Album Review: Big Boi - Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors

Big Boi
Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors
Rating: Grrrr

While we continue to await any new material from Outkast, which seems to be a more diminishing position with each new year, we are at least still able to enjoy the output from Big Boi. My appreciation for Big Boi came to the forefront with the release of Speakboxxx/The Love Below, which essentially was two solo albums thrown together as a double album. While I thought I would be more drawn to Andre 3000's half of the record, I was blown away by how fun and inventive Big Boi's was. My respect for Big Boi was further cemented with his first official solo record, 2010's Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, which was one of my top albums of that year. A stunning collection of Southern leaning hip-hop, there was a restless inventiveness and experimentation to the tracks that kept you on your toes. There isn't a huge leap forward in style or form on the follow up Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors, however, it does appear that Big Boi is leaning away from more traditional sounds and embracing his indie/electronic side, aligning himself with collaborations on multiple tracks with Little Dragon and Phantogram.

In fact, it is these oddball collaborations that really standout and take the record to another level. On paper, they sound like a mess, and in many cases are a mess, but are so different and interesting they keep you wanting more. My favorite tracks on the record are the collaborations with Phantogram. Their quirky electro-pop complements Big Boi perfectly, even though in theory it feels like it would be a mess. "Objectum Sexuality" has a fun bounce and playfulness to it, Big Boi spitting out his raps with humor and sass, while Sarah Barthel's gorgeous, bored-with-it-all chorus refrains adds needed contrast and texture.



"CPU" buzzes and growls with deep bass synths and keyboards over a chugging beat, with a gorgeous coda. Again, Barthel's voice adds needed counterpoint to Big Boi's flow.



And their additional collaboration with A$AP Rocky on "Lines" is another album standout, featuring a laid back beat amid whirring sythns, picking up on the chorus with bold piano chords. The mix of vocal styles between Rocky, Big Boi, and Barthel is surprisingly fluid.



Everyones' go-to collaborator these days, Little Dragon, offers up two unique tracks with Big Boi. The deep rumble of "Thom Pettie,"



and the delicate closing ballad of "Descending."



There is a very low-key somberness to a lot of the record that I wasn't expecting, and a greater willingness to open himself up to more personal subjects. "Tremendous Damage" is a lovely piano ballad about the death of his father,



and "She Hates Me" which details the ending of a relationship due to his personal faults.



Of course, there are still a lot of fun tracks on the record that keep the right amount of levity to the proceedings. The bouncy and light "Apple of My Eye,"



"Shoes For Running" adds an indie guitar vibe with a cool chorus from Wavves,



and his pop collaboration with Kelly Rowland, "Mama Told Me," steals from Prince's "When Doves Cry" and adds more sass and glitter to things.



Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors can appear scattershot at times and lacking the cohesiveness of Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, but over many listens its charm and quirkiness take root and overwhelm any minor criticisms. I for one hope that Big Boi continues doing exactly what he is doing, taking whatever music is making him happy at the moment and merging it with his unique personal style.

Rating Scale:

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 releases of the year.

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

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

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.