"I keep it play while some choose to play it safe." - Shutterbugg
I know that track-by-track reviews can be lazy and lame, but there's honestly no other way for me to handle Antwan Patton's magnum opus, Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty. Each track is completely unique and distinct--they would hardly sound like they were recorded for the same album if it weren't for Big Boi's calming presence on each track and for numerous callbacks to 1980s electro-soul (most notably in "Shutterbugg"). It's amazing that label drama almost deprived us from hearing this awesome record.
"Feel Me (Intro)" - As Big Boi says at the end, "damn, that wasn't nothin' but the intro." Big Boi and company fit more unique textures and layers onto this 1 and a half minute track than many rap artists fit on a whole album. "Feel Me" is a fine overture of Sir Lucious Left Foot's musical style, featuring rolling piano chords, wah-wah pedal and idiosyncratic choirs riding the bass.
"Daddy Fat Sax" - If it weren't for "Feel Me," "Daddy Fat Sax" would also have served as a fine intro to the album. Mr. DJ's production is an album highlight, with random blurts of zipper-like synths, lush keys and an ultra-deep voice singing the title over the chorus. Big Boi's on top of his game, as well, especially in the quick first verse, where he blasts the rap world for forgetting about him before transitioning to speculation about the fate of the Obama presidency.
"Turns Me On (ft. Sleepy Brown & Joi)" - The first production from Outkast's house production team, Organized Noize, is somewhat laidback, with a repeating midi theme and smooth electric piano. Though the backing track is laid back, Sleepy Brown and Joi add a frenetic and creepy element to the track with their off-kilter harmonies and percussive sound effects. "Turns Me On" is somewhat of a lyrical exercise for Big Boi, as he slips inventive rhymes into his doubletime flow. The highlight: the bridge, which I won't spoil here (skip to the 2:30 mark in the song).
"Feel Me (Intro)" - As Big Boi says at the end, "damn, that wasn't nothin' but the intro." Big Boi and company fit more unique textures and layers onto this 1 and a half minute track than many rap artists fit on a whole album. "Feel Me" is a fine overture of Sir Lucious Left Foot's musical style, featuring rolling piano chords, wah-wah pedal and idiosyncratic choirs riding the bass.
"Daddy Fat Sax" - If it weren't for "Feel Me," "Daddy Fat Sax" would also have served as a fine intro to the album. Mr. DJ's production is an album highlight, with random blurts of zipper-like synths, lush keys and an ultra-deep voice singing the title over the chorus. Big Boi's on top of his game, as well, especially in the quick first verse, where he blasts the rap world for forgetting about him before transitioning to speculation about the fate of the Obama presidency.
"Turns Me On (ft. Sleepy Brown & Joi)" - The first production from Outkast's house production team, Organized Noize, is somewhat laidback, with a repeating midi theme and smooth electric piano. Though the backing track is laid back, Sleepy Brown and Joi add a frenetic and creepy element to the track with their off-kilter harmonies and percussive sound effects. "Turns Me On" is somewhat of a lyrical exercise for Big Boi, as he slips inventive rhymes into his doubletime flow. The highlight: the bridge, which I won't spoil here (skip to the 2:30 mark in the song).
"Follow Us (ft. Vonnegutt)" - "Follow Us" was fairly maligned by many critics for its bland contribution from Vonnegutt, who come off as third-rate Nickelback or Kings of Leon impersonators on their chorus. Big Boi's flow is not quite as elastic on this track on some of the others, but he still feels at home on Salaam Remi's slinky, melodic beat. It's a good sign when this is one of the weaker tracks on the album.
"Shutterbugg" - I wrote about "Shutterbugg" here, and my opinion hasn't changed much. It's an album highlight and will surely feature on Summer playlists for a long time.
"General Patton" - It’s sorta hard to take Big Boi seriously when he says “get the South up out your mouth,” considering “General Patton” has the crunkiest beat since the heyday of Lil Jon. The opera sample in the beginning is undercut nicely by the violent bursts of brass, and Big Boi sounds angrier than he’s been since “B.O.B.” Plus: the track ends with an ultra-deep voice describing a sex act called “The David Blaine,” which is even funnier than it sounds.
