Collaborations lift BoB debut

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Barry C Chung
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Barry C Chung |
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Hopes were sky-high before the release of rapper BoB's debut The Adventures of Bobby Ray. After a string of high-profile collaborations, most notably with T.I., BoB was hailed as the new sound of commercial hip hop.

More than half of the 13 tracks on album are collaborations, which makes you wonder if BoB, whose real name is Bobby Ray Simmons, has the star quality to stand alone. The collaborations run the gamut of genres and are also the best songs here; the solo offerings are weak in comparison.

Lead single Nothin' on You, featuring the mesmerising vocals of Bruno Mars, has been nominated for the Record of the Year Grammy. But Mars steals the spotlight, his light falsetto caressing your ears when he croons, "They've got nothin' on you, baby".

In The Kids, BoB raps over Vampire Weekend's hit The Kids Don't Stand a Chance. One verse is sung by the another velvety-voiced rising star, Janelle Monae, while BoB adds enough of his own flavour to make it his own.

The most intriguing - and unlikely - collaboration is the Dr Luke-produced Magic, featuring Weezer's indie-geek lead man Rivers Cuomo on chorus duty.

This may not be music gold, but BoB is clearly doing enough right to garner all the hype - and five Grammy nods.

Contains strong language

YP rating: 4/5

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