Bubba Sparxxx’s ‘Deliverance’, OutKast’s ‘Speakerboxxx / The Love Below’ Reviewed

Franklin Soults of the Boston Phoenix reviewed Bubba Sparxxx’s ‘Deliverance’ and OutKast’s ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’. He said of Sparxxx: “Despite his masterful timing, one of the rapper’s intractable shortcomings is his frequent failure to project above his music.” As for Outkast, “Impressively, Big Boi alone does often match the level of OutKast’s best songwriting— ‘Unhappy,’ for one, is yet another example of the group’s stunning ability to turn despair into joyous release. But the loss of Andre’s freaky drawl and the relatively straightforward production keeps ‘Speakerboxxx’ from attaining the rich texture that made ‘Stankonia’s’ electro-buzz so groundbreaking.” The full review at bostonphoenix.com has since been removed.