the work as part of a larger media spectacle. For readers asking what the best songs on Based On A True Story are, the implication is that the most notable moments are those that directly engage the slap, even if they do so without fresh insight.

Key Points

• The review finds the album notable mainly for its references to the Oscars slap rather than for standout musical moments.
• Core strengths are topical engagement and cultural relevance, though treated skeptically by the reviewer.

Themes