Soon people everywhere will be able to gawk and marvel at the white, hip-hop, country-fried rapper known as Bubba Sparxxx. Sparxxx is touring to promote the release of his new album, Deliverance.
Sparxxx believes he has a “new sound.” This, however, is just not true. What Sparxxx has done is steal numerous ideas from other people who worked hard to create original ideas.
The backing instrumentation is generic for the most part. That is, except for when the harmonica makes its auspicious appearances and when the Riverdance-esque string section comes in. Don’t forget the punkish electric guitar and the techno beats. This new combination has no new ideas by any stretch of the imagination.
The title song, “Deliverance” is catchy. It’s difficult not to hum along with the opening section, and there are some nice harmonies during the chorus. The Jamaican accent is a little weird (ok, very weird and equally annoying), but the melodies are fun.
Then the rapping starts. For someone who doesn’t know much about rap, the only thing to do is rely on instinct. It’s often helpful to ask questions like, “If I had a choice between listening to this and eating a kilo of raw egg yolks, which would I choose?”
Thus, it is easy to conclude that the music is indeed quite boring once you get past the flashy introduction and bad Jamaican accent. The verses tend to be a little on the long side without much tone variation. In short, no real musical ideas make for uninteresting music.
But what of the lyrics? Any rapper who mentions “fishin’ poles” has to be cool, right? Sparxxx has a favorite subject he milks for all it’s worth on this album: himself. These songs are full of self-congratulatory gems which tell his tales of success, failure and success again. Sparxxx describes some harrowing situations which anyone should be proud to have endured, but it doesn’t make for an intriguing album.
What is intriguing about Bubba Sparxxx, other than the mystery of why anyone would need three consecutive X’s in their name, is who he is and where he’s from. The fact that he’s a white rapper from the South who likes to go fishin’ and is not ashamed to sing about it is as interesting as he gets. That scenario reads more like a gimmick than a recipe for success.
With no real substance and no unique ideas to pull an audience in, it is doubtful this album will go far. On the other hand, this is the kind of album pop fans will love for its bland sound and passive lyrics.