Everybody likes Outkast. How can you not? Aside from some kind of genetic predisposition to bad taste, there really isn't an excuse. Carefully blending innovation with standard hip hop elements and topping it off with an amazing pop-sense, the dynamic duo of hip hop have been able to please all kinds of people, regardless of their typical musical taste.
From album to album, the individual creative forces of Outkast have grown in different directions, and the tension between the ideas of both artists has made for an increasingly unique sound. On their fourth, most recent, full-length, Stankonia, the separation between where Andre 3000 wanted to go musically, and where Big Boi is headed reached its highest point. The result was a great record that offered not only classic hip hop songs, but classic pop songs as well.
With that being said, it wasn't that great of a surprise when it was announced that the new Outkast record would be a double album that was, in fact, just each of the pair's solo effort packaged together. Immediately after this announcement, a large amount of hype began to swell behind Andre 3000, while Big Boi's portion sparked little preliminary buzz. I mean, after all, Andre does wear shoulder pads(with no shirt on I might add!) and ski boots, he must be the strongest creative force of the two! While, perhaps, the buzz surrounding Andre was warranted, it would turn out that Big Boi's contribution to the double record would be the stronger record musically.
Andre's offering is a tale of falling in love. The Love Below is a departure from anything Outkast has done in the past, and isn't really a hip hop record but more of a pop record from someone with undeniable roots in hip hop. The intro sounds like a tailor made for Tony Bennett lounge song, and kicks into the first song, a funkier lounge track, 'Love Hater'. A decent song with a nice melody, 'Hater' isn't a bad way to kick off the record, but it doesn't possess the same energy we have come to love from Mr. 3000. The next song puts Andre in the role of Cupid Valentino, "the modern day Cupid". 'Happy Valentine's Day' is one of the better tracks on the record, definitely the best in the "Hey Andre's trying to be Prince" department. Andre's humor and charm are in full effect for this song, with a chorus stating "You won't believe in me, but you would fancy leprechauns or groundhogs/No thank you, Easter Bunny". You'll find on The Love Below that Andre's personality is what drives the record, since the music itself at times begins to repeat itself, and the production ultimately fails to impress. Also, 'Valentine's Day' contains the first and one of the only times you'll hear Andre rap on The Love Below. While the record as a whole doesn't match Speakerboxxx, it does feature the best song on either record. The infectious 'Hey Ya' is one of the best pop songs of the year, bringing numerous surprises in both its music and Andre's quirky vocal delivery. With lyrical gems like "Shake it like a Polaroid picture", you'll be forced to sing along and perhaps jiggle your backside; however, I'm told that shaking a Polaroid picture really does nothing to further its development. 'Take Off Your Cool' is a surprising, yet tranquil ballad that pairs Andre with Grammy winner Norah Jones. If Andre had pulled out a wider variety of songs, rather than numerous tracks in the mold of 'Happy Valentine's Day' with spacey pimp-funk backing music, this record could have passed into the realm of pop-brilliance. Not to say that this record is bad at all, because it isn't, but Andre needs to bring some thicker production like Big Boi will on the following disc, and if he's going to repeat a musical style on numerous tracks, I'd have liked it to be something closer to 'Hey Ya'.
The Love Below is an 8.6.
Speakerboxxx throws out its best track right off the bat. 'Ghettomusick' is arguably the best hip hop song of the year, changing from a thudding electrofunk bassline to a soulful cool down at the tip of a hat, Big Boi makes it clear from the beginning that he's out to challenge the standard conceptions of hip hop. The song is so all over the map, that it probably even crosses a nation that doesn't hate the USA. While the rest of Speakerboxxx doesn't reach the creative pinnacle that 'Ghettomusick' clinches, it is a consistent record. From the fittingly titled, 'Unhappy', to the funky, horn driven sound of 'Bowtie' and 'The Way You Move', to the "dirrty South" driven 'Last Call', each song on the record is graced with admirable production. Have I failed to mention Big Boi's insane flow? Pelting out strong lyrics covering numerous emotions and moods at rates once thought impossible by the early explorers of the new world is something that Big Boi has become known for, and like a postal worker on methamphetamines, he delivers. One of my few complaints with Speakerboxxx would be the excessive, unnecessary guest appearances. Big Boi brings in numerous rappers that, to be blunt, aren't of the same caliber that Big Boi and Andre are, and it hurts the record. Lil' Jon and the Eastside Boyz do nothing more than bring down the quality of the record, and Ludacris's offering on 'Tomb of the Boom', one of the weaker tracks on Boxxx, is the standard "Hey I'm the loud/funny dude of hip hop" fare. Jay-Z, who I will not denounce, offers only a short, simple hook for 'Flip Flop Rock', and I just can't help but think that the appearance of one of the more talented guests on the album goes to waste. Cee-Lo and Sleepy Brown definitely bring the most to the record, I'd actually prefer to hear more of them instead of most of the other rappers who appear on the album. Speakerboxxx seems to be the next step in the progression of the melodic, funk-soul-hip hop sound that has been captured on each previous Outkast record, and without some of the creative lapses into a more standard sound, the sub-Big Boi's par guest appearances, and the needless skits, it could have been a near perfect record.
Speakerboxxx gets an 8.8 from me.
As has been said in just about every review of this record thus far, scattered amongst two discs are enough musical gems to make an amazingly great record, but I'll settle for two lesser, but still great solo records. Yes, Andre and Big Boi have both proven that they can hold their own solo, but they've also proven that Outkast is bigger than the sum of its parts.
