[rating=3.00]
Collective wisdom has always been that Andre 3000 was the freak and Big Boi was the street when it came to OutKast, but Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, could slightly shift that view. Big Boi has mastered the microphone and allows his purple freak flag to fly with bass lines, beats, and various musical styles. Caribbean, classical, new wave and syrupy southern soul all seep into the sound.
This is a good-times party album with lyrics focusing on ladies and how they shake it like a tambourine on “Tangerine” or cut a rug in the first single “Shutterbug”. While we have been through this with Big Boi before, the style remains impeccable; attacking the listener from multiple angles using quick flows that can blow by or hammer home boast lines with brute force. A variety of guests (T.I., Cutty, Jamie Foxx etc.) show up on almost every track yet Big Boi is the clear main attraction and should have grabbed the reins commanding even more verses to show off his immense talents as most of the down points arrive when the guests take to the mic.
Beats, wah wah guitar lines and samples slink in for as short as 4 measures or as long as 4 minutes while a wobbly tornado of those dripping funky sounds skip around the M.C’s, constantly engaging the ear. Big Boi has always been influenced by the P-Funk and it is fun to hear him with his spiritual mentor, George Clinton, on “Fo Yo Sorrows” which could have been recorded back in 1976 if it wasn’t for the Uzi flow Big Boi sprays. Sure the beats can sound thin at times (as can the budget Casio keys), things get repetitive over 15 tracks and like most current hip-hop releases there are too many vocal effects.
On his best track here Big Boi goes really old school…we are talking 1800’s…to find inspiration from Giuseppe Verdi for “General Patton”. An operatic-trumpet-blasting-guest-free march, and while most would love to see the OutKast duo reunited triumphantly, Big Boi can claim a victory for himself with Sir Lucious Left Foot.
