Andre Benjamin and Antwan Patton have reached an interesting point in their careers. After a handful of exceptional albums, Outkast have finally hit their slump. Since their music is essentially created by two people, it is easy to look at their history as a relationship. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik was their awkward but promising first date. ATLiens marked the moment they realized that they were made for each other. Aquemini found them really getting to know each other, and loving every minute of it. Stankonia was the product of the perfect couple bringing out the best in each other. Then suddenly, Andre' decides that he wants to see other people. Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is a perfect example of two individuals trying to prove that they can live without each other. Ultimately, their desperation produced some of the finest work of their careers. But now, it seems as if they have fully separated. Idlewild comes across as two divorced parents getting together for the sake of their children. Their individual brilliance is still on display, but their motivation is not.
Outkast appear to be going through the motions on their latest release. After the critical and commercial success of Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (which, in my opinion, is the White Album of hip-hop), there was an abundance of rumors concerning the duo's future. One of the most ridiculous rumors involved the production of an Outkast movie. A few years later, that rumor has become a reality. Idlewild, the seventh album from Outkast, is essentially a soundtrack to the movie of the same name. Since the film is set in prohibition-era America, the album finds Andre and Antwan attempting to fuse their own musical quirkiness with the sounds of the 1920's. Actually, that description alone sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, the album itself leaves me wondering whether Outkast have become apathetic or just plain lazy.
Within the first ten seconds of "The Train", a voice calls out "All aboard! Or are all ya'll bored?" This question is asked nine tracks/twenty-five minutes into Idlewild, and at this point the answer is "yes." It is quite possible that there has never been a more lethargic hip-hop album than this one. The first half of the album is an exercise in restraint. The initial handful of tracks never seem to take off, beginning and ending without actually going anywhere. This mood, in varying degrees, lingers throughout the entire album. There are a few brief moments of pleasure including "Life is Like a Musical", "Hollywood Divorce", "Makes No Sense At All" and "Greatest Show On Earth". Each of these tracks is driven by Andre's undaunted creativity and increasingly proficient crooning. Unfortunately, Antwan's performances never allow him to escape from the shadow of his former collaborator.
Idlewild concludes with "A Bad Note", an eight-minute piano driven soundscape that would have been an interesting ending to a great album. However, after almost eighty minutes of unpacified anticipation, this particular album left me with nothing more than a sobering realization. The relationship that is Outkast is indeed over.
