Album Review: B.o.B. – The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Artist: B.o.B.
Album: The Adventures of Bobby Ray
Release Date: 4.27.10

The southern hip-hop movement has spawned many an artist, some have risen and some have fallen; but none quite as unique as B.o.B. On the one hand, his lyrical prowess is on a level that few newcomers in hip-hop can match, making him a standout amongst his fellow freshmen. On the flipside, he has the makings of a true musician, producing many of his own songs, showcasing his vocals and playing various instruments, above all his famed guitar. The two sides come together equally on The Adventures of Bobby Ray, making this one of the most versatile and expansive albums to come from a hip-hop artist in quite a while – certainly the most liberal album of the year thus far from an artist of the hip-hop genre.

As evidenced by the success of Nothin’ On You (with Bruno Mars), B.o.B.’s style and sound appeals to a variety of demographics. For the classic hip-hop fans, there are cuts like the southern bounce banger Bet I Bust which incorporates hype man Playboy Tre and Grand Hustle leader T.I. each offering some very skillfully crafted verses. Similarly Lupe Fiasco throws some heat on Past My Shades and the metaphors go hard on 5^th Dimension, but one of the highlights is Eminem’s appearance on Airplanes Pt 2 –not hard to see why this is a fan favorite. Adding Hayley of Paramore into the mix was a move of sheer genius, her voice has an air of mystery and fire that fits perfectly over the backing track – both versions of this song are equally amazing. Don’t Let Me Fall is another highlight, opening the album with a soft piano melody and smooth harmony on the vocals by B.O.B., but when the verse drops he’s in full lyrical assassin mode. Janelle Monae steps in on The Kids, a mellower track that narrates much of B.O.B.’s own struggle – a hopeless outlook for a boy with dreams. One of the album’s more upbeat and colorful offerings is Magic adding Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo to the mix to give a better view of B.o.B.’s highly animated and humorous personality.  By contrast, his emotional side takes the front seat on Lovelier Than You a previously recorded smooth love song which actually presents more of his crooner side.

There are some amazing features on this album, but not just for the sake of having featured artists. The featured rappers are all master lyricists but not so much as to outshine the star of the project – everything seems to fit at the right levels. In similar form, the features by Janelle Monae, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Hayley Williams add color and depth to the album. The biggest attribute to B.o.B.’s credit is that there’s no one else like him. He’s plagued with comparisons to Andre 3000 because of his ability to think outside the box, but with a closer listen, the styles of the two artists is very separate. If you’ve listened to any of his previous mixtapes, you’ll know that this album is very true to B.o.B. as an artist – he had total creative control on those projects and this album isn’t a far cry from those works. What should be appreciated here is the pure musicianship of this album. This is NOT your average hip-hop album comprised of just hot beats and great lyrics, there is a great amount of musical quality here that must be recognized. We’ve said it before, we’ll say it again: for B.o.B., the adventure is just beginning…

Sound-Savvy rates The Adventures of Bobby Ray with 4.5 out of 5 platinum headphones