Deliverance is the second album by American rapper Bubba Sparxxx, released on September 16, 2003 by Beat Club and Interscope Records. It was produced by Timbaland and Organized Noize. The album debuted at #10 on the Billboard 200 with 64,500 copies sold in the first week released.[1] Although this album was only moderately successful, selling around 350,000 copies, it is regarded by many critics such as The Source, Hip Hop Connection and more mainstream magazines such as Q to be something of a landmark in hip-hop music. The album's main strength according to critics was that it embraced Sparxxx's grass roots, with production heavily influenced by country music and similar musical styles. This influence is evident on tracks such as "Comin' Round" which sampled its chorus from a track by the bluegrass group Yonder Mountain String Band, leadout single "Jimmy Mathis" which is led by a catchy harmonica tune from the Area Code 615 track "Stone Fox Chase", and "She Tried" led by a washboard rhythm section and a mellow fiddle sound.
Deliverance spawned two hit singles, "Back in the Mud" and "Deliverance". In 2010, Rhapsody included it in its list of "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers".[2] "Back in the Mud" was also featured on the Madden NFL 2004 soundtrack.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Deliverance received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 82, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[13] Johnny Loftus of AllMusic said, "Sure, his collaborators have some of the best beats in the business. But they can't always take up the slack when Bubba's raps start to wither in the heat."[3] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said, "Mixes hip-hop and country with ease and grace."[4] Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly said, "A sober rumination about life in the poor, white, rural South."[5] Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian said, "An intense, brooding piece of work."[6] Matt Cibula of PopMatters said, "He and his producers have constructed a monument to this New New New South. And you don't really have to believe in it in order to appreciate what a great record this is."[8] Josh Timmermann of Stylus Magazine said, "In a year that's produced first-rate albums by OutKast and Lucinda Williams, Bubba, a self-proclaimed redneck from rural Georgia who most people pegged as a probable one-hit wonder three years ago, has beaten the odds and made both the hip-hop and country album of the year."[10] Vibe said, "Sparxxx has now crafted a gem, thanks to improved songwriting and nimble production."[11]
Kandia Crazy Horse of The Village Voice said, "If Eminem is hip-hop's Elvis, then Bubba is its Gregg Allman, the white boy embraced by lowdown Little Africa, especially fellow musicians."[12] Steve Jones of USA Today gave it a score of three out of four stars and said, "Sparxxx's real strength lies in his intensely personal lyrics, which resonate whether he's talking about overcoming white-trash stereotypes or recovering from last night's bender."[14] Nathan Brackett of Rolling Stone said, "A few of the honky-tonk touches -- such as the corny country crooning on "My Baby's Gone" -- feel like gimmicks. But Sparxxx's lyrics are no shtick."[9]
Track listing
| 1. |
"Intro" (featuring Big Rube) | | Organized Noize |
2:15 |
| 2. |
"Jimmy Mathis" | - W. Mathis
- K. Buttrey
- C. McCoy
- Timothy Mosley
| Timbaland |
3:09 |
| 3. |
"Comin' Round" | - W. Mathis
- B. Kaufman
- T. Mosley
| Timbaland |
3:21 |
| 4. |
"She Tried" (featuring Ryan Tedder) | | Timbaland |
3:49 |
| 5. |
"Nowhere" (featuring Kiley Dean) | - W. Mathis
- T. Mosley
- J. Timberlake
| Timbaland |
5:37 |
| 6. |
"Overcome" | | Timbaland |
4:54 |
| 7. |
"Warrant Interlude" | | Timbaland |
2:22 |
| 8. |
"Warrant" (featuring Timbaland & Attitude) | - W. Mathis
- T. Mosley
- T. Clayton
- B. Pettaway
| Timbaland |
5:10 |
| 9. |
"New South" (featuring Duddy Ken) | - W. Mathis
- P. Brown
- R. Murray
- K. Richardson
- R. Wade
| Organized Noize |
4:01 |
| 10. |
"Deliverance" (featuring Timbaland) | - W. Mathis
- T. Mosley
- J. Douglass
| Timbaland |
5:06 |
| 11. |
"Hootnanny" (featuring Justin Timberlake) | - W. Mathis
- T. Mosley
- J. Timberlake
| Timbaland |
4:24 |
| 12. |
"Take a Load Off" | | Timbaland |
4:23 |
| 13. |
"Like It or Not" | - W. Mathis
- P. Brown
- M. Hartnett
- R. Murray
- R. Wade
| Organized Noize |
5:21 |
| 14. |
"My Tone" | | Timbaland |
3:49 |
| 15. |
"Back in the Mud" (featuring Sleepy Brown) | - W. Mathis
- P. Brown
- M. Etheridge
- S. Jordan
- R. Murray
- R. Wade
| Organized Noize |
4:13 |
- Sample credits
Chart positions
References
- ↑ "DMX Proves 'Grand Champ' On Album Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2012-02-13.
- ↑ "The 10 Best Albums By White Rappers". Archived from the original on July 31, 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
- 1 2 Loftus, Johnny. "Deliverance - Bubba Sparxxx". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- 1 2 Rabin, Nathan (September 22, 2003). "Deliverance · Bubba Sparxxx". The A.V. Club. The Onion. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- 1 2 "Entertainment Weekly review".
- 1 2 Lynskey, Dorian (October 3, 2003). "Bubba Sparxxx, Deliverance". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ↑ Koslow, Jessica (November 26, 2003). "Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
- 1 2 Cibula, Matt (September 18, 2003). "Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance". PopMatters. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- 1 2 Brackett, Nathan (October 2, 2003). "Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- 1 2 Timmermann, Josh (December 11, 2003). "Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- 1 2 "Vibe review".
- 1 2 Crazy Horse, Kandia (September 9, 2003). "Buck & Wing Vs. Bling-Bling". The Village Voice. The Village Voice LLC. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ↑ "Critic reviews for Deliverance". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 23, 2011.
- ↑ Jones, Steve (September 15, 2003). "Listen Up (Bubba Sparxxx: Deliverance)". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Bubba Sparxxx – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Bubba Sparxxx. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
- ↑ "Bubba Sparxxx – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Bubba Sparxxx. Retrieved March 30, 2016.
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