MUSIC REVIEW [GUEST] . Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance

by Chris and Kris   ⋅   April 10, 2006   ⋅   Comment now   ⋅    RSS

When people first saw Timbaland with Bubba Sparxxx, they were probably thinking, “what is one of the greatest producers in hip-hop doing working with some pudgy white guy?” They probably would have been further confused by some of the songs on Bubba’s debut CD, Dark Days, Bright Nights which featured songs like “Bubba Talk” built around samples of farm animals and a Django Reinhardt sounding guitar loop. They would have probably been afraid of the redneck proud cover featuring Bubba on the porch in a rocking chair with a logo that included stars and stripes. But some of us were intrigued, and rewarded with a fresh spin on hip-hop with some great beats by Timbaland (Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Aaliyah) and Organized Noise (Outkast, Goodie Mob) out of Virginia and Atlanta respectively.

Bubba truly fulfilled his promise on his second album, his magnum opus, Deliverance, sharing a name with that iconic movie about some of the darker corners of the south. Bubba’s country narratives sound epic over some of the most inspired and creative beats that Timbaland has ever produced. Organized Noise also delivers some great beats that complement the album perfectly. Bubba didn’t really have any hits off of this one (he had a minor hit off Dark Days, Bright Nights with “Ugly” and has a current hit off his newest album in “Ms. New Booty”), and unfortunately, creative success doesn’t always translate into dollar amounts. Thankfully though, it translates into a huge artistic success.

The album starts out with one of Big Rube (of the Dungeon Family)’s best poetry on CD with some faint talking and harmonica in the background. It really sets the tone for the album; the coming of a superstar. The track then goes into a beat built around an interpolation of Cream’s “I Feel Free” and sets the tone for the album, hick-hop, and without skipping a beat goes right into one of the best songs on the album, the Timbaland harmonica and harmonica synth banger, “Jimmy Mathis”. This track highlights some of the biggest strengths of the album: beats that are the marriage of good old live country music and blues sounds and Bubba’s clever, fun, earnest, and very country rhymes.

Fuck wit’ me I doubt that you really can
when I get to doin’ my hillbilly dance
a step to the left and two back to the right
take a shot of Patron and step back to the mic

It is followed by “Comin’ Round” which features a sample from Yonder Mountain String Band complete with a hillbilly vocal and a violin loop (when was the last time you heard something like this sampled on a hip-hop album?) with a lot of synth for good measure. In fact, there are so many surprises and layers to these beats that you can enjoy the album just for the beats as well as for the rhymes. The album is packed front to back with great songs from “She Tried” which features live instrumentation, a live countrified vocal and some Bubba-style storytelling, “Nowhere”, a haunting song featuring introspective lyrics that show the parallels between the urban and country slums, a narrative by Timbaland, and a female singer, “Overcome”, a powerful and triumphant head-nodder of a statement complete with marching band style horns, “Warrant” which is one of the strongest beats on the album and features Attitude who I’ve never heard before but comes with a strong flow and a cool voice over strings, and “Deliverance” which was the first single and might be the tour de force with a string section and a truly epic feel. The remaining beats aren’t quite as country but are chock full of loud guitars (”Warrant (Interlude)”, “New South”, and “My Tone”) and funky horn lines (”Like It Or Not” featuring Sleepy Brown and “Overcome”)

Throughout it all, Bubba remains honest, earnest, appealing, playful, and he plays up the country as much as possible and it works. Bubba doesn’t just want to be another white rapper. He is a product of his surroundings. Bubba’s personality combined with the incredible beats of Timbaland and Organized Noise and a little added mythology add up to one of the best concept hip-hop albums ever.

About the Author:

Gregory Masaki Jenkins is 24 and lives at home with his parents. He works odd jobs to pay for his medical insurance and for plane fare to visit his girlfriend in Canada. He plays balkan folk, jazz, and raps poorly. He loves everything from Roger Miller to Ghostface Killah and pretty much everything in between.