Idlewild

by OutKast

Overview

It's hard to believe that OutKast has been around for more than 12 years -- a virtual eternity in hip-hop circles. But the Atlanta duo remain relevant through constant revolution and reinvention. In 2003, their galvanizing double disc, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, marked what seemed an insurmountable creative apex for Big Boi and Andre 3000, yet the pair continue to stretch the boundaries of hip-hop with their follow-up, Idlewild. Despite being billed as an official album, the project primarily serves as an admirable musical counterpart to Kast's theatrical release of the same name, set in the jazzy 1930s. Keeping in line with the film's era, Dre kicks his vaudeville-singing act in high gear. Mr. 3000's vocal twang and charismatic flair swing best on the juke jointin' "Idlewild Blue (Don'tchu Worry About Me)" and the Prince-reminiscent "PJ & Rooster." Big, on the other hand, raps with exquisite detail and confidence throughout, and the delectable "Peaches" and the autobiographical "The Train" are lyrical standouts. Although the partners in rhyme spend more mic time apart than not -- continuing to fuel breakup rumors -- whenever they converge on the same track, the results are magical, as on "Hollywood Divorce" and "Mighty 'O'." Idlewild might have resonated even more strongly with more such collaborative moments, but truly, separate but equal never sounded so good. Anslem Samuel

Product Details

Release Date:	08/22/2006
Label:	Imports
UPC:	0828767579122
catalogNumber:	6757912
Rank:	55465

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Mighty O
3. Peaches
4. Idlewild Blue (Don't Chu Worry 'Bout Me)
5. Infatuation (Interlude)
6. N2U
7. Morris Brown
8. Chronomentrophobia
9. The Train
10. Life Is Like a Musical
11. No Bootleg Dvds (Interlude)
12. Hollywood Divorce
13. Zora (Interlude)
14. Call the Law
15. Bamboo & Cross (Interlude)
16. Buggface
17. Makes No Sense at All
18. In Your Dreams
19. PJ & Rooster
20. Mutron Angel
21. Greatest Show on Earth
22. You're Beautiful (Interlude)
23. When I Look in Your Eyes
24. Dyin' to Live
25. A Bad Note

Album Credits

Performance Credits

OutKast   Primary Artist
Bamboo   Vocals
Snoop Dogg   Vocals
Preston Crump   Bass
Joi   Vocals,Background Vocals
Debra Killings   Bass,Vocals,Background Vocals
Dave Robbins   Bass,Keyboards
Albey Scholl   Harmonica
Mike Patterson   Bass,Guitar
Terry Smith   Background Vocals
André Benjamin   Vocals
Jerry Freeman   Cornet,Horn
David Whild   Guitar,Background Vocals
Macy Gray   Vocals
Victor Alexander   Drums
Cutmaster Swift   scratching
Lil Wayne   Vocals
Mike Hardnett   Guitar
Marvin "Chanz" Parkman   Keyboards
Sleepy Brown   Vocals,Background Vocals
André 3000   Guitar,Piano,Keyboards,Vocals,Background Vocals
Eddie Ellis   Conductor
David "Whild" Brown   Background Vocals
Janelle Monáe   Vocals,Background Vocals
Jason Freeman   Horn
Steven Boos   Drums
Jeff Bowden   Keyboards
Myrna "Peach" Brown   Vocals
Dookieblossumgame   Vocals
Tuesday Henderson   Percussion
Hot Tub Tony   Background Vocals
Kevin Kendrix   Synthesizer,Piano,Keyboards
Skreechy Peachy   Vocals,Background Vocals
Uncoolgirlz Choir   Background Vocals
Melissa Zampatti   Vocals
Kevin Kendrick   Keyboards

Technical Credits

John Fry   Audio Production
John Frye   Engineer
Organized Noize   Programming,Producer,drum programming
Chris Jackson   Engineer
Matt Still   Audio Production
Vernon Mungo   Engineer
Ralph Cacciurri   Engineer
Sean Davis   Engineer,Audio Production
André Benjamin   Executive Producer
Jerry Freeman   Horn Arrangements
Antwan Patton   Executive Producer
P. Brown   Composer
Robert Hannon   Engineer
Denise Trorman   Art Direction
Malik Albert   Engineer,Audio Production
André 3000   Arranger,Programming,Producer,drum programming
John Holmes   Engineer,Audio Production
Chris Carmouche   Engineer,Audio Production
Morris Brown College Gospel Choir   Instrumentation
Kori Anders   Engineer
Gary Fly   Engineer
Johnny Vulture   Producer
Janelle Monáe   Arranger,Producer
Chuck Lightning   Arranger,Producer
Kevin Kendrix   Horn Arrangements
Matthew Still   Engineer
Dwayne Carter   Composer
Kevin Kendrick   Producer

Editorial Reviews

A lot happened to OutKast between the moment they began to think about making a movie and the release of Idlewild. In 1998, no studio would back the movie they were plotting. Fast-forward eight years, past a fourth successive classic album, a double-disc blockbuster, and countless breakup rumors, as well as moonlighting gigs involving supporting actor roles and a successful dog kennel. Along the way, OutKast's first movie took on an entirely different shape, from Aquemini to Idlewild, and the duo attained enough star power to gain the support of HBO and Universal. After a series of delays with its soundtrack, Idlewild reached theaters in August 2006. Set in the prohibition era, Big Boi plays a speakeasy owner, while Dré is the relatively introverted piano-playing son of a mortician. These roles are no stretch, and they cross paths in only a handful of scenes; this all befits the together-but-separate presentation the duo has maintained for a few years. That presentation holds true throughout Idlewild's soundtrack, which doubles as the sixth OutKast album. Big Boi and André 1936 share little space on a disc that's not so much a series of misfires as it's filled with shots that reach their targets, albeit softly and with little trace of impact. Rich with color and energy, mischievous asides, and biting observations, the album presents fresh ideas every couple of minutes. However, at the same time, it just keeps on going, and even its highlights fall short of OutKast's past and fail to transcend its assortment of inspirations. Little of it sticks. The music of the '30s seeps through a handful of tracks, the best of which is led by Big Boi protégé Janelle Monaé, a young vocalist who stomps and sways through her time in the spotlight. Despite Dré's likely position as the driving creative force behind the whole project -- and its further strides away from what his detractors think he should be doing -- he's far more effective as an MC than a singer. When it comes to rapping, he's "bored" with "no dragon to battle," yet the verse containing that proclamation outstrips just about all the lines he croons. "Hollywood Divorce" is an exception, where he does triple duty (producer, MC, vocalist) and guides Big Boi, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg through a modern-day version of "Burn Hollywood Burn." Big Boi is the album's saving grace, still every bit the undervalued force with scythe-like rhymes and gazelle-like moves. Idlewild is certainly a spectacle, and an occasionally entertaining and enlightening one at that, but it translates into an elaborate diversion when compared to what this duo has done in the past.

All Music Guide - Andy Kellman

...Idlewild mixes up swing, blues, hip-hop and R&B without losing a step. "Morris Brown" is a typical highlight, with Earth, Wind & Fire-style vocals over the marching-band funk -- it's so suave on the surface, it takes a few spins to absorb how radical it is.

Rolling Stone - Rob Sheffield

Read More