The Love Below

"Lend me some sugar, I am your neighbour!"- Andre 3000

I had always preferred Andre to Big Boi when it came to Outkast. Flamboyance, flair and interesting metaphors juxtaposed with a nasty flow made him one of my favourite emcees in the wide world of hip-hop. Each album Outkast released saw him (in my eyes at least, and to all others who were paying attention) becoming more and more flamboyant, more and more of an outkast if you like. The time comes for every creative person to break free from whatever moulds they find themselves in. That time has come for Andre Benjamin, aka Andre 3000.

The music is full of soul and creativity, you get the feeling that Andre must have been feeling his most creative during the recording of this album, as the lyrics also drip with the same creative juices. The albums first banger "Happy Valentines Day" has the drums of the Neptunes, and the guitar funk of Prince. I'd like to say that's where the comparisons to those two artists end, because quite frankly, Andre clearly has enough talent not to be immitating other music, but the spoken-word intro on "Spread" really had me cringing with embarassment. It sounds exactly like Prince, not only the effects on the voice, but the way he's talking, as if he has decided to adopt his personality too. Take a listen to the Prince classic "If I was your girlfriend" and you'll see what I'm talking about. Having said that, "Spread" is just one of the early bangers that really stick out, a dope beat, a catchy melody, and stunning live instruments (piano and sax on this track). "Dracula's wedding" will also have many listeners thinking of the Neptunes, not just the beat, but the high-pitched singing. Is that a fair point to make? I don't know. As an artist, I am certain that 'Dre would not want to sound like anyone else, so that makes these tracks all the more confusing to me. The bottom line however is that they are still dope tracks. Dope tracks are dope tracks. Full Stop.

This production is always slick, but when it's not funky-slick, it's cheesy slick. Andre clearly has a fascination with applying the sterotypical images and sounds of 1950's/60's white Hollywood to a modern black artist like himself. The intro is one of the many examples of this, he croons like Frank Sinatra one moment, and sings corny-jazz vocals another. Orchestral strings make some tracks sound like Disney movies, but it's all good because it fits with Dre's creative insanity. "Hey ya" is probably the best example of this retro-vibe though, it's basically a funkafied, Outkasted, Hip-Hop influenced hybrid sounding somewhat like an early Beatles song, and it will make you smile. That whole retro aspect is one of the main and recurring themes of the album, and it does add a lot of humour at times. Towards the end of the album however, he duets with Norah Jones on "Take off your cool" trying that same corny Jazzy approach, but this time taking himself seriously, singing seriously, and the results are beautiful. Beautiful.

It's a frustrating album at times because you still get the feeling that he thinks he's a rapper trying to sing. Let's get it out of the way now, the majority of this album is singing, and let it be known to all doubters, he does have a very good voice. He is the cause of his own problem though, it's as if he is too aware of his hip-hop audience, and therefore doesn't allow himself to really sing with sincerity. The result of this is that he's often completely over the top and excessively theatrical, as if we- the narrow-minded hip-hop listeners can then laugh and accept/dismiss it as 'some ol' crazy shit'.

This is not crazy shit, it's good music. In all honesty though, when he does take himself seriously, the album really shines. More honest and vulnerable tracks like "Prototype", "She lives in my lap" and "A day in the life of Benjamin Andre" all catch your attention with their shimmering potency. "She lives in my lap" is probably the albums most creative cut, completely fresh drums ticking powerfully over a beautifully dark organ loop, with synthesisers and the anguished voice of Andre Benjamin singing his heart out, it's not to be messed with.

An album like this doesn't come along every era. It's interesting that it's unquestionably the most creative mainstream music that has been released in quite a long time, and with the exception of a few tracks, it's nearly all retro-music. However, whether it's 80's Prince-inspired retro, or that Frank Sinatra style retro, it's still fresh sounding. It's solid, neat, tidy, and melodic. You can't miss this album, it's too important to miss, and the reason it's important is because it might confuse you. Being confused is important today, because everyone is trying to tell us that the world makes sense when it clearly doesn't. Ultimate escapism + Reality through the eyes of a horny poet = The Love Below.

Yoshi aka Y.Misdaq, 28 Sep 2003

-audio clip comes courtesy of the best online hip-hop store, sandbox automatic