DJ Shadow - The Outsider

Genre electronica Publisher Universal Motown External Links Official DJ Shadow Website Official Universal Motown Website

We all try and make mix-tapes. Usually they choke on a big one. We think we're creating a skyscape of sound, impressing ideas and complex moods and innermost feelings onto our eager and breathless listeners. Really, most people just see if the beginning of one song matches well with the ending of the previous. And in return? A slightly thankful smile and a broken "Next Track" button. Well, shit, if only you were a genius of the musical mash-up. Too bad you can't, say, take slight snips from that one obscure Brazilian tune you really like and add it as confectioners sugar to a delicious, fat-titty creation, rife with styles, beats, and tones pulled from the musical ether. Just blame God that you aren't Mr. Josh Davis, aka DJ Shadow.

It appears as if too many people want Shadow to recreate Entroducing... over and over again. It's gotten to the point where, exasperated, Shadow has said, "Maybe it's time for people to decide whether they like an album or an artist." Staying true to his mixing method of diverse musical styles while collaborating with a myriad of Bay Area hyphy rappers, Shadow has put forth another entertaining and powerful album. And, as opposed to our ham-handed attempts towards mixing by pushing similar songs together, he puts together songs and styles that you would initially think have no business being on the same rack, much less the same 10 minute span. For instance, after the spoken word of "Outsider Intro", he launches into a soaring "I'm Walking The Streets"-style strut. "This Time (I'm Gonna Do It My Way)" sails you right into this album's world, confidently declaring its intentions, like 'em or not. Then, what sounds to be a mixture of crunk and hyphy styles flows four tracks deep, dealing with the issues of needing freaks, dancing on cars in the spirit of the Gray Area, and robbing people blind. Switching gears, "Broken Levee Blues" sends out a tribute to the relocated masses of New Orleans with a sad, but spirited guitar solo. This piece gets run over by the freight train of "Artifact," which speeds along, crashing through barriers and slicing through rain. I'm leaving out a ton of tracks that deserve mention. Trust me that the style switches just DO NOT STOP. The further you get into this album, the more you'll see what a real achievement it is.

The shining star is the indelibly smooth mash-up "Backstage Girl". It's an ode to infidelity that ranks up there with the best of them, possessing the snappy wet grind dancing storyline one would recognize from "Miss Fat Booty" (Man, I smashed her like an Idaho p’TAYto) Our protagonist jumps in after some Kid Rock hip-thrusting guitars (yeah, this song intro is a 2006 nominee for Strip Club Song of the Year), informing us about his new dance/fuck lady, who has chased him around the club, advancing hard to have her "fall onner knees just to pray on [his] weaknesses." Great line, but how long does he hold out? For a bit....until the chick straight refuses to give him her name explaining, "I want you to fuck me like you don't know it." Done and done. Shadow illustrates the following obvious actions with a straight ROCKING jazz drum solo. I'm sure there's no better way in the world to portray fucking. It sounds like they're falling out of the bed with loud crashes, rolling down the stairs, sheets and panties arced into space. And at least one of them gets a concussion. After waking up, tangled in hair, our hero welcomes himself back to scoundrel hood with the admission that he can't fight it, he'll always be "lookin' for love in all the wrong places." But with one caveat. "I gotta stop fuckin' with these hoes offa MySpace, dog."