Speakerboxxx/The Love Below [PA] - Outkast > Reviews > Outkast deliver a spectacular two-in-one package

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Standard
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money

Advantages:	Amazing Outkast Production, Big Boi's traditional work, Andre's experimental creativity, Fun, Musical Variety
Disadvantages:	No Duo Collaborations, Some weak production, Some Filler Songs, Not For Everybody

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Outkast has always been an unbelievably creative and experimental group. Arising from the south, which is typically plagued with no-talent wannabe-emcees who can't seem to keep their platinum teeth off each other's rectum, they manage to always provide conventional and beautiful music. Their dope debut Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was just a mere introduction to their skills, and would only pave the way for their untouchable classic known as ATLiens. On this superb sophomore LP, Outkast gave us an unbelievable grouping of introspective and thought-provoking music, with their own P-Funkish beats. Their experimentation only continued on their third album Aquemeni, which is yet another superb album. On this one, Big Boi and Andre 3000 experiment with some new sounds, go for some new creative subject matter, and slow down the tempo on a few notes. Their most recent album, 2000's Stankonia, showed how dynamic they were, giving us a mix of unbelievable, up-tempo party jams, feel-good music, and of course, the signature introspection. 2003 promised Outkast's return, and they indeed delivered.

Firstly, Speakerboxx/The Love Below are two albums packaged as one. Speakerboxx is Big Boi's album, and The Love Below is Andre 3000's solo effort. Each member of Outkast basically star on each album and provide their own musical landscapes and styles. They each released a single, one per album, hence making this feel as if it is two different albums, and in fact it is. Therefore, for my review, i will review it as two separate albums, to keep the comparisons separate throughout the majority of the review until my conclusion. Keep in mind as you read the review, before i begin, that both albums are VERY DIFFERENT, and i will review this with an open mind and as a true fan of Outkast, which i am... enjoy...

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Firstly, i will review Big Boi's album Speakerboxx. Big Boi's disk is loaded with the typical Outkast sound, keeping the experimentation level on a minimum. Big Boi has always been a dope lyricist, so i look forward to listening to this album with high hopes that he hasn't fallen off. The guest list looks pretty impressive, including some big mainstream names, and a couple of lesser known names. Still, Big Boi is the star, and he has proven in the past that he can carry the mantle. Let's hope that the same applies here.

Track List & Rating: "Speakerboxx"

1 - Intro (NOT RATED)
2 - GhettoMusick (3 1/2 Stars)
3 - Unhappy (3 Stars)
4 - Bowtie f/ Sleepy Brown & Jazze Pha (4 Stars)
5 - The Way You Move f/ Sleepy Brown (4 1/2 Stars)
6 - The Rooster (3 Stars)
7 - Bust f/ Killer Mike (4 Stars)
8 - War (4 Stars)
9 - Church (3 1/2 Stars)
10 - Bamboo (Interlude) (NOT RATED)
11 - Tomb Of The Boom f/ Konkrete, Big Gipp & Ludacris (4 Stars)
12 - E-Mac (Interlude) (NOT RATED)
13 - Knowing (4 Stars)
14 - Flip Flop Rock f/ Killer Mike & Jay-Z (4 1/2 Stars)
15 - Interlude (NOT RATED)
16 - Reset f/ Khujo Goodie & Cee-Lo (5 Stars)
17 - D-Boi (Interlude) (NOT RATED)
18 - Last Call f/ Slimm Calhoun, Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz & Mello (3 1/2 Stars)
19 - Bowtie (Postlude) (NOT RATED)

Big Boi's half of this double album, known as Speakerboxx kicks off with a skippable intro, which then leads us into "GhettoMusick".

