Album Review: Ludacris - Theater of the Mind

Although I am a firm disbeliever in the current "look at me" era of hip hop that has produced uninspired acts such as Soulja Boy and Dem Franchise Boyz, I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Atlanta-born Chris "Ludacris" Bridges. I think it's mostly because he makes me laugh, and never seems to truly take himself seriously. A lot of his singles have been unintelligent club bangers, but Ludacris has always had an ability to transcend the trite subject material with his fantastic flow and seemingly bottomless pit of analogies and wordplay.

With Theater of the Mind, Luda's 6th LP, Ludacris has kept most of the same calling cards as in earlier albums but has tried to mold them into an ambitious collective. After his successful run-ins with the film industry, Ludacris has attempted to give every song on the album a theatrical touch, claiming that he wanted every song to pop out like a scene in a movie. I'm not quite sure if he accomplished this objective, but I will say that the songs that do hit hit VERY hard.

This is evident from the very beginning, as the "Intro" and the following "Undisputed" grab the listener's attention and refuses to let it go. Right out of the gate Luda's rapid-fire delivery and amusing lyrical offerings are on display, and the same is true for the end of the album. Starting with "Last of a Dying Breed" with Lil Wayne, Ludacris ends the album in such a strong way that if there were only these 6 songs on the album, it would be a 98 or higher.

It's just a shame that the middle 8 tracks throw all of that in the shitter.

It's not that all of the tracks are bad: in fact, "Wish You Would" is pretty good outside of the annoying chorus and "Southern Gangsta" is a really good song that actually makes Rick Ross sound good, strange as that sounds. But with medicore songs like "Contagious" and downright bad songs like "Nasty Girl" and the single "What Them Girls Like," there is no sort of continuous flow to the album to speak of.

To make matters worse, the abundance of guest stars (or co-stars to fit the movie theme) in most cases do not deliver the expected punch: T.I. does not give the verse he is capable of on "Wish You Would," and Chris Brown is almost unrecognizable on "What Them Girls Like." The overused cliche is that too many chefs spoil the pot, and the resulting entree seems overcooked. Not to say that all of the co-stars fail to contribute: besides the aforementioned Ross, Nas, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Common all deliver good verses. It's just that the CD has been given an epic treatment when it comes to the starpower that is working with Ludacris, and some of the actual performances do not necessarily live up to the hype.

Similarly to the guest rappers, the myriad producers on the CD have some high-profile names, such as legendary DJ Premier, Scott Storch, Swizz Beats and 9th Wonder. However, this collection of great producers does exactly what they're supposed to do. Ludacris's aim of making every track seem like the scene of a movie is an ambitious one, but the opening string arrangement on "Last of a Dying Breed" and the emphatic introduction help to capture this goal. Some of the songs don't carry the theme well ("What Them Girls" and "One More Drink" come to mind), but overall the beats on the album are certainly part of its strength.

After 2006's Release Therapy halted Ludacris's momentum because of its slightly different style, Luda has taken it in the opposite direction with Theater of the Mind. Although there are some chasms in between, Luda shows us he still has the flow and wordplay that made him hot but also the vision to try something different.

Scoring:

Replayability: (17/20) The first two and last four tracks are the songs to listen to over and over again. There are some songs here that I don't want to listen to at all, but those six plus a few others in between (hearing Chris Rock's mini-roast of Luda on "Everybody Hates Chris" is pretty funny) will keep Theater rockin' my CD player for a few more weeks, I'm sure.

Music: (18/20) Some of the songs do sound straight out of the movie screen, while others just sound good to shake your ass to in a club (not my ass, but somebody's, I'm sure). The amalgamation of big name producers helped the album's direction.

Lyrics: (18/20) I think that Ludacris takes a break on some songs, particularly in the middle, but in the beginning and the end his witticisms and jokes are top notch: "And I got da women screamin', and they could catch my balls on any given sunday like my name's Willy Beaman" is just one of the chucklers on the album.

Completeness: (13/20) This is where the album truly hurts, and it's because of songs such as "One More Drink" and "Nasty Girl." If Ludacris wanted to make this album like a movie, these are the scenes that should've been deleted; they make the entire album suffer. Doubly worse is the back to back of "What Them Girls Like" and "Nasty Girl."

Emotional Pull: (15/20) Since rap really isn't about commiseration and coming to touch with one's feelings, this score is mostly for the epic mood that the album creates on songs like "I Do It For Hip Hop," "Undisputed," and "Do The Right Thing." More than just a theme, the album's movie-driven influences take the listener on a ride and really shine when done properly.

Total Score: 81

Grade: B-

When it's hot, it's really hot: Ludacris rides on perhaps some of his best flows on this album. However, when it's not, it's simply not there, and the album as a whole suffers because of it.

Check, Check Plus, X
Intro √+
Undisputed √+
Wish You Would √
One More Drink X
Call Up My Homies √
Southern Gangsta √+
Everybody Hates Chris √
What Them Girls Like X
Nasty Girl X
Contagious √
Last of a Dying Breed √+
MVP √+
I Do It For Hip Hop √+
Do The Right Thing √+

One of the biggest CD release weeks of the month has been sufficiently conquered! We have a lot more music coming up before the end of the year, but I'm going to recommend something that's not exactly typical music in my next review. So get ready and suit up, because it will be on the way next week.

Sit tight til the next grade,
RRC