Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

Bog Boi
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty
Rating: Woof Daddy

I will be the first one to admit that initially I assumed that in Outkast, Andre 3000 was the creative force behind the duo and that Big Boi was just in the background, for whatever reason he served. When they released Speakerboxx/Love Below as a double album of their solo albums, I assumed, based on the songs I heard from Andre, that I would love Love Below and would merely tolerate Speakerboxx. On a trip home from Atlanta to Savannah I put the cds in and decided to go ahead and begin with Big Boi's, knowing I could always skip through it and get to Andre's. As the cds unfolded, I realized that I really, really liked Speakerboxx and thought it was pretty amazing. Of course, I thought I would really love Andre's and it turned out I found it to be pretty aimless and scattershot. In Outkast, Big Boi wasn't really just there for whatever reason, he was THE reason that Outkast sounded the way they did.

It has been a long time since we have heard from either Big Boi or Andre, due to label issues. Finally, after finding a new label we have the new Big Boi cd, and it is as strong as, if not stronger than, Speakerboxx. Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty shows Big Boi in amazing form, his flow still smooth as cream, and the music littered with funky synths, with his trademark window shaking bass and beats fully intact.

This is not an Outkast cd, half party, half social commentary, it is pure party, as if in the three years since he tried to solve the label issues he was just ready to let his hair down and have fun. Unfortunately, because of the label problems, there is no guesting from Andre except for a production credit on the skittering "You Ain't No DJ."



Big Boi does have alot of guest stars on the album (Jamie Foxx, Janelle Monae, Gucci Mane, B.o.B., and George Clinton) but none of them take any of the spotlight away from Big Boi, instead they add just the right amount of flavor to the proceedings.

It all comes down to consistency of the material. This is completely evident in the singles released so far; and the cd is chock full of strong tracks that could easily stand on their own.



"Shutterbug" is a highlight with its dense electro sound.



"General Patton" and Big Boi's militaristic cadence.



My favorite track "Follow Us," featuring the band Vonnegutt, who add an interesting complexity to the song with their emo vocals.



And the gorgeous ballad "Be Still" featuring Big Boi's protoge Janelle Monae.

Yes, the criticisms are valid that Big Boi spends too much of the album in party-jam mode and doesn't temper it with the usual political and social commentary that Outkast was known for, and perhaps that is why I can only give the cd the next to best rating. But that is a very small quibble against such a consistently fun and imaginative cd. I'm not known for my rap knowlege, or even my patience for most rap out on the market, but there is just something about this cd that speaks to me, and will likely put Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty high up on my list of best cds of the year.

Rating Guide

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top albums of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not good; could have either been trimmed or polished.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.