DJ SHADOW - Outsider - 2006 - Album review

DJ SHADOW - Outsider - 2006 - album review
HIGHLIGHTS: 3 Freaks / Seein' Thangs / Backstage Girl/ Enuff
SOUNDBITE:/ I gotta stop fucking with these ho's offa Myspace dog/
RATING: 3/5
Apparently Shadow's fed up with having his cinematic soundscapes analysed by music-obsessed men in their 30s. That's a bit rich you might think - given that this description could also apply to him. So he heads to the dancefloor with a vengeance on 'Outsider'. Well almost. If I'm being completely honest, this dancefloor does still have a sizeable chill-out room at the back with some coffee tables in it. However, there are a large number of proper hip-hop tracks on here, though if you're expecting Quannum style boom-bap forget it. Shadow the music fan is currently digging hyphy. That's hyphy pronounced hi-fee (as in the San Francisco hip-hop movement) you know. And make no mistake, you will know, whether you like it or not by the end of this album. The first proper track 'This time (I'm going to do it my way)' sounds like a mid seventies funk track but heed the title as Shadow gets all 21st century on everyone's ass with the next track '3 Freaks' - all furious scratching, scattershot snares and hi-hats, squelchy loops and no bass until the irritatingly catchy chorus loop which has been pitch dropped to sub-bass levels - /Turf Talk and Keak Da Sneak/ - also the names of the two guest rappers on the track. The next four tracks are similar in tone and all feature guest rappers. Nu-skool? True-skool? Primary skool? It ain't old skool that's for definite. There follows an interlude of the UNKLE style acoustic 'Broken Levee Blues' reflecting on the Bush administration's New Orleans cock-up, 'Artifact' - a pointless Napalm Death style metal track and 'Skullf*ckery' - a gritty funk track that eventually grows on you. This is followed by, for me, the high point of the album - the majestic 'Backstage Girl' where Phonte Coleman from southern hip-hop crew Little Brother tells a tongue in cheek tale about man's ruin (i.e. a wanton beauty) over an edgy guitar led 7 minuter complete with a short drum solo - which somehow Shadow gets away with. If you're now on your knees desperately weeping at your betrayal by the godfather of trip-hop - cheer up - the next four tracks are for you. You'll love all that indie-singer tosser singing over cinematic breakbeats crap. The last two tracks are 'Enuff' - a hip-hop track featuring one of Shadow's Quannum homies from way back - Lateef Truth Speaker - and Q-Tip - who sounds more comfortable appearing on something this poppy than Lateef (who doesn't generally get out of bed unless the beats have old-skool written all over them) and 'Dats my part' featuring hyphy godfather E-40. There's no escaping it - this album will divide people. I suspect the Shadow knows...