Bubba Sparxxx Deliverance CD

Athens, Georgia's first superstar MC, Bubba Sparxxx, returns with this highly impressive offering. Under the guidance of producer/mentor Timbaland, Bubba's follow-up to 2001's DARK DAYS, BRIGHT NIGHTS finds the white rapper elevating his game to a whole new level. While this can most obviously be attributed to Timbaland's stunningly inventive fusion of country and hip-hop, credit also goes out to Bubba himself. Focusing on more sobering subject matter, Bubba proves that an MC can be frank and honest yet still maintain an air of hardness. "Comin' Round," "She Tried," and "Deliverance" find Bubba exploring matters of lower-class conflict, including fatherhood and lost love. Outkast collaborators Organized Noize provide electrifying backup tracks on "New South" and "Back in the Mud," two anthems that showcase Bubba's ability to speak for an entire culture. With such strong performances by Bubba and Timbaland, DELIVERANCE is a work of two artists at their musical prime. A new South, indeed.

Recorded at The Dungeon and Zac Recording, Atlanta, Georgia; Manhattan Center Studios, New York, New York; The Hit Factory, Miami, Florida; The Studio, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Personnel: Bubba Sparxxx (vocals, background vocals); Timbaland (vocals, programming, drum programming); Sleepy Brown (vocals, background vocals); Brandon Bennett, Kiley Dean, Attitude, Big Rube (vocals); Bill Pettaway, Paul Blake, Tomi Martin, Ben Kenney (guitar); Austin Clark (steel guitar, fiddle); Matt Cappy (trumpet); Jeff Bradshaw (trombone); Parris Bowen (keyboards); George "Spanky" McCurdy (drums); Tye Tribbett & G.A. (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Jimmy Douglass; Timbaland.

Recording information: Hit Factory Studios, Miami, FL; Manhattan Center Studios, New York, NY; The Dungeon, Atlanta, GA; The Studio, Philadelphia, PA; ZAC Recording Studio, Atlanta, GA.

Photographers: Estavan Oriol; Anthony Mandler.

Personnel includes: Bubba Sparxxx, Big Rube, Attitude, Duddy Ken, Sleepy Brown (rap vocals); Justin Timberlake, Ryan Tedder, Kiley Dean (vocals); Mike Hartnett (guitar, bass); Paul Blake, Tomi Martin (guitar); Austin Clark (fiddle); Greg Lathrop (harmonica); Parris Bowens (keyboards); Shorty B (bass); Organized Noize, Timbaland (programming); Ty Tribbett, Georgia Choir (background vocals); Horns Unlimited.

Producers: Timbaland, Organized Noize For ONP, Inc.

Rolling Stone (10/2/03, p.118) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...DELIVERANCE may verge into HEE HAW! territory, but its heart is in STANKONIA."
Spin (9/03, p.110) - "...[A] robust evocation of life below the Mason-Dixon line....His flow exploits both the unchained melody and the motorized funk that tows it like a trailer..." - Rating: A-
Entertainment Weekly (10/3/03, p.72) - "...A sober rumination about life in the poor, white, rural South, complete with stunning bluegrass-sampling beats from Timbaland and Organized Noize..." - Rating: B+
Q (01/01/04, p.75) - Ranked #42 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums of 2003"
Q (10/03, p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...It's when Bubba stays with his southern roots - the biographical bluegrass twang of 'Deliverance', or the harmonica block party anthem 'Jimmy Mathis' - that he really shines..."