B.o.B - "Strange Clouds". 5/5 Stars
What do Morgan Freeman, Taylor Swift, and Lil' Wayne have in common? B.o.B. apparently. I was fairly amused by his first mainstream release, "B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray", but only recently got around to checking out his more recent release, "Strange Clouds". One of my favorite things about B.o.B. is the same thing he seems to get criticized for the most: he leans towards pop more than stereotypical rap. With a few exceptions music isn't particularly dark and shows more hope than anything, and he isn't afraid to reach outside of rap for his collaborations, which has made for more than a few interesting tracks. This is smart marketing at its finest because he can easily pull fans from any genre as he adds more and more unique collaborations, in addition to the new fans he'll grab on his own. He often reminds me of Kanye West without the auto-tune obsession, and before his ego took over. Plus, there's the fact that he's actually capable of singing, which he displays quite nicely on several of the tracks on "Strange Couds".
"As the war between light and darkness continues, heroes and villains become harder to identify. Kindred spirits separated at birth, fighting for their place in time to be solidified. The clock ticks faster and faster while tome runs a marathon in this Babylon. But see, the end is only the beginning, the beginning of the calm before the storm." - Morgan Freeman, from "Bombs Away" (Now read the rest of this review in his voice)
So begins the first track on "Strange Clouds", setting an almost fantasy tone for the album, which works since it seems to float along in the same mindset. The album has a few harder tracks on it, but feels relaxing overall, and the tracks that do feel a bit more depressing are still uplifting from the perspective of not being alone in a struggle,other people are feeling the same stress as you. Despite the wide range of collaborations, the flow is surprisingly well carried off and makes for a varied, yet cohesive story of sorts from one track to the next. I've tried to come up with a sufficient explanation for "why" you should listen to the album. It's actually taken me several listens and about a week's worth of stopping and coming back to the review to see if I could come up with a better reason, but the best endorsement I can give this album is fairly simple: It's good. I don't think you have to be a rap fan to like the album. It feels smooth and relaxing, and I could easily listen to this while gaming, reading, playing a sport, anything. I've gotten several new favorite songs out of this, and I believe you will too.
Tracklist:
1. Bombs Away (Feat. Morgan Freeman)
2. Ray Bands
3. So Hard To Breathe
4. Both Of Us (Feat. Taylor Swift)
5. Strange Clouds (Feat. Lil Wayne)
6. So Good
7. Play For Keeps
8. Arena (Feat. Chris Brown & T.I.)
9. Out Of My Mind (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
10. Never Let You Go (Feat. Ryan Tedder)
11. Chandelier (Feat. Laurina Mae)
12. Circles
13. Just A Sign (Feat. Playboy Tre)
14. Castles (Feat. Trey Songz)
15. Where Are You (B.o.B vs. Bobby Ray)
Target Version:
16. MJ (Feat. Nelly)
17. Back It Up For Bobby
18. What Are We Doing
19. Guest List (Feat. Roscoe Dash)
20. Ms. Professional
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