Outkast - Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below

List Price: $15.99
Our Price: $12.10
You Save: $3.89 (24%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $2.30 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases

Music CD Cover

• TESTED

Free Music Notes for Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below

Free Music Review: No Skippin' or Slowin' Down
Hit: 5 Stars

Now, about the album(s).

Some stand-outs on Big Boi's "Speakerboxxx" are:
-"Ghettomusick" takes a trunk-thumpin beat, combines it with a tight-as-hell hook a la Dre, rapid-fire verses a la Big Boi, and throws in a Patti LaBelle sample that slinks in and out like a housecat.
- "Unhappy" has a chorus that creeps under your skin. The rhyme is very introspective and it just ripples over the top of phat congas and synths.
- "Bowtie" is an Old Skool party on wax. This joint uses brass to move your a**. Another one of those choruses that gets wedged in your brain: `Crocodile on my feet...Fox fur on my back...'
- "The Way You Move" Yeah, even mainstream radio's playing it. The crux: bootylicious bass and Sleepy Brown getting as dangerously close to Billy Ocean as anyone ever should.
- "The Rooster" Another one of those choruses (with Chicken Dance Elmo doing background vocals, if I'm not mistaken...) that sticks to you. Domestic disputes never sounded so funky or this damn funny.
- "Bust" A dark, brooding thang. It's like Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic got resurrected somehow and threw down with Big Boi and Killer Mike.
- "War" A short track that comes in two parts. The first part's kind of a menacing preface to part deux, in which Big Boi lets loose with hard-hitting commentary on our post 9-11, post-stolen election world.
- "Church" A track asking the ever-living question "Why are we here?" that makes you wonder who slipped a Kirk Franklin disc into your CD player when you weren't looking.
- "Knowing" Dre and Big Boi together, as it should be. Tight piano and percussion lay the foundation for commentary on how this nasty world gets b(u)y.
- "Flip Flop Rock" One of the catchiest hooks in years, courtesy of Jay Z. Throw in classical piano paired with a beat so undeniably funky that (unless you're dead or Republican) you'll find your neck snapping uncontrollably. I predict this to be the next platinum single off this album.
- "Reset" a smooth joint with an ethereal feel--something that would fit well on "ATLiens." Tight/deep flows by Khujo and Cee-lo match Big Boi's brilliant verses.
The rest of the album is disappointingly lackluster, with Big Boi unnecessarily pairing up with lesser emcees. But over all: excellent.

Now, Dre's "The Love Below."
It took about two listens for me to get into it, but the effort was worth it. If you give it a chance, you can catch the Bootsy, Prince, Sly, Stevie, et al. references; however, as much as Dre reminds me of the aforementioned royalty, he has a style all his own. The entire album is brilliant. Some stand-outs:
- "Love Hater" is Dre channeling Nat Cole's croon thru George Clinton's sensibilities. A tight, jazzy joint with awesome piano.
-"Happy Valentines Day" A funky joint with Dre on guitar and lead vocal that would make Prince turn from purple to green with envy.
- "Spread" A sputtering drum-n-bass type song where Dre once again out-Princes Prince.
- "Prototype" Smoothed out R&B/funk, reminiscent of Bootsy's "Vanish in Our Sleep" or the Ohio Players "Heaven Must Be Like This." One of my favorites on here.
- "She Lives in My Lap" is destined to be a classic. It has a head-nodding beat, tight guitar work, and smooth (`Damn, he sounds like Chico DeBarge') vocals. Like Prince's best work, this song is sexual, funky, and offbeat. Brilliant.
- "Hey Ya" Top 40 radio has beaten this `brown stallion hoss with skates on' to death. A good song, but not even close to being the best on the disc.
- "Roses" A funky beat and 80s-style synths ride behind Dre's chastising of gold diggers.
- "Behold A Lady" The beat comes in like Cameo's "Word Up" with Dre crooning over the top. The breakdown is the crown jewel on this one: "Cant get no lower...can't get no lower..."
- "Pink & Blue" A funk box, Moog synths, swirling strings that would be right at home on a Barry White joint, and Dre singing about a May-December relationship. Again, Prince should hang his head in shame.
- "She's Alive" A heartfelt tribute to Dre's mom and all single moms. Just piano, brushes on snares, and Dre singing his guts out.
- "Dracula's Wedding" Phat Moog bass, a wickedly clever lyric, and Kelis' milkshake vocals helping to smooth thangs out.
- "My Favorite Things" Yes, the one from "The Sound of Music." A tight drum-n-bass beat underlies amazing jazz piano and sax, plus a bassline that makes your thumbs hurt just listening to it.
- "Take Off Your Cool" pairs Dre and Norah Jones. A short, jazzy track with silky vocals and Dre on acoustic guitar.
- "Vibrate" curiously unfolds over the course of about 7 minutes. It has a backward beat ("She Lives in My Lap" played backwards maybe?) with a trumpet solo that instantly brings to mind Miles.
- "A Life in the Day..." sounds like "Rosa Parks" on Quaaludes. An interesting look back on the past decade of Outkast.

In all: brilliant. Dre's a genius. Period.

And lastly, as a wise man once said: "If you still don't get it, it ain't for you anyway."

Speakerboxxx/ The Love Below Poster

Pop Music CDs

• Music > Styles
• R&B
• Rap & Hip-Hop