Post by StevePulaski on Aug 28, 2014 22:06:57 GMT -5
Made on McCosh Mill Road (2014)
By: Bubba Sparxxx
By: Bubba Sparxxx
Rating: ★★½
When I was listening to the entirety of Bubba Sparxxx's most recent album release Made on McCosh Mill Road, I almost had to do a double-take with every song; this was the same Bubba Sparxxx who sung "Mrs. New Booty" when I was into rap heavily six years ago. This was the same Bubba Sparxxx who sung with The Ying Yang Twins and rap producer/executive Mr. Collipark just a few years ago. Now, Sparxxx fits in nicely alongside names artists like Colt Ford (whose label Sparxxx is signed to) and JJ Lawhorn in the strange but ever-so impressive sector of country-rap (or "hick-hop"), where two unique genres are blended together to give an unbelievably cutthroat effect.
After hearing exceptional work for Colt Ford, who just released his album Thanks for Listening early last month, and being spoiled by the likes of his lyrical craft for about two years now, Sparxxx's Made on McCosh Mill Road only seems like standard fare for a genre so young. In addition, it proves that, for now, the country-rap genre is confined to bearing songs including drinking, finding an attractive country girl, partying the redneck way, going hunting, or boasting southern, Christian values. I've given up hope we'll find more subversive topics for the genre, but I haven't given up hope that these topics will be used for something stylistically sublime in the genre. With country-rap, it's all about the flow, the rhythm, and the level of lyrical competence rather than the familiarity of the subject matter. If you get past that, you'll enjoy most of what the genre has to offer.
Sparxxx's main issue with Made on McCosh Mill Road is that the lyrical quality is only strong about half the time. On a ten-track album, about three of the songs are great, with the remainder being decent or forgettable. The titular jam, which kicks off the album, surprises with a punch that was unforeseen by somebody like me, but provides for a nice blend of country-rap qualities in addition to humorous lyricism. Also boasting lyrical chops and strong flow is "Okay Then," which almost treads into too much of the latter of its genre than achieves a balance, but still achieves a style that is akin to that of a band like Hot Action Cop. "Prolly Right" is a fun little anthem about when Bubba comes from, with production that compliments the style of Colt Ford, "Way Down South" is a boisterous banger with a seriously commendable flow, and finally the album concludes with "Pay Attention," where an assertive Bubba implores you to pay attention to what he says, as he sits back and slugs Natural Light that's reportedly "colder than the North Pole" as he doesn't like to waste words.
The album's missteps come in the form of the preachy and predictable "Past is Practice," which is only elevated by a nicely-diversified chorus by JJ Lawhorn and "Better Be Country," which sounds like the most generic song to come from the young genre yet. Sparxxx is a lot like Kid Rock, in that he seemed to really try to pursue the genre of rap when he first entered the music industry, but changing ways, looking to brew a new, eclectic genre and a heavy bout of reconsideration led him to mesh his own style with the age-old ideas of country music. With a bit more lyrical polish and some more upbeat production, Bubba could easily muster into one of the commanding forces of a subsector in music I never get tired of visiting (yet).
Recommend tracks (in order): "Made on McCosh Mill Road," "Okay Then," "Pay Attention," "Way Down South," and "Prolly Right."