Stankonia [PA] - Outkast > Reviews > Not What We've Come To Expect From This Duo

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
Value for Money

Advantages:	3 strong singles, thought provoking lyrics, punchy aggressive beats and production
Disadvantages:	terrible interludes, a number of very poor tracks by Outkast standards

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Unusually for lyrically sound Hip Hop artists, Outkast have managed to not only gain respect from the music press, but also scale the dizzy heights of both the US and UK singles and albums charts. Outkast are made up of 2 rappers - Big Boi and Andre 3000.. yes, typical names in the world of Hip Hop but their styles are far from the typical sound we have come to expect. Since the early 90's, they have been producing quality albums, their latest release 'Stankonia' being the fifth and ultimately being the one to give them the success they undoubtedly deserve.

Stankonia however really isnt as original or of as high quality as earlier releases such as 'ATliens' and the high of their 1998 release 'Aquemini'. Infact the only factor that has increased the sales of 'Stankonia' over older releases is that hit single by the name of 'Ms Jackson'... At best, the album is mixed.. at times genius, and at others absolutely dire and for this reason it sometimes struggles to hold the listeners attention throughout.

The shining light on the album is the duet with Erykah Badu - 'Humble Mumble'.. Badu's voice adds an extra dimension to Outkasts sound, adding a haunting, sensitive and heartfelt verse, superbly contrasting the hard beats and aggressive rapping styles around it. The lyrics on the track are mixed, the hook is a little cliche ridden, but the actual verses prove thoughtful and well worked.. However it is the typical magic of the Badu written lyrics on her verse which add the beauty.. but what else can you expect from such an artist.

The first single taken from the album was the high energy 'B.O.B', otherwise known as 'Bombs Over Baghdad.' It is also my second favourite song from the album, simply due to its high levels of originality and energetic nature. The rapping is extraordinarily fast, almost impossible to keep up with, but when listened to carefully are as clever and well thought out as any we have come to expect from this duo. The hook is catchy with the production giving an end result of a punchy and aggressive track.

'We Luv Deez Hoez' is as you can expect, a track about women, and treats them as modern day hip hop tends to. However, where tracks about women from artists such as Dre, Snoop and Eminem may sound offensive, Outkast manage to pull it off in a humourous manner. The lyrics tend to be of a sexual nature and some of the similes and metaphors are although repulsive, highly amusing at the same time, and seem to be rapped in a very tongue in cheek kind of manner.

The next single from the album will be the highly pop influenced 'So Fresh, So Clean'... its probably the nearest thing on the album to another 'Ms Jackson' but its repetitive sound, although catchy on the first couple of listens soon begins to wear thin and for this reason is average at very best. On the whole, this is a track which you will either love or hate.. but then this is the case with almost everything that Outkast have ever produced.

Ms Jackson is of course the highly acclaimed single from the album, reaching the top 5 of the UK single charts and gaining huge radio and MTV airplay.. It is also however, going to leave Outkast close to one hit wonders status. Why? I hear you ask.. The answer simply lies in the fact that Ms Jackson doesnt have a Hip Hop beat.. its fun, commercial, and one of the finest pop songs to be released in recent years.. but its not Hip Hop.. Andre and Big Boi are leaders of todays Hip Hop market and its doubtful over whether they will go down a line similiar to the Ms Jackson one again in the future.

The rest of the tracks on this album are average at very best. The main problem with the album is the lack of flow, the songs are just too diverse at times, leading to a very patchy sound. The high points are very high, sound original, have tight lyrics but most of all are funky.. that is afterall what we have come to expect from Outkast.. funky, well worked tunes, that we can not only dance to but also tune in to and absorb the lyrics... However the low points just sound like things we can expect from artists such as Snoop or Dre, lacking in inspiration and any real soul.

Another of the problems with the album is the amount of guest appearances, almost every track features one or more extra rappers. This may be the norm in Hip Hop today but I believe it is something that should be changed.. Outkast are talented and unique enough themselves without having to rely on others to help carry them.

Another factor that hinders the sound of the album is the intros and interludes (7 in total) this is fair enough if they are funny and original, but on Stankonia they just sound silly, do we really need to listen to people talking for 20 seconds between tracks? Yes this is common in the genre today but many artists pull it off with style (De La Soul and Talib Kweli) and others just emit them (Blackstar).. There really is no middle ground and the worst effects of them are seen on this album.

Yes the album has its good points, and for this reason, it is a worthy addition to any Hip Hop fans music collection, but it should by no means be first on the list of Outkast albums a person chooses to purchase.. both ATliens and Aquemini (the two I own) far surpass this latest release in terms of consistent quality. The album does crossover and appeal to rock fans more than previous releases but the true appeal to this album will lie with newer fans of the Hip Hop genre and fans of gangsta orientated Rap are bound to warm to its appeals also. If you like the singles, buy this album, but otherwise I advise you to stay clear.