Stuck At Eleven: Outkast Become Outcasts

Brian Raftery | December 27, 2006 10:51 am
outkast-idlewild.jpg

Compiling a year-end Top 10 list means making plenty of painful nips, tucks, and tweaks. So, through the end of 2006, we present “Stuck At Eleven,” a daily look at the songs that came thisclose to making our year-end lists’ final cut.

Clocking in at 25 songs and 78 minutes, Outkast’s Idlewild was a chore to wade through; Lord only knows why no one at the label (or in the group) realized that the thing needed to be pared down by a good half-hour or so. But those listeners who were patient enough to let the album simmer for a bit were treated to a handful of solid tracks (“The Train,” “N2U”) and at least one great single with “Morris Brown,” which combines a marching-band beat with vocals by Sleepy Brown and Scar. It’s not “Hey Ya!” part two, but the whirling chorus deserves a bigger audience.

Outkast feat. Sleepy Brown and Scar – Morris Brown [MP3, link expired]