Review:
Atlanta MC B.o.B is one of the most unique artists in hip hop, and one
of the most talented. He can rap with the best, sings very well, produces many
of his records, and plays many of the instruments on the record too. B.o.B
Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray was a great debut album, showcasing
his talent and new sound (merging hip hop with pop and pop rock). His sophomore
effort, Strange Clouds is seemingly a triumph and disappointment at the same
time. On one hand, it features B.o.B on the top of his game musically, as this
album does not sound like anything else right now, but on the other hand it is
plagued with a number of very weak throwaway tracks (easily could have dropped
five songs) and a slew of features (Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne, Chris Brown – it
is too bad people continue to work with this guy – T.I., Nicki Minaj, and Trey
Songz) that in some cases overshadow B.o.B. The album is also very poppy, and
it could be said that this album is placating to the masses of generic pop fans
over being a hip hop record. While it is a good track, his collaboration with
Taylor Swift, produced by pop super producer Dr. Luke, is practically a
paint-by-numbers attempt at a platinum song. Swift’s hook is right in the
wheelhouse of popular music, so much so that essentially the rest of the track
in meaningless (economically, and musically for many as well). Dr. Luke
provides the most interesting and infectious beats on the album (and many of
the best tracks). He infuses a dub-step sound into B.o.B’s collaboration with
Lil Wayne Strange
Clouds to great effect. B.o.B’s flow on his first album sometimes sounded
akin to Andre 3000’s delivery; that is not the case on this album, rather he
sounds a bit like Tech N9ne on a few tracks (which is not a bad thing, it just
stood out as I listened to the album). Overall, Strange Clouds is a good album,
and will please B.o.B fans (in most cases, though it is his most poppy album to
date by far). 2/5
Editor’s Essential Tracks:
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