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As I awaited the release - or the leak - of Curren$y's new album Pilot Talk, Big Boi released his debut solo album Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. I've always been a fan of Outkast - moreso of Andre 3K than the Purple Ribbon All-Star leader - but at first didn't really give this a chance, because I was just kind of lazy to listen to it. After hearing two tracks on YouTube (Shutterbugg, Shine Blockas), and I decided to cop the entire album and listen to it. Great decision by yours truly.
1.) Feel Me (Intro) - 3.5/5
Sounds just like an Outkast album to kick off the CD. Very chill with the whistling in the background and it just really starts the album off right. I've seen intros go bad that completely ruins the vibe that the album is giving and vice-versa...well I already got a good vibe going into Daddy Fat Sax.
2.) Daddy Fat Sax - 4.5/5
The only bad thing I can say about this song is the length...I wanted more than two minutes and 37 seconds. The beat is dope, Big Boi flows really well and the hook fits perfectly. This has the most plays on my iTunes and is probably my second favorite off the album.
3.) Turns Me On ft. Sleepy Brown & Joi - 3.5/5
Sleepy Brown does a nice job on the hook and I get the chill vibe from this track again. Nothing really stands out to me, but it's a good song and doesn't get skipped often.
4.) Follow Us ft. Vonnegutt - 2/5
I was really liking this a lot, until the hook. Just like Need You from my last reviewed album Lazarus by Travie McCoy, a good song is ruined by a horrible hook. It's not that I don't like Vonnegutt, but this just doesn't fit at all for me. It reminds me of Magic off of B.o.B's debut album The Adventures of Bobby Ray and I absolutely hated that track.
5.) Shutterbugg ft. Cutty - 3/5
This was actually the first song I heard from this album, after its music video came on MTV2 while I was browsing through channels. I didn't really like it at first, which was one of the reasons why I didn't really jump right into listening to this album, but after listening to it a few more times, I've gained more of an appreciation for it. Not a great song, but it's not bad.
6.) General Patton ft. Big Rube - 4/5
The first few seconds wanted me to switch to the next song, but then everything comes and ties in perfectly, leaving me with a very enjoyable beat. Flow's on point as well.
7.) Tangerine ft. T.I. & Khujo - 5/5
I'm a sucker for beats with some sort of guitar playing in them. Then the drums come in and it really sets it off. This is my favorite song on the album because everything just comes together perfectly for me. Add to that with a nice guest spot by the king of the south, T.I., and you have your first 5/5 track of the album.
8.) You Ain't No DJ ft. Yelawolf - 4/5
Oh look, an Andre 3K appearance! He produces a banging beat here and Big Boi rips it up nicely. So why the 4/5 instead of a 5/5? Yelawolf. He's absolutely horrible and usually I'll fast-forward through his verse just to make the song more enjoyable. Doesn't ruin the song like Vonnegutt does in Follow Us but it does bring it down a bit.
9.) Hustle Blood ft. Jamie Foxx - 4/5
Another very good track. I know a lot of people don't care for his music career, but I like Jamie Foxx on most tracks; at least when he's on the hook. By the way, Lil' Jon really produced this? That's the first time I've heard his name in years. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaah!
10.) Be Still ft. Janelle Monáe - 4.5/5
I love Janelle Monáe's voice. That is all.
11.) Fo Yo Sorrows ft. George Clinton - 4/5
Another very good song that I can't skip. Everything just mixes well.
12.) Night Night ft. B.o.B & Joi - 4.5/5
Yet another very good song. I always love me some B.o.B and he does his thing on the hook. Big Boi stopping the song before the second verse was pretty cool as well. Besides Yelawolf, his guest appearances have been very solid. That is until...
13.) Shine Blockas ft. Gucci Mane - 4/5
Ugh, Gucci Mane. I love this song and the beat gives me the impression of International Players Anthem by UGK in a way, but I just can't get over Gucci being in this. I treat it just like You Ain't No DJ; whenever Gucci comes up on his verse, I'll fast-forward through his part. Would have been a 4.5 or 5/5 if he wasn't in it, easily.
14.) The Train Part II (Sir Lucious Left Foot Saves the Day) ft. Sam Chris - 3/5
This is another decent song, but compared to the last eight tracks, it's a big drop-off. I can't really explain the reason why I'm not feeling it as much as the others, it's just not as appealing. Maybe it'll change over time like Cinderella Man by Eminem. Also, I feel like B.o.B would do a lot better job on this...just fits him better I think.
15.) Back Up Plan - 4.5/5
And Big Boi ends his album on a high note. I love the line at the beginning:
"Ooh I got a backup plan, to the backup plan, to back up my backup plan"
And then everything comes right together. The cheerleaders (that's what I picture them as at least) do one of their little chant things that ties in nicely, then Big Boi comes in with a vengeance. Probably one of my five favorite songs on here...definitely behind Tangerine and Daddy Fat Sax but maybe as high as third.
Overall Grade: 3.9/5
I'm very glad I decided to give this a listen because it's easily one of my favorite albums of the year. I think the rating might be a little low personally and was expecting it to trump Recovery, but it obviously didn't when the ratings averaged out.
I'll say that Eminem's album (to me) has more memorable tracks (hence why I gave it 5/5 on four tracks and 4.5/5 on five others), but overall, I feel like this is a more complete album, or at least more enjoyable. Both are very good though and highlight a very good year in hip-hop music, so far. There are plenty more albums that are being released this year that want to leap over both Recovery and Sir Lucious Left Foot.
bama:
