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.