B.o.B. :: B.o.B. presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray

Hailing from North Carolina and Georgia, Bobby Ray Simmons (a.k.a. B.o.B.) breathes Dirty South. Despite this though, his debut album B.o.B. presents The Adventures of Bobby Ray has three singles that have made the Billboard Top 100 (two of which have peaked at No. 1), making him a pop/Top 40 sensation because of his ability to smoothly appeal to every taste.

With the help of music industry heavy-weights Rivers Cuomo (Weezer), Hayley Williams (Paramore), Eminem, Janelle Monae, Bruno Mars, Lupe Fiasco and T.I., Adventures is an instant success. The songs range from sweet (“Nothin’ on You” feat. Bruno Mars; “Lovelier Than You“) to reeking of dirrty south influences (“Bet I” feat. T.I. and Playboy Tre); introspective (“The Kids” feat. Janelle Monae) to rock (“Magic” feat. Rivers Cuomo; “Letters from Vietnam“). This album is all over the place, appealing to everyone and anyone.

B.o.B. has the talent that many rappers are experimenting with these days which is being able to sing and rap fluidly. We explored that with Drake’s album, but unlike Drake, B.o.B. can actually pull it off without that nasally voice. I struggle with the decision to include this album on the best of 2010 list, but one thing is for sure: this is probably one of the most entertaining albums of the year.

Buy the album at our record store on Amazon

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