Read Time:1 Minute, 51 Second
For their latest
album, Big Boi and Andre 3000 of OutKast decided that they wanted to work apart—but not
really apart. So each one recorded an album, and put them together in this two-disc
set.
The Love Below is Andre 3000’s contribution. You may know it
for fun, upbeat songs like “Hey Ya!” and “Roses”—but most of the rest of the album has a
very different sound. For the most part, it’s more an artistic experiment than a
commercial album. You’ll find everything from spoken word (like a conversation with
God—who just happens to be a beautiful woman—in “God” or a “Who’s On First”-like
conversation with P. Diddy’s manservant in “Good Day, Good Sir”) to funk to cheesy lounge
music to a collaboration with Norah Jones. Be warned that it’s a pretty racy album, and
it’s definitely unlike anything you’ve ever heard—but, then again, so is Andre 3000.
From the sound of the singles released on the radio, I expected something
different from The Love Below. While it definitely has its high points (like
“Happy Valentine’s Day” and “Dracula’s Wedding”), it took a few plays for it to grow on
me. And while I can appreciate it more now than I did the first time I heard it, it’s
still not on my list of favorites.
Big Boi’s Speakerboxx is more of
the smooth hip-hop album you might expect from OutKast. Songs like “Ghetto Musick” and
“Flip Flop Rock” with Ludacris and Killer Mike are high-energy and sure to make you break
into spontaneous dance—no matter where you happen to be at the time. Still, many of the
songs sound alike after a while, and the album starts to feel a bit
monotonous.
While Andre 3000 has a pretty good voice and Big Boi’s not bad
on his own, it also feels like they’re missing something—namely, each other. As my
husband wisely pointed out, the sounds/styles of Big Boi and Andre 3000 together
work—they balance each other out, like on their hit, “Ms. Jackson.” But it’s just not
the same when they’re apart.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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