The synthesized beat immediately kicks in, making you think that it would be some sort of up-tempo techno track. After a bit of the beat playing, we get some quick, danceable, party music and Big Boi kicking off a flow. The sound of the song is fast and smooth, perfect for those long high-way drives. Big Boi sings for the first part, and raps for the latter part. I like to consider this an introductory track, experimenting with techno, R&B, and hip-hop elements. As a sidenote, id like to say that i am a huge fan of experimental music. I love it, which is why i enjoyed the most recent experimental musical albums such as Phrenology by the Roots and Electric Circus by Common. When classic, well-respected artists decide to cross into new styles of music, its always interesting and fun to me, and those with an open-mind.

"Bowtie" features the southern, P-funkish elements which make Outkast who they are. Featuring some slamming trumpets, that typical Dungeon Family singing, and some nice guitars, Big Boi drops some pretty dope lyrics about a certain female who can't seem to get off his mind. The track might seem a bit commercial, but its a pleasure to listen to due to the lyricism of Big Boi and the dope production done by Jazze Pha (who is typically a commercial producer, but has his moments). Big Boi proves on this track that he is indeed still a dope rapper, and has yet to fall off.

"The Way You Move" is Big Boi's lead single.

Big Boi's unbelievably creative lyrics adds some nostalgia, taking us back to the groups' extraordinarily light-hearted work found on Aquemeni. The production is one of those pieces that will be stuck in your head for ages to come, with its pounding trumpets. The background R&B/soul vocals only add to the song, giving the song an unforgettable, seductive feeling to it. Big Boi's mic presence is unforgettable, and this is an ideal lead single for Big Boi.

Killer Mike joins Big Boi on "Bust". The melodic production is dope, and the background vocals are reminiscent of some of the silly singing found on D-12's debut Devil's Night. Killer Mike and Big Boi drop ill introspective verses, reminiscing about the past. The production is, as expected, loud and pounding, but also melodic and listenable. Immediately with the first listen, you can tell this is an Outkast track, and a damn good one at that.

"Church" has the incredible makings of a classic, but is shut down by seemingly annoying and overabusive production. The subject matter revolves around Big Boi questioning his religion due to the problems surrounding not only himself, but the entire world. Big Boi mixes introspection with some creativity and heart, backed by some thought-provoking lyrics. Lyrically and Subject-Matter-wise, this track is dope, but the production and organization needs a lot of work. As i said earlier, youve got to have an open musical mind and be a fan of true hip-hop lyricism and elements in order to fully appreciate the experimental sounds found on Speakerboxx.

Skipping ahead we arrive at "Flip Flop Rock". A commercial Jay-Z joins Killer Mike and Big Boi on this dope introspective collaborative crew joint. Big Boi touches on street violence, racism, and oppression that is seemingly killing the blacks of this country, as well as the other kids in the streets. Big Boi's introspective lyrics and political views are interesting, and add a new twist to those who doubted how ill of an emcee he is. The melodic hook is one of those dope ones, but soon Jay-Z appears on the track and gives us some egotistical, somewhat materialistic lyrics. I dont understand all of the hype over Jay-Z's Black Album due to the fact that Jay-Z is nowhere near showing me that he is going to change, and turn underground again. His verse on this song is very commercial, and leads me to believe that his so-called "final" album might just be a repeat of other washouts he's had in the past. I sure hope not... because the heads deserve a LOT more.

Its interesting that the Dungeon Family themselves provide the first true classic on Speakerboxx, that being "Reset".

Cee-Lo and Khujo Goodie from Goodie Mob join up with Big Boi to give us the dopest song on Big Boi's disc. The slow-tempo production and haunting background vocals provide an amazing atmosphere, and a somewhat nostalgic trip back to the days of the classic ATLiens, where Outkast gave us a classic-filled album of this caliber. Big Boi, Cee-Lo and Khujo drop some memorably DOPE introspective verses, touches on the evils of the world from government, to racists, to life itself. The overall feel of the track is unbelievable, as it is a true classic.

