Outkast — Idlewild

Idlewild

LaFace/Arista/Sony BMG

James Simons (CHARTattack)

08/22/2006 11:46am

According to a vocal sample on Outkast's soundtrack to their new film, "God don't make no mistakes." Thus, we shouldn't question wars and plagues, we should just be thankful for good stuff: rainbows, blowjobs, sporks, etc. Idlewild is no plague. But it's no rainbow either. Outkast are still a compelling, creative duo, and many will be so thankful for the record's fresh, flavourful ideas that they won't question it. But the ATLiens have fumbled slightly. While Speakerboxxx/The Love Below contained Andre's self-indulgent eccentricities to one disc, giving Big Boi a chance to show just how nimble he's become, Idlewild promotes the illusion of collaboration by combining the pair's solo songs on one CD. Unfortunately, Big Boi's forward-facing funk and Dre's tangential retro genre exercises only mesh when fused into the same tune, like on "Hollywood Divorce," which offers a perfect mix of flamboyant theatrics and no-bullshit hip-hop virtuosity.

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