'Speakerboxxx/The Love Below'

The most interesing "album" recorded in the past 20 years.

I say "album" only because they are packaged together for sale. There couldn't be two more different collections of music from two guys on different artistic paths. Sold seperately, you probably couldn't tell they were made by guys who once worked together.

Essentially, the members of OutKast recorded solo albums -- Big Boi did Speakerboxxx and Andre 3000 did The Love Below.

The Love Below was the most lauded of the albums. It had the two hits -- including the incredibly radio/club-friendly "Hey Ya" -- and is a critics fav because it's more experimental as Mr. 3000 dips his toes into several genres of music, most of which isn't hip-hop or rap.

Big Boi didn't stray too far from was he was already doing. Unfortunately for him, Speakerboxxx is the better album. It's expertly produced with some fantastic writing and performances from a who's who of cast members. It's shorter, which enriches the songs even more. Big Boi opted for the dunk instead of the half-court shot, but it was a spectacularly shot.

Andre 3000's The Love Below does deserve some credit. The hodgepodge of genres is something I don't much care about. But aspect of the opus is something I've never read about before and that is the fact that The Love Below is a concept album.

Mr. 3000 takes the journey of love from the beginning (a man talking to God, asking him/her to send him the love of his life) to the "climax" (the one-night stand) to the break-up ("Hey Ya") to the post-break-up letter. It's a brilliant comment on the man's perspective in the modern relationship.