Bubba Sparxxx - Charm (CD)

All Music Guide

Southern rapper Bubba Sparxxx must have taken the nonresponse 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 wellrounded, justshortofexcellent 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 charthungrier style for Bubba, the toosweet, toosugary "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 lowriding "Claremont Lounge," which brings to mind the great Deliverance with its deep Organized Noizeprovided 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 goodtimes Bubba back into the collective consciousness. - David Jeffries, All Music Guide Read more Less