"Tangerine (ft. T.I. & Khujo Goodie)" - "Tangerine" is a fairly straightforward strip club track, with a walking guitar line and prominent drums, but contains enough creative musical and vocal flourishes that it doesn't stick out on the album. T.I. kills it: "Real talk, my reality is your fantasy."
"You Ain't No DJ (ft. Yelawolf)" - Andre 3000's only appearance on his partner's album is behind the boards on "You Ain't No DJ." Big Boi was initially planning on using a more rock-influenced track for Yelawolf, but relented when he heard Dre's metallic, sparse and fierce beat. Yela himself is a revelation, bending his flow around the mechanical percussion, his country-fried personality bursting out of the speakers ("I party in poverty with people like 'yeah, you're famous so what?'/I bet you can't hitch this semi up to this tow truck"). (Try to find a different version of the video, since the best parts of Yelawolf's verse are censored)
"Hustle Blood (ft. Jamie Foxx)" - "Hustle Blood," produced by Lil Jon, is Big Boi's take on the standard Southern syrup jam. The beat seems to move in slow motion and is drenched with deep voices and reverb. Jamie Foxx sounds great on record for the first time since "Slow Jamz." Big Boi's rapid flow gives the song a shot in the arm, ratcheting up the intensity.
"Be Still (ft. Janelle Monae)" - Driven by a simple piano melody, "Be Still" is a vocal showcase for Monae, barely even featuring the Son of Chico Dusty, himself. Still, it serves as a nice transition from the club atmosphere of the first half of the record to the even crazier second half.
"Fo Yo Sorrows (ft. George Clinton & Too $hort)" - I love everything about this song. The bouncy, hypnotic beat; George Clinton's gurgling intro; the four line cameo by Too $hort about Jesse Jackson ("one of my favorite rappers happens to be Too $hort"); "A FAT ONE"; the deranged imagery of the chorus ("sit and smile from ear to ear, with a fistful of your girlfriend's hair"). Organized Noize and Big Boi create an entire warped world in "Fo Yo Sorrows," and Big Boi takes advantage of the atmosphere to rap about the sorrows he acknowledges in the chorus.
"Night Night (ft. B.o.B & Joi)" - In the middle of "Night Night," Big Boi stops, saying that he wasn't supposed to rap the second verse, but he might as well cause he "likes to destroy shit." This is probably the most logical place for Andre 3000 on the album, and we probably would have been graced by an awesome verse by Three Stacks, if it weren't for label drama. The presence of B.o.B, the king of Andre 3k disciples, draws even more attention to Dre's absence. Despite the lack of an Outkast reunion, "Night Night" is a lot of fun: it's a more frenetic version of "Follow Us," but with a more compelling chorus.
"Shine Blockas (ft. Gucci Mane)" - I bumped "Shine Blockas" for over a year before the official release of Left Foot. "Shine Blockas" is probably the most commercial song on the album. It does not smooth out the creative edges of Big Boi's vision, but it focuses his idiosyncratic style to a condensed, more mainstream package. "Shine Blockas" rides a lush soul sample and a catchy, if nonsensical, chorus by Gucci Mane, carried by Big Boi's dynamic wordplay and knack for witty turns of phrase ("I came equipped like a prophylactic now they riding dick").
"The Train, Pt. 2 (Sir Lucious Left Foot Saves the Day)" - "The Train" is where Sir Lucious Left Foot winds down, with soothing, Four Tet-esque electronics and eerie whistles. Big Boi often seems like he's broadcasting live from another planet, especially on this track.
"Back Up Plan" - "Back Up Plan," produced by Organized Noize, seems like a venue for Big Boi to fit in all the ideas that wouldn't fit onto other tracks on his album. At the end of the track, Big Boi sighs "I'm through...I done had enough," and you believe him. It's amazing an album can be as entertaining, inventive and surprising as Sir Lucious Left Foot through its fifteen tracks.
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