Speakerboxxx/The Love Below [Edited] - Outkast (CD 2003)

For its day and time, The Love Below is a masterpiece. Barring Prince and Lenny Kravitz, there just aren t other musicians out there doing it like this. With the exception of the instrumental version of My Favorite Things , this is an outstanding album, from start to finish. My favorite thing about The Love Below is it s organic sound. I would never have guessed Andre 3000 to be a multi-instrumentalist, as well as composer and producer.

The album starts off on an utterly symphonic note, with lots of flourishing and he manages almost to have a Lawrence Welk like finish with this. But that s about as dumb as it gets. As the intro fades, there is a crazy, wailing guitar and Bilal-esque second track (see Second Born First, last track). I have to give Andre credit he sings as best as he can, and in places he pulls it off well, including here.

God is the first interlude (two songs in, and there s an interlude?) It s more a skit, with Andre praying to God, and we hear The Love Below speak about his perception of God. He just wants a sweet b*tch, with a nice li l tail , and says Amen, excuse me, ah-lady. The guitar part reminds me in some ways of Bon-Yur-Ar.

From here, the album gets down to business, with Happy Valentine s Day. This is a stompin Clinton groove with a good story about Cupid. I can say that I was expecting to hear Andre rap more than on just the few tracks that he does, but maybe he s giving it a break. There s a good rhythm guitar lick, and a very thoughtful vocal breakdown, throughout the entire song and it s funky chorus. I did a double-take with the end of the song, when they go from saying happy Valentine s Day to f*ck that Valentine s Day.

Spread is a new-jazz tune with a great Prince-lifted chorus, with a fast, yet intelligent and intelligible rap. He also takes a stab at an alter-ego vocal. Where Are My Panties? is the next interlude (enough, already!) which is a two-part monologue coming from two people who had a one-night stand and what their thoughts are the morning after (clever though, that Andre sang the subtitle for this song at the end of Spread) In the background, you hear someone shouting the words ICE COLD! Is this The Love Below speaking with Andre?

Next up is Prototype, a love ballad, with Andre pulling off a nice falsetto intro. I hope that you re the one, if not, you re the prototype . The atmospheric sound in this song brings a nice break in tempo/timbre. She Lives In My Lap, along with Roses and Love and War filler-but-not-filler song, meaning that if I had anything to do with the album, I wouldn t have included these songs, but Andre must have some reason for doing so, and they do are contagious.

"Hey Ya" is probably one of the most played radio songs since "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic, and I think that's a blessing and a curse. It was because of Hey Ya that I decided to take a chance and buy this album. I don t care what ya ll say, I love the song and the video, and probably always will. I really didn t want to hear Andre, I just wanted to dance, until I did actually hear the lyrics, which tell the tale of a break-up?!?!

The slap-Andre moment is after Roses Good Day, Good Sir. It s a play on the Who s On First monologue from Abbot & Costello, and more than anything, it pollutes the album but this is the only weak point of the album, and Behold A Lady, the next stomper, more than makes up for it. I always love a strong 4/4 dance beat, and even if the lyrics are totally inane (not the case here). The words here remind me very much of She s Always In My Hair possible inspiration here? Also, is Andre likening the Lady to God (3000 s always changing, but you stay the same)

The album then takes a profound turn here for Pink & Blue, and like with Terrance Trent D Arby and Lenny Kravitz, there is a very elemental, quirky, and very listenable style, that at first glance sounds like a purple borrow , but this style can t really be claimed by one artist. It s dark and formidable, in much the same way as She s Alive. Dracula s Wedding and Take Off Your Cool are bubble-gum at best, and Take Off Your Cool sounds more like an unfinished demo than actual track. Dracula s Wedding features a duet with Kelis, and some very funky synthesizer playing. The climax of the album, Vibrate, is a 6 1/2 minute (perhaps a bit too long?) ode to being the master of your own destiny, or, as Andre says, Become the master of your own bation. It s appeal is the backmasked percussion and ethereal, atmospheric, gospel-jazz instrumentation. A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre is probably the classic Outkast track that is tacked onto the end to satisfy the fans, or maybe even lead into Speakerboxxx. It is best thought of as a bonus track without the waiting time like on most discs.

At the end of the day, the lyrics to The Love Below sound very immature, and I think that s the point it s a narrative from the point of the gonads, and most of the time, when men think from there, this is how they sound. Maybe Andre wrote this album, to grow out of thinking this way, but I couldn t say for sure. I definitely am an Andre 3000 fan after this, and if he were ever to go solo, I think he d have a nice career. So go get yourself a copy of this, one of hip-hop s first true masterpieces (in my mind) and may you digest it well!