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But all the Chris Martinesque piano lines and calibrated guest appearances--from Weezer's River Cuomo to Janelle Monae--can't obscure an absence of soul throughout. For someone who raps so often about his days as an up-and-comer, there's a distinct lack of passion.
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Bobby Ray has a little way to go to match his mentor's lyrical ingenuity, but as the first post-Lupe rap star he's already absorbed the most important lessons about form and function, inspiration and integrity. It's a great start.
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This is a musician with creativity on tap and enough of it to burn through a little filler here while ensuring the prime cuts emerge perfectly.
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The Adventures of Bobby Ray is a curiously lonely affair, the sound of a singular talent being drowned in a tidal wave of cheerful banality.
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B.o.B. may be too eager to please at this stage of his career, and Adventures is perhaps too stuffed with ideas and styles to be deemed a true success, but the triumphs fucking reverberate.
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The opening track, "Don't Let Me Fall," showcases the rapper's smoothed-voice singing talent and vulnerability ("They say what goes up must come down/But don't let me fall") over a booming guitar, while "Magic" (featuring Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo) takes a more pop-driven direction.
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Guest appearances on any type of album usually generates some negativity but the ones on Adventures really shine and freshen it up a bit.
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He’s an amazing ringmaster for the age of mash-ups and wonky pop, and for his debut album he’s equally thrilling as the main attraction.
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While Adventures of Bobby Ray is B.o.B’s story, the feeling he conjures makes it easy to relate. It’s safe to say this genre-blending debut is a step in the right direction for the young rap star.
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The album's middle sags futilely, with bigwig producers like Dr. Luke and Jim Jonsin turning in weak beats. But even then, B.o.B. carries the weight with burning charisma.
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Atlanta MC Bobby Ray's debut album can be filed next to those by Wale and Kid Cudi: He's a left-of-center rap hero whose skills lag somewhere several miles south of his hipster bona fides.
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The Adventures of Bobby Ray is a hip-hop Scary Movie, tossing off references (Vampire Weekend sample, Rivers Cuomo cameo) while struggling to establish a distinctive identity.
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As far as products go, B.o.B. is, at the very least, highly marketable, if not terribly satisfying. The Adventures of Bobby Ray, like bubblegum, loses its flavor after about 15 minutes.
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On B.o.B Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray when the combination of styles works, he hits a sweet spot that's sure to advance his crossover career.
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There are many quirks with this album, but realise that it doesn't feel like a debut from a fully-formed artist, rather someone that intermittently flickers with potential and then dials it down to play it safe for the radio.
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The rags-to-riches rap is a cliched one, but Simmons’ take feels brave.
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A lesser artist could have gotten lost among the big names, but B.o.B’s soulful, Southern-fried sensitivity dominates this assured, thoughtful debut.
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Q MagazineIt's unswervingly catchy stuff. [Aug 2010, p.116]
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 72 out of 94
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Mixed: 7 out of 94
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Negative: 15 out of 94
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Dec 11, 2010
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Dec 14, 2010
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Mar 8, 2012