Released - 7/6/10
Label - Island Def Jam
BLURB - Big Boi makes his long-awaited return to the spotlight with his first true solo record, sans Andre 3000. "Sir Lucious Left Foot - The Son of Chico Dusty" is both equal parts entertaining and predictable. The album itself comes off as a bit bipolar, with the high points being amazing and the low points being nearly unbearable. What is nice though, is that Big Boi leaves a distinct fingerprint on the record and you can really tell that this is his baby. That being said - the album is entirely too top heavy and really only has a handful of tracks that bring that trademark Outkast energy...but then again...this is Big Boi's album.
Rating - 5.5 out of 10
FULL STORY - It's hard to believe, but Big Boi has been around for over 15 years now. Whether solo or in his Outkast outfit, he's always stayed true to his form and style. When Big Boi raps on a track you immediately know it's him. He has a very distinct flow and style of linking rhymes together that in itself is nothing short of genius, and inherently makes every song he appears on instantly credible.
"Sir Lucious Left Foot" opens with 'Feel Me' which is an incredibly laid back groover that really prefaces the album well. Somehow with basically just drums, a catchy piano riff and auto-tuned hooks - the song immediately reels you in and gives you the impression that this is going to be one of the best hip hop albums you've ever heard.
'Feel Me' transitions right into 'Daddy Fat Sax' which is another groove friendly track that really hits on all cylinders. The sound itself is something of a fusion between southern hip hop, pop and club music that blends extremely well together. The track is even made a bit modern with the incorporation of variety of well placed and hook-ridden synthesizers. Big Boi's verses are filled with distinct personality and unique analogies bursting at the seams.
The fourth track, 'Follow Me has a certain new age feel to it. Electronic effects and synths once again inundate this song with brilliant pop tones. More than anything, this song has a certain mass pop appeal, as opposed to strictly rap or hip-hop...I can really see this song catching some steam on radio. Whether or not that happens remains to be seen, but it certainly has the potential to crossover from the hip-hop charts to pop.
The real gem of the album is 'Shutterbugg.' You'll be hard pressed to find another hip hop track that is more entertaining than the 'bugg. The track brings an 80's synth pop vibe that doubles as a club banger and even triples as an old school Outkast throwback. The foundation is laid upon this super-creative spoken bass line that almost sounds like a frog talking - it's that hard to explain. What isn't hard to explain is how likable and appealing this track is, and how accessible it is for fans of all music genres. It's already a hot item for music supervisors and has been garnering countless placements in TV and film. It's the true high point of the album.
The sixth track, 'General Patton' sounds like a marching band on crack. Filled with full-on horn sections and snare rolls, the song is like a southern crunk version of my high school's band at halftime of a football game. Regrettably, however, the track is way too down tempo and kind of just sits around doing nothing.
From here on out that album is somewhat of a disappointment. Despite the cavalcade of guests (T.I., Gucci Mane, B.o.B., Jamie Foxx, George Clinton, Yelawolf, etc.) the record is fairly vanilla. Yes, the front end of the album is loaded with hits, but back half is a real let down. I will say though, that the first single 'Shine Blockas' with Gucci Mane is halfway decent. However, it seems we have another victim of our current music industry. "Sir Lucious Left Foot" has way too much filler for me and at some points is unbearably boring (see 'Tangerine' and 'You Ain't No DJ'). Maybe the album was rushed? Maybe Big Boi lost some creative control? Maybe he just didn't have enough tracks to fill the record? Maybe this is Big Boi's greatest work, but our expectations were unrealistic? Whatever the case may be, the album comes off a bit forced and unnatural. Granted there are a couple tracks that are amazing, but the rest feels like a bit of a misstep for Big Boi.
Tracks
1.) Feel Me (Intro)
2.) Daddy Fat Sax
3.) Turns Me On
4.) Follow Us
5.) Shutterbugg
6.) General Patton
7.) Tangerine
8.) You Ain't No DJ
9.) Hustle Blood
10.) Be Still
11.) Fo Yo Sorrows
12.) Night Night
13.) Shine Blockas
14.) The Train, Pt. 2
15.) Back Up Plan
16.) Theme Song
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