Album Review: Big Boi - Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors

The first album released under the Big Boi name was the label-troubled Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty in 2010. A hit both critically and commercially, the heavily delayed release was a continuation of his work with Andre 3000 in OutKast and a natural follow-up to the solo material presented in his half of the smash hit double-album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Known for his experimental tendencies, the man born Antwan André Patton takes a step away from the dirty funk of his previous work for a mixed bag sophomore LP.

With Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors, the perennial underdog of the OutKast duo again proves himself to be a hip hop star of the highest order. Saddling every track with his typically deft flows, he matches a rash of guest stars with an increasingly diverse taste in music. Genre regulars Ludacris and Kid Cudi sit side by side with indie rockers Wavves and mainstream favourites Kelly Rowland and B.o.B. Switching genres and sounds throughout, the album occasionally feels too varied for its own good, lacking the cohesion that made his debut work so well.

The up-tempo Apple Of My Eye stands out on first listen, but the loping minimalism of Raspberries and the more introspective final pair Tremendous Damage and Descending benefit most from his style-hopping tendencies. The latter's atmospheric duet with Little Dragon's ethereal-voiced Yukimi Nagano in particular provides the biggest surprise of the album. Outside of Outkast he won't ever trouble the mainstream with any regularity, a fact unlikely to bother the artist himself. Big Boi seems most comfortable sitting on the outskirts, creating increasingly interesting music for those willing to try it.