Album Details

• Artist: B.o.b.
• Album: Strange Clouds
• Label: Atlantic
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlita on 2012-05-31

Media

For fans of "B.O.B. Presents the Adventures of Bobby Ray", "Strange Clouds", the sophomore album released earlier this month from B.O.B., the hip-hop trifecta (singing rapping producer), treads on familiar pop and theme territory explored before. Where do you go after hitting it big with pop, rock and hip-hop artist collabos on your first album? Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Bringing in pop princesses Taylor Swift, Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Trey Songz, T.I. and Lil Wayne (Breezy, Treezy, Teezy and Weezy), super pop writer/producer Ryan Tedder and even Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, there is such a thing as too many collabos which affects some of the album's cohesion. Discussing his current "Mo Money, Mo Problems" success which has brought women, travel and rockstar perks yet acknowledging the tough humble beginnings is what you'll find here on " So Good", "So Hard to Breathe", "Arena" and "Ray Bands".

Although I unexpectedly liked "Strange Clouds" with Lil Wayne and the melting electronic-wire sounding "Out of My Mind" with Barbie doll Nicki Minaj, you don't get a sense of who he really is, away from the famous guest spots, until the highlights, "Play for Keeps" and "Where Are You- B.O.B vs. Bobby Ray", which depict a talented musical dirty south boy with clever lyrics ("I stay in them trees like the Keeblers") who hit the jackpot. This perhaps alludes to a struggle several successful artists have, to keep artistic integrity vs. getting paper. If it's the latter, B.O.B. says "you surface or you plummet" and he'll be back on the top of the charts with heads in "Strange Clouds" for a long time.  

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