The Charm [PA] (CD - 2006)

The man who brought trailer-trash chic to southern hip-hop keeps one eye on his roots while moving ahead with THE CHARM. There are still Dirty South beats aplenty, with all the grease and groove the term implies, and from the very first track Sparxxx emphasizes his continued status as a "country boy." At the same time, the production aesthetic of the album represents the next step in Bubba's evolution, as it marks his entrée into the world of Outkast's Organized Noize production squad. Not only does this new move widen the rapper's horizons, but the impressive guest stars (heavy hitters like Ying Yang Twins and Petey Pablo) and label representation courtesy of Big Boi himself broaden the scope of THE CHARM even further.

Southern rapper Bubba Sparxxx must have taken the non-response to his 2003 album, the introspective Deliverance, to heart. He's moved out of the Timbaland camp -- although the producer does make an appearance on the infectious "Hey!" -- and into Big Boi's Purple Ribbon crew for his third release, the well-rounded, just-short-of-excellent Charm. Club bangers like the catchy "Ms. New Booty" with Ying Yang Twins are plentiful and there's a great amount of flash and polish, all wrapped up in a tight package with one major exception. After a steady stream of driven numbers that justify this chart-hungrier style for Bubba, the too-sweet, too-sugary "Run Away" sounds American Idol clean as it begs to get a taste of the mainstream. Making up for this is the bouncy and bright "Wonderful," the tense "Otherside" with Petey Pablo, and the low-riding "Claremont Lounge," which brings to mind the great Deliverance with its deep Organized Noize-provided beat. Deliverance is still his great album, but it didn't work so well on the weekend. The Charm, on the other hand, does as it good-times Bubba back into the collective consciousness. ~ David Jeffries minimize