Speakerboxx is nowhere near being as good as any of the previous Outkast albums by themselves. Its obvious to me that Big Boi fits a LOT better with Andre 3000 than without him. This album, unlike his partner's disc, stays true to hip-hop and retains the traditional Outkast sound for most of the tracks, along with a few new soundscapes and experimental sounds. This album incorporates lots of guests, but the majority do a great job and manage to keep up with Big Boi. A lot of the songs are bangers, and it stays at a great level of quality, but nowhere near the classics that they have put out in the past. However, Speakerboxx is a pretty dope stand-alone album with its share of hits and misses.

3.75 Stars

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Moving On, we now arrive to Andre 3000's somewhat solo effort, known as The Love Below. This is about as farfetched as Andre has ever gone in his career. Experimentation and Eclectic music is the name of the game here, as Andre gives us some unique musical landscapes, touching on every single musical style thinkable, from jazz, to soul, to R&B, to hip-hop, to rock, and beyond. As i said at the beginning of this review, i am a huge fan of experimentation by artists who have already proven themselves, thus i fully respect Andre's decision to explore his creativity as he has done on The Love Below. Staying true to hip-hop is something that i treasure, but Andre has proven in the past that he is capable of doing that, so i will review this album on a completely unbiased level.

Track List & Rating: "The Love Below"

1 - The Love Below (Intro) (NOT RATED)
2 - Love Hater (4 Stars)
3 - God (Interlude) (NOT RATED)
4 - Happy Valentine's Day (4 Stars)
5 - Spread (3 1/2 Stars)
6 - Where Are My Panties? (NOT RATED)
7 - Prototype (4 Stars)
8 - She Lives In My Lap f/ Rosario Dawson (4 1/2 Stars)
9 - Hey Ya! (4 Stars)
10 - Roses f/ Big Boi (4 1/2 Stars)
11 - Good Day, Good Sir (NOT RATED)
12 - Behold A Lady (4 Stars)
13 - Pink & Blue (2 Stars)
14 - Love In War (3 Stars)
15 - She's Alive (4 Stars)
16 - Dracula's Wedding f/ Kelis (3 Stars)
17 - My Favorite Things (NOT RATED)
18 - Take Off Your Cool f/ Norah Jones (3 Stars)
19 - Vibrate (3 Stars)
20 - A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre (5 Stars)

"The Love Hater" kicks off The Love Below with some already ecleptic music. The song captures an unbelievable early decade style of mo-town jazz, which im sure older musical fans will be thrilled to listen to. The piano melodies and trumpets give the song a very Tom Jones-like feel, where singing was the main operative. Of course, Andre 3000 isn't just an ordinary artist, and i consider him one of the true innovators of not just hip-hop music, but all sorts of musical styles. Fans of the traditional Outkast style might shun at this, but for once, listen to Big D: It helps to have an open mind.

The album continues with "Happy Valentine's Day".

Kicking off with a thumping bass kick, drums, and claps, we immediately get some funky guitars. Immediately you know that Andre decides to experiment with a funkish style of music on this track, with a tiny ounce of R&B and Soul. Andre's singing talent is off the charts, and i truly believe his skills are largely underrated. The background singing vocals give the song a unique, early 70s soul feel, with some funk. When it comes to subject matter, Andre stresses the importance of "Valentine's Day" and how love makes the world go round. Forget your typical rapping here, Andre once again sings, and does a damn good job of it.

Andre 3000 goes to pure R&B/Soul with "Prototype". The song title doesn't exactly sound like it would be a love song, but it is. Throughout the majority of the song, we have a nice soulful vocal display by Andre, along with background synthesizers, guitars, and pianos to add to the mood. The slow-tempo feel of the song gives it a relaxing atmosphere as Andre shows off once again his vocal skills.

"She Lives In My Lap" is an unbelievable display of honesty, even though its not exactly the same opinion that I have. Andre deals with the fact that he seemingly cannot stay in a relationship because of the mere fact that he keeps females and enjoys their company hoping to get into their pants. The subject matter is honest, yet shallow due to the fact that Andre can be easily critiqued for not giving a f*ck about a women unless she f*cks him. He admits it on an honest level, and behind an unbelievable mix of vocals and production. However, i wonder if he was actually telling the truth, or if he just wanted a little bit of controversy and/or needed a song idea. Who knows?

