After three years, Bobby Ray Simmons a.k.a. B.o.B finally dropped his debut LP The Adventures of Bobby Ray. The man deserves to be getting the publicity he's finally getting. He's dropped countless free mixtapes and has been busting it to finally put out a record. Too bad it came out after the radio killed "Nothin' On You", a track he released last year. Here's the track-by-track review:
1. "Don't Let Me Fall" This was the second song leaked from the album and is a trippy, soulful intro to the album. This song is pure B.o.B and showcases his guitar playing. One of the best tracks. 9/10
2. "Nothin' On You" This is still a good song reguardless of how bad the radio has killed it. Great hook by Bruno Mars. 9/10
3. "Past My Shades feat. Lupe Fiasco" Another typical, trippy B.o.B song. Lupe doesn't exactly kill his verse like I was hoping and B.o.B's rapping isn't as tight. One of the weaker tracks. 7/10
4. "Airplanes Pt. I feat. Hayley Williams" Another leaked track. Hayley Williams absolutely destroys the hook. Not B.o.B's best rapping, but overall a good track. Wait on Pt. II... 8/10
5. "Bet I feat. T.I. and Playboy Tre'" This was also released as a single. I like hood rap and all, but I'm not too keen on this track. T.I. does his thing on his verse but Playboy Tre' is awful. 6/10
6. "Ghost in the Machine" One of my favorite tracks on the album. Really showcases his voice in this one. More of the soulful, trippy-ness. Starting to sound alot like a Kid Cudi album. 8/10
7. "The Kids feat. Janelle Monae" B.o.B rapping over a Vampire Weekend track? I'll take that any day of the week. 8.5/10
8. "The Magic feat. Rivers Cuomo" B.o.B brings in another A-list singer to get the hook. I was kinda skeptical about how Rivers had been losing his touch lately. This didn't really reassure me, but it was decient. Bobby Ray has some sick rapping on this one. 8/10
9. "Fame" Not one of my favorite songs. Seems to drag on at times. 6.5/10
10. "Lovelier Than You" You can feel a summer vibe on this one. Sort of reminds you of "Nothin' On You". Still an okay track, good singing by B.o.B. 7/10
11. "5th Dimension feat. Ricco Barrino" The Spanish-sounding guy named Ricco gets annoying. Tight rapping by B.o.B saves the track. 7.5/10
12. "Airplanes Pt. II feat. Eminem and Hayley Williams" Wow. This is one of the most epic tracks I've ever heard. Hayley Williams still brings it on the hook and B.o.B brings another couple verses to go along with Pt. I. But the Eminem verse is mind blowing. I've never been big on him, but he absolutely kills it at the end. By far my favorite track on the record. 10/10
Even though some tracks bring the album down, B.o.B does his thing as he has done so many times on his mixtapes. The guy has to be one of the best rappers in the game right now. Really, you should buy this album. If you're not convinced yet, click the here to download all of his mixtpaes for free. It will change your mind.
Overall: 8.8/10
Bonus tracks:
13. "Letters From Vietnam" This is an okay b-side that shows how well Bobby Ray can really sing. Not my favorite, but it's decient. 7/10
14. "I See Ya" Sounds alot like "Bet I". Not his best work. 6/10
15. "Satellite" Not too sure why this was left off the album. I really like it, resembles "Ghost on the Machine" and "Don't Let Me Fall". Best b-side from Adventures. 9/10
