Big Boi
Listenable and engaging hip-hop music is hard to find in this day and age, but through the years one thing is for sure: in the land of rap, OutKast is king. One half of the greatest rap duo of all time, Antwan Andre Patton, aka Big Boi, released the best hip-hop album so far this year in July. The epically titled “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty” sounds like the title of an old spaghetti western, but it is actually an album overflowing with creative energy and hooks that make Lil’ Wayne sound like Barney the purple dinosaur.
“Daddy Fat Sax,” a speaker-buster if there ever was one, is the album opener that is just begging to be blasted in clubs all over the country. The soulful “Shine Blockas” might be the greatest rap song I’ve ever heard, and it is definitely the best rap song of the year thus far. “Sir Lucious Left Foot” features numerous guest spots including Oscar winner Jamie Foxx, George Clinton and Gucci Mane. OutKast partner Andre 3000 appeared as a guest on a track called “Royal Flush,” but because of disputes with the record label, the track was kept from being on the completed album.
Big Boi takes full advantage of the “parental advisory” warning. This album is not for sensitive ears. “Tangerine,” a song filled with a diverse range of instruments, including accordions and tambourines, is an all-out raunch fest. Some might say these tracks are tasteless; I say they’re genius.
While the world anxiously awaits the first OutKast album since 2003, “Sir Lucious Left Foot” is a great window-shaker to have in the meantime.
The Dead Weather
Once upon a time, James Brown was dubbed “the hardest working man in show business.” Now that Soul Brother Number One is no longer with us, rock ‘n roll hero Jack White has become the heir to that throne. Since the White Stripes went on an indefinite hiatus in 2007, White has created two new bands, including the Raconteurs. Both bands have released two albums each and gone on two separate tours. That’s quite a workload for one man.
On its sophomore release, the Dead Weather once again has delivered an album of heavy and hard rock. Sharing vocal duties with former Kills lead singer Alison Mosshart, White puts down the axe and picks up the drumsticks.
The album doesn’t stray much from the sound of 2009’s Horehound, but all of these tracks are a like breath of fresh air. The bass guitar and drums take center stage. The thumping and distorted bass lines, played with loose and easy precision by Jack Lawrence, fire up every single song on the album.
“Blue Blood Blues” kicks off the album with such force that it would shake a soul to its core. That force lasts for all 11 songs. The album’s first single, “Die by the Drop,” sounded like garbage the first time I heard it, but after repeated listens since I have come to enjoy it thoroughly. The Dead Weather use odd timing in their songs and it’s difficult to find the groove right away. Listen closely, and the creativity will make your ears explode.
Being able to see this band live this summer at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival was a treat that I’ll never forget, and when it came time for “I Can’t Hear You,” everyone in the crowd was all ears.
Bands like the Dead Weather give me hope for the future of not only rock music, but music as a whole. To find good music these days, one must search high and low. You certainly can’t find much on the radio, that’s for certain. But as long as Jack White is around, White Stripes or no White Stripes, I am comforted by the fact that rollicking new jams are sure to come soon.