Up next is Andre 3000's lead single, entitled "Hey Ya". The fast tempo, guitarish beat giving the track an amazing light-hearted feel. However, besides the excellent, fast tempo production, Andre 3000 spits fire with his amazing vocal display. The song has a very mid 50's sort of quirky feel to it, making it one of those songs that many heads are afraid to admit they enjoy. Me? I love it. The beat is tight, the singing is amazing, and its difficult for you not to enjoy this melodic musical medley. I feel as if Andre chose the perfect lead single, just like i felt Big Boi did on his album.

"Roses" and "Behold a Lady" are eerily similar love songs. Both songs feature some seductive, R&B/soul vocals directed to a woman. Keeping the familiar Outkast P-Funk, mixed with new forms of music and nice melodies is something that Andre has seemingly perfected the art of doing this merger. The second track of the two is a much more up-tempo track, with a tiny bit more seductiveness to it, and some more appeal. The synthesized melody is different than the last, proving that the only familiar parts would be the seductiveness of the vocals and Andre's choice of subject matter.

The Love Below hits a speed bump with "Pink & Blue". I appreciate the elceptiveness of the album, as long as it makes sense. What we have here is a cadre of sounds put together in a fast pace, making the song sound like a complete mess, and almost unlistenable. Thusfar, this is the only extremely weak moment on either album.

Skipping ahead past some of the average moments of The Love Below, we get to the closing track, strangely titled "A Life In The Day Of Benjamin Andre". Believe it or not, Andre does something on this track which he has yet to do... and thats RAP!!!! Unbelievably enough, Andre ends his disc with what brought him to the fame in the first place. Production-wise, its pretty simplistic, with drums, a clap, and some weird background effects. This song feels a lot like something that was pulled from ATLiens, due to its simple production and song concept. The subject matter is creative as f*ck, as Andre uses his "art of storytelling" to summarize his entire life into one day. The song has no catchy hook of any sort, but that doesn't matter due to the fact that Andre gets personal, even touching on his relationship with Erykah Badu. A fitting close to Andre's disc.

The Love Below is eclectic, unique, and at times just plain bizarre, but its primarily good. The musical variety is shown, and Andre's maturity and growth as an artist is something to give praise about. His disc is filled with mainly good or great songs, and pretty much only one flaw. Old-school Outkast fans probably wont dig it too much unless they have an open mind, and most likely neither will backpacker heads. However, i truly believe that this is an album not only for hip-hop fans, but for fans of all music respectfully.

4 Stars

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In listening to Speakerboxx/The Love Below as a combined album, i often wondered if Big Boi and Andre 3000 could really separate and keep apart without losing a tad bit of the quality. I mean, lets be honest, they are an unbelievable duo and their different points of view as well as rhyme styles create a wonderful landscape of lyricism and music. Apparently, they indeed prove that they can. I honestly had no clue what to expect from this album except that i honestly trust Outkast to give us good music, and im glad i did. I always walk into an Outkast album with an open mind set, and i always walk out with a smile knowing that they have yet to make a bad album.

The question on many fans minds is: which album is better? Well, in my own personal opinion, Andre 3000's album is slightly better and much more consistent this time around, and the music is unbelievable. However, Big Boi's album is much more true to hip-hop with lyricism and such. My conclusion to this is that i highly appreciate that Outkast gave us 2 discs this time around, but i believe that they belong together in order to give us the true classics which they are more than capable of. Their experimentation is great, and this album will always be treasured by their fans, but i do believe that their part should only be temporary. It was dope how its 2 discs for the price of one, and thats even MORE the reason for me to reccomend Speakerboxx/The Love Below. It is a dope album loaded with stuff to please everybody... so get yourself a copy as soon as you can.

Overall Rating:
4 Stars