Spending much of the time since 2002's ENDtroducing with his producing hat on, DJ Shadow has finally returned to our stereos with The Outsider. A return that sees him take a massive shift in style. Crass rapping styles, questionable lyrical content, and some gunshots filtering through the background adds just too much of a touch of Tim Westwood that is comfortable for one of the genres greatest exponents.
"This Time" finds itself lost amongst the whole album. Essentially, a weak pop song with jazz influences, it is a radio friendly nightmare that trips over itself just too many times and staggers into "3 Freaks," a drum and bass influenced hip-hop track that is let down by obtuse lyrical content that never really goes anywhere and never really tries to. Indeed, its only "Turf Dancing", a return of sorts to the heavy electronica and sampling of the Shadow of old that stands out in the early stages, a gem hidden amongst raps that sound all too familiar.
Broken up by the acoustic, bluesy "Broken Levee Blues," positive signs slowly begin to radiate through the second half of the album, but come all too late to bring The Outsider out of its own shell. The dirgey, sludge guitar of "Backstage Girl" is almost enough to keep interest levels ticking over, only to get lost in pointless, tedious raps less than half way through. Clocking it at seven minutes, it only leads the listener into more blind alleys and leaves the feeling of being lost within an album that lacks direction and purpose. The spacey auras of "Triplicate / Something Happened That Day" and deeply rhythmic "The Tiger" are nearly enough to save the day, but end up as two minor glimpses at what could have been, surrounded on both sides by songs that leave the feeling that Shadow could so easily have done so much better.
Don't bother looking for the DJ Shadow of ENDtroducing or Brainfreeze. For large parts of The Outsider the familiar samples, electronica and turn tabling is missing, replaced by a sound that, at times, drifts dangerously into over-processed generics and pop hip-hop at others. It sounds too easy. At times, it even sounds lazy. While the true sounds of DJ Shadow are to be found, they only come in all too sparing glances and leave the impression that, while not necessarily a bad album in itself, The Outsider is a massive step in the wrong direction.
