Review Summary: A triumphant return from one half of Outkast, and the closest we'll probably ever get to another Outkast album.
Let's go back to 2010. Let's remember when many hip hop fans were concerned about the falling out of the magnificent Outkast. Think back to when Outkast hadn't been heard from in around 4 or 5 years, and fans were patiently waiting for something, anything, just a glimpse of the 2 together on a song, unfortunately they didn't do that, but Big Boi did release this marvelous solo album to hold off fans.
Right from the first song "Feel Me", Big Boi makes it known that he's going for a very funky sound. This sound somewhat carries throughout the album, as Big Boi strays from conventional hip hop. Big Boi experiments with some sounds here, as we hear hints of R&B ("Hustle Blood"), hints of rock and roll ("The Train Pt. 2 (Sir Lucious Left Foot Saves the Day)"), and a lot of other unique sounds for a hip hop record. In terms of lyrics Big Boi is on par with how he usually raps, and has lots of clever wordplay.
The music here is very memorable, and keeps your attention, with the wide variety of instruments used, and should be enjoyable to the average listener. There moments of perfection such as with "Shutterbug", which is Big Boi's club track, but by far one of the best club records I've ever heard. Big Boi maintains his lyrical dexterity, as he rhymes with his nice wordplay on here. The chorus from Cutty is very funky, and as well as the beat, as it has synthesizers, and auto tuned voices reminiscent of Funkadelic. There's also "Daddy Fat Sax", which is the first real song on the album, and is fantastic. This song was Big Boi's way of letting the world know that he's back, with a loud beat that grabs your attention, and he kicks off right with an energy-filled verse. Then, there's also my personal favorite, "General Patton". This song is such a huge rush of energy, and wordplay-laden verses that any hip hop fan has to appreciate. The beat is loud and dramatic, but in a good way, there are trumpets that fit the song, and a choir, better yet an opera type voice that adds to the glorious feel of the song.
There are some weaker moments however, such as "Follow Us", which is decent, but forgettable. This song would probably be better has the lyrics, beat and the hook been worked on. The lyrics are actually the strongest part of the song, but they're weak for Big Boi standards. The beat is just annoying, with lots of outer space sound effects, which don't work because this isn't Stankonia. The chorus from Vonnegutt is horrible, as whoever Vonnegutt is sounds awful here. This guy's voice is just grating and does not work. Another one of the weaker moments on here is "You Ain't No DJ", which is good, but also forgettable. This song is a big letdown because it's André 3000's only contribution, and his only contribution is weak, and distracting. This song has nice verses from Big Boi, but Yelawolf's verses are disappointing by Yelawolf's usual standards. Yelawolf's delivery is unusually boring, and his lyrics are weak by his standards.
Overall, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is a great album, and it has a lot of strong moments throughout it, and is a strong return for Big Boi. If you're looking for more of a conventional album like Speakerboxxx, then you'll be disappointed, but if you're willing to listen to something that's more experimental, definitely check this album out. This album will have something for everyone, regardless of what you're looking for, as this is a very strong effort from Outkast's very own Big Boi.
