A long-anticipated debut record from B.O.B.

Bobby Ray’s collaborations with other performers and solo songs released as singles erased all the doubts that the guy’s up-coming long player would be a great even in the hip-hop global community. Ray, who uses the B.O.B. stage name, released this CD late in April 2010 under the title Adventures Of Bobby Ray. The release that was long and much anticipated by many is now available; and we have the chance to verify the significance of this work. It is so nice that, despite the young age and lack of stage and studio life experience, Bobby Ray did the best he could for the making of this album. He penned almost half of his first full-length effort and did the producing for the third of the songs. All in all, the new album features twelve main tracks and a couple of bonuses. The design of the record follows the classical hip-hop ideas and displays all the colorfulness and pomposity. In the meantime, the content of the record is not so easy to define. And the one responsible for this uncertainty is Bobby Ray in person.

Variety of hip-hop

Bobby Ray’s wide range of musical interest has long been a proved fact. Yet, as a citizen of the hip-hop infected Atlanta state, he could not but perform this kind of music on the debut album. The interesting part is that the first half of Adventures Of Bobby Ray is rap as it is, with the slightest possible influence from the outside. However, it is enough to try a pair of such impressive hits as Nothin’ On You, and Bet I, and you will see it for yourself how various rap can be. As soon as we cross the equator of the CD, the musical atmosphere starts to change. This is a gradual transition from R&B in The Kids to pop-music vibe in Magic, and, finally, to the completely unexpected Airplanes, Part II with echoes from the contemporary rock. There is no doubt that arranging and general stylistic features are the same for all the tracks; and any one you choose will match the hip-hop stuff description. Nonetheless, Bobby Ray’s eager intention to enrich the bulk of songs with different ideas is but praiseworthy. The first listening is enough for you to differentiate the compositions in your memory. It also becomes possible because the producing was done by a number of independent producers while Bobby performed the songs with several guests.

Young man’s serious ambitions

Adventures Of Bobby Ray is highly likely to get praiseful reviews and promote some of its songs to the charts of more than one country. It sounds weird, but there is a great possibility that the record is going to be ignored by those very people who like pure rap. The album’s music is rich in non-rap’s elements, and this approach does not seem to please them. Instead, the record is able to shatter beliefs of those prejudiced listeners who blame rap for lack of ideas and inability to evolve. There lies a great hope in the fact that the young artist managed to get the chance to work with those who have long been in the business and always have interesting cooperation proposals. Sufficient to say that the album’s closer, Airplanes, Part II, features Eminem who already expressed a desire to sing together with Ray during the promo tour for this album. It is a great sign, isn’t it?

Alex Bartholomew
12.05.2010