Review Summary: Big Boi gives us a disappointing follow up to his fantastic solo debut.
With Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, Big Boi continued to try to venture off into experimental hip hop. Unfortunately it just doesn't sound that good here. Big Boi seems to have focused more on making his music different than enjoyable here.
The lyrics are good here, but they aren't up to par with Big Boi's usual skill level. There are a few songs on here that are on a high level lyrically ("The Thickets", "Shoes For Running"), but for the most part they're pretty weak and forgettable. Big Boi doesn't really have any specific topic throughout the album, which isn't really a problem, but when the album is this inconsistent, it can be a bit of a problem.
However, the lyrics aren't the main issue, the main issue is the music. The music here just isn't enjoyable for the most part, because as I mentioned earlier, it's primary goal is to sound trippy as opposed to sounding good. There are some great beats here, but most of the beats are average at best. Not to mention that some of these choruses are weak ("Objectum Sexuality").
There are a few standouts however. "The Thickets" is fantastic, and has a great chorus from Sleepy Brown. This song doesn't really have any specific subject matter, but it is great regardless. There are also some duds too, specifically "Raspberries". With "Raspberries", I quickly discovered that Big Boi is an atrocious singer. Literally the whole song is made up of singing, and it's just bad singing.
On the whole, this is a decent album, but it has a lot of flaws with it. The lyrics are weaker than usual, and the beats are weak as well. This is a somewhat enjoyable album, but don't have your expectations too high.
Ratings:
1. Ascending: Intro
2. The Thickets (feat. Sleepy Brown): 4/5
3. Apple of my Eye: 3.5/5
4. Objectum Sexuality (feat. Phantogram): 3/5
5. In the A (feat. T.I. and Ludacris): 4.5/5
6. She Hates Me (feat. KiD CuDi): 3/5
7. CPU (feat. Phantogram): 3.5/5
8. Thom Pettie (feat. Little Dragon): 3.5/5
9. Mama Told Me (feat. Kelly Rowland): 2.5/5
10. Lines (feat. A$AP Rocky and Phantogram): 4/5
11. Shoes for Running (feat. Wavves and B.o.B.): 4/5
12. Raspberries (feat. Mouche and Scar): 2/5
13. Tremendous Damage (feat. Bosko): 3.5/5
14. Descending (feat. Little Dragon): 3/5
Best songs:
In the A
The Thickets
Shoes for Running
Lines
Apple of My Eye
Weakest song: Raspberries
Production: 7.2/10
Lyrics: 7.2/10
Overall rating: 72/100
Grade: C-
