On 'Twisted,' Kanye West tells us what it's like to be him

In an era where the insecure sandblast away their flaws and become celebrities for doing so, Kanye West isn't afraid to be himself, warts and all.

Would that more artists leapt as bravely into the abyss: West not only over-analyzes his every misstep, but he does so in a fashion more provocative and daring than anyone else.

Even by those standards, though, the dazzling My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one ostentatious, audacious, ego-obsessed album. Part of that excess stems from the spare, chilly feel of West's superb 808s & Heartbreak; it's an overcorrection of style. But mostly, West is bursting at the seams, eager to assess all that's happened to him during the last (admittedly) eventful year.

The highest-profile episode would be, of course, when he bum-rushed Taylor Swift at last year's MTV Video Music Awards and earned the pop-culture nation's enmity. Although that incident isn't addressed, the emotional and psychological toll exacted upon West is evident just by glancing at the song titles: Monster, So Appalled, Hell of a Life, Lost in the World.

But Fantasy, which will anchor many year-end top 10 lists in just a few weeks, is after more than just self-pity. In his own warped way, West is offering up an elaborate self-justification, much as he has done for his last four albums. What makes this record his most accomplished yet is that this time is West accepting his flaws, rather than playing them off with a grin and a witty line.

Consider the pathos to be found in tracks like Runaway, a nine-minute opus, with its elegant, classical backbone, which laments workaholism; West loves being a groundbreaker, but it's clearly cost him a relationship or two in his time.

And yet: He flexes his influence (and flirts with suicidal thoughts: "Now this would be a beautiful death/Jumpin' out the window") in the raw, King Crimson-fueled Power. "You got the power to let power go?" he asks near its conclusion. This push-pull between humility and hubris is sustained throughout Fantasy's generous 13 tracks. West also makes sure to settle scores, lashing out at those who "blackballed" him in Gorgeous, even as he's berating himself for being unable to forgive and forget. It's a fascinating document of an artist incapable of filtering his feelings.

There's also the matter of West being re-focused on rapping after the detour into Auto-Tuned singing on 808s & Heartbreak; he attacks his verses with a ferocity absent since Late Registration. Added to his renewed vigor behind the mike, West has put his A-list Rolodex to work: All of the Lights alone features cameos from Rihanna, Kid Cudi, The-Dream, Charlie Wilson, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Elton John, Fergie and Drake.

Sequenced in such a way that suggests a movement from darkness to light, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ends with West in a far better place, purged of his sins and ready for whatever comes next. In the process, West delivers a stunning record that does what so few major acts can these days. It scorns convention, conquers banality and forsakes easy hooks and endless airplay for a forceful statement of self that is as mesmerizing as it is off-putting.