DJ Shadow ‎– The Outsider

As a rap album, it's good. It's better than Lil Wayne or similar junk. Obviously, most listeners are not looking for rap on this album, they are looking for trip-hop. So in that respect, this album will disappoint.

My problem with it is that its lost all semblance of mood, or emotion, or deepness. Entroducing was this hypnotic downtempo sound that made you think, made you reflect on things, and made you introspect. This is more commercial and reeks of popular hip-hop.

Many have written this off unfairly and without consideration for the balance of content. Sure, half of this album (the much maligned 'hyphy' material) is absolute rubbish, there can be no denying that. This said, the other half of the album is as good as Shadow has ever been, and there is a lot of fresh stuff on here that he had never attempted to do before. Erase You in particular is a stunning track with clear, melodic vocals that suit Shadow's shifting break snippets surprisingly well. Triplicate is one of his darkest pieces ever, an oppressive and apocalyptic piece that is among the most affecting songs in his catalog. You Made It is high-grade pop music with acoustic guitar and strings... You get the idea. There is a lot of variety on here and not all of it is worthwhile but when he hits the mark he does exceedingly well.

First of all, be carefull:

This album has been criticized by many people, many times.
All reviews tend to say this album was not "Endtroducing".
And that is totally correct.
But if you hear people saying that this album has nothing to do in the Shadow discography, i can tell they are simply wrong.

If you know (a minimum)what DJ Shadow is doing and has done in his career, you'll clearly understand why he has composed "The Outsider".
The only people who doesn't like it are people who have only listenned to "Endtroducing" or more generally, all instrumental hip-hop releases he has produced over the years.
DJ Shadow comes from hip-hop. It's like that, weither you like it or not.

"The Outsider" confirmes Shadow's producing talents, it embraces lots of musical genres, with passion and greatness.
Recommended!

First of all, be carefull:

This album has been criticized by many people, many times.
All reviews tend to say this album was not "Endtroducing".
And that is totally correct.
But if you hear people saying that this album has nothing to do in the Shadow discography, i can tell they are simply wrong.

If you know (a minimum)what DJ Shadow is doing and has done in his career, you'll clearly understand why he has composed "The Outsider".
The only people who doesn't like it are people who have only listenned to "Endtroducing" or more generally, all instrumental hip-hop releases he has produced over the years.
DJ Shadow comes from hip-hop. It's like that, weither you like it or not.

"The Outsider" confirmes Shadow's producing talents, it embraces lots of musical genres, with passion and greatness.
Recommended!

Ok. Fine. I admit. I missed this one. I don't know how it happened. Either it didn't make a big splash, or I got stuck playing Endtroducing... I guess both are true. Meanwhile, Josh Davis, who slammed the above mentioned monumental debut back in 1996, returned a decade later with a third DJ Shadow album. The Outsider may surprise (and/or disappoint) any DJ Shadow fan. The album has only a few instrumental tracks, and it's pretty hip-hop heavy, featuring a long list of West Coast rappers, including Keak Da Sneak, Federation, and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Davis is based out of Bay Area, so it would be almost impossible for him to ignore the hyphy movement. Speaking to The Skinny magazine, Davis said, "it was really exciting when it came along and rather than do what I would probably have done in the past and go 'well gee, I'm a guy who mainly works with samples, so I guess this is just gonna pass me by,' I embraced it." Half way through the album we get a taste of blues, followed by an upbeat instrumental piece, and soon Davis drops a couple of indie tracks, featuring the vocals of Chris James from Stateless. Luckily for me, I dig the West Coast hip-hop sound. And I was equally impressed with the indie rock sound. But The Outsider may turn away the die hard fans. I guess the days of record digging may be over for the DJ Shadow that we know [and love], and as Davis matured, so did his desire for quality studio production. Favorite tracks: This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way), Backstage Girl, and Erase You.

Ok. Fine. I admit. I missed this one. I don't know how it happened. Either it didn't make a big splash, or I got stuck playing Endtroducing... I guess both are true. Meanwhile, Josh Davis, who slammed the above mentioned monumental debut back in 1996, returned a decade later with a third DJ Shadow album. The Outsider may surprise (and/or disappoint) any DJ Shadow fan. The album has only a few instrumental tracks, and it's pretty hip-hop heavy, featuring a long list of West Coast rappers, including Keak Da Sneak, Federation, and Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest. Davis is based out of Bay Area, so it would be almost impossible for him to ignore the hyphy movement. Speaking to The Skinny magazine, Davis said, "it was really exciting when it came along and rather than do what I would probably have done in the past and go 'well gee, I'm a guy who mainly works with samples, so I guess this is just gonna pass me by,' I embraced it." Half way through the album we get a taste of blues, followed by an upbeat instrumental piece, and soon Davis drops a couple of indie tracks, featuring the vocals of Chris James from Stateless. Luckily for me, I dig the West Coast hip-hop sound. And I was equally impressed with the indie rock sound. But The Outsider may turn away the die hard fans. I guess the days of record digging may be over for the DJ Shadow that we know [and love], and as Davis matured, so did his desire for quality studio production. Favorite tracks: This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way), Backstage Girl, and Erase You.

DJ Shadow goes hyphy! _The Outsider_ represents a departure in sound for him, even if the the spoken word intro promises something ominous and "This Time" is a piece of sunny upbeat funk. But "3 Freaks" brings in the granddaddy of hyphy, Keak Da Sneak, for some grindy hip-hop more interested in partying than head-nodding. And things continue in that vein for pretty much the entirety of the album. "Seein Things" takes on an angrier tone, addressing the government's mangled response to Hurricane Katrina, leading into the electric guitar blues of "Broken Levee Blues." After some more nonsense, "Triplicate/Something Happened That Day" gets us back to what made DJ Shadow (almost) a household name. After that, the album takes on an indie rock vibe, with "The Tiger" and "Erase You." Christina Carter's delicate voice buoys "What Have I Done." And if "You Made It" sounds suspiciously like a Coldplay sound... well, I blame Chris James for that. But, jarringly, "Enuff" throws the hip-hop back in the fold, even if it's not as grating as the hyphy of the earlier half. I won't even comment on "Dats My Part." It's a maddeningly uneven album, but perhaps it's naive to assume that DJ Shadow would continue doing _Endtroducing_ over and over again. I'm eager to see how he develops next.

What a calamity! After releasing groundbreking "Endtroducing...", followed by brilliant "Private Press", Josh Davis AKA DJ Shadow has lost himself in the vortex of commercial, trivial hardcore rap. When he's not copying mtv's rap style, he's copying Radiohead and Coldplay (both songs with Chris James, which are nice but so what?). Apparently Shadow forgot why hip hop sucked in '96. The reason it sucks is still the same and "The Outsider" is the biggest disappointment of 2006. Buy at your own risk.