The Emperor’s New Groove?
By: Philip Jean-Pierre
Dear readers, be aware as I write this, I am listening to Birdland by Quincy Jones. Give yourself a treat and listen to an “Old head” put his foot and @$$ into some neo-jazz, or is neo-soul you decide for yourself. However, that is the mood Mr. 3000, yes M-i-s-t-e-r Three Thousand, has put me in.
As we all know, Andre 3000 (André Lauren Benjamin)was part of the American hip-hop duo OutKast, formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992 with Big Boi (Antwan Patton). They regularly achieved critical and commercial success from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. The duo is arguably one of the greatest and most influential hip-hop acts of ALL TIME. Preparing for the internet to debate me.
That said, as the saying goes, all good things come to an end. The two rappers began exploring solo efforts and stepped away from the OutKast limelight…barring the occasional reunion. Fast forward 17 years, and news of Andre 3000 is coming out with a new album, NEW BLUE SUN. The roar from fans rose like the wave that wiped out Atlantis; champagne fell from the heavens. Doors to clubs opened. Velvet ropes parted, and clubgoers ran to those clubs en masse, ready for the new hotness, to drop it low after a 17-year wait. I did say 17 years, right?
And then news of the description of the new album circled the internet like a super-powered electron around an atom… “What do you mean there are no bars?!” “What do you mean he’s playing a flute?!” “He’s a rapper; he should be rapping?!” I can tell you here, and now M-I-S-T-E-R THREE THOUSAND has shown he is more than just a rapper. He is a musician. I would have loved to have some bars. We wanted that, but New Blue Sun gives you what you need If you are patient enough.
After the first listen, I was unsure what I heard, so I listened once more. It hooked me, so I had to know more about New Blue Sun. It featured contributions from producer Carlos Niño, keyboardist Surya Botofasina, and guitarist Nate Mercereau, and a veritable collection of all-star performers and producers, including Fabrice Dupont, who worked with Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Brazilian artist Bebel Gilberto, and South African Afro-fusion band Freshlyground, Not to mention Grammy-winning percussionist and producer Andy Kravitz ( No Relation to Lenny). Upon reviewing the bloodline of this album, If I didn’t already know, this album was something special.
For those trying to avoid the noise, New Blue Sun is 87 minutes long and primarily consists of “experimental flute music” with acoustic and electronic instrumentals. I had no idea precisely what that meant, but upon listening. Ultimately, I settled on it, meaning “Not Boring.” The album consists of 8 compositions that are best described as transcendent. The scariest thing as a performer could be never to achieve the label of great but daring to challenge that label. This “rapper” puts together an arrangement of music that takes you on a journey of discovery of a person in search of a new horizon or land to traverse. From arrangements entitled ‘I swear, I Really Wanted to Make a ‘Rap’ Album, but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time’ to ‘Dreams Once Buried Beneath the Dungeon Floor Slowly Sprout into Undying Gardens’, we are treated to the evolution of one of the greatest in hip-hop.
The compositions are challenging and aggressive, with a touch of the mystical that makes them feel inviting and comforting. If Dre’s effort to send us to a place where sound is synonymous with growth and fearlessness, he achieved it. The work he calls ‘Ants to You, Gods to Who?’ is possibly the strongest piece on the album with chimes and chirps, and, of course, the flute it is a fanciful delving into the paradoxical idea of life. Is that what it means, dammed, if I know? The album’s heart is about finding your meaning, not its meaning. The more I listen to it, the more I think about possibilities, and in the end, isn’t that what all art should be?
To you musical subject matter experts, I humbly say I don’t know music stuff like solfège, music scales, or even solmization, but I know story; I understand putting yourself out there to become more than what people believe. I feel the story in this album. This album walks off the cliff of the mainstream and flies high and strong with a whistling irreverence, as I said before, only if you remain patient. Do I believe everyone will agree with my very wordy assessment here? NAH, some people just wanted bars, but to quote a friend, This album, this effort may not be your cup of tea, but someone else will drink it. And, like me, ask for seconds.
If you are curious, New Blue Sun can be found on Spotify here
RIOTUS 