The Charm

Last updated
The Charm
The Charm album cover.jpg
Studio album by
Bubba Sparxxx
ReleasedApril 4, 2006
Recorded2005–2006
Studio
  • The Dungeon Recording Studios (Atlanta, Georgia)
  • Stankonia Recording (Atlanta, Georgia)
Genre Hip hop
Length45:58
Label
Producer
Bubba Sparxxx chronology
Deliverance
(2003)		The Charm
(2006)		 Pain Management
(2013)
Singles from The Charm
  1. "Ms. New Booty"
    Released: November 29, 2005
  2. "Heat It Up"
    Released: May 25, 2006

The Charm is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist Bubba Sparxxx from Georgia. It was released on April 4, 2006 via Purple Ribbon Records and Virgin Records, a follow-up to Deliverance . Unlike the previous installments, it is the first album to have very little input from Timbaland, with production being handled and provided by Mr. Collipark and Organized Noize, and Big Boi serving as executive producer on the album. The guest appearances featured on the album were fellow rappers Cool Breeze, Petey Pablo, Duddy Ken, Killer Mike and the Ying Yang Twins, and singers Frankie J, Scar and Sleepy Brown.

Contents

The album received a generally positive reception but critics found it uneven in its amalgam of mainstream hip-hop songs and serious internal tracks. The Charm debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 with 51,000 copies sold in its first week released [1] and spawned two singles: "Ms. New Booty" and "Heat It Up".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 66/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [3]
The A.V. Club A− [4]
Entertainment Weekly B− [5]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [6]
Pitchfork 7.7/10 [7]
PopMatters Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
RapReviews7/10 [9]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
Stylus Magazine B [11]
Vibe Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [12]

The Charm garnered favorable reviews but music critics were divided by Bubba's decision to leave Timbaland for Big Boi and change his production and lyrical content. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66, based on 18 reviews. [2]

Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club praised the production work from Organized Noize and Bubba for still being able to deliver strong philosophical lyrics with bits of humor in them, concluding that "Sparxxx will probably never move enough units to justify his early billing as rap's next great white hope, but creatively, he continues to exceed even the loftiest expectations". [4] Soren Baker of the Los Angeles Times also praised Organized Noize's production for making Bubba sound commercially viable while allowing him to add more lyrical depth to his repertoire. [6] Justin Cober-Lake of Stylus Magazine felt that the change in production from Deliverance didn't hamper Bubba's ability to continue delivering aggressive lyricism over club tracks. [11]

Pitchfork writer Tom Breihan, despite finding some tracks that demean women, praised the upbeat and energetic production for allowing Bubba to lace them with introspective lyrics and funny punchlines, concluding that he "wants to become a pop star, and he probably won't succeed, but he hasn't lost his heart". [7] Justin Monroe of Vibe said that despite mainstream tracks like "Run Away" and "Ms. New Booty", Bubba maintains his tendency to bring sharp lyricism to his rhymes, concluding that "While his hedged bets reduce both risk and reward, his rural raps restore at least some of the magic in The Charm". [12] Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews felt a little disappointed with the album, finding most of the material filled with either both strong production and tight lyricism or sub-standard beats and deflated delivery, concluding that "Bubba still has that potential and does come with some good tracks, but it's a short album you can finish in under an hour that compared to his prior works sounds and feels vaguely unsatisfying". [9]

Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly was mixed towards the record, saying that crunk tracks like "Ms. New Booty" dour the experience after tracks like "Ain't Life Grand" exhibit Bubba's true talents as a rapper. [5] Jeff Vrabel of PopMatters felt that the lack of Timbaland and presence of Big Boi as executive producer throughout the album allowed for dull and meandering beats for Bubba to use to deliver uninspired brag raps without any creativity, calling it "one of year's most disappointing belly-flops". [8] Peter Relic of Rolling Stone criticized the record's production and Bubba's lyricism for feeling generic and lacking in charm like his previous efforts, concluding that "Though newly aligned with Big Boi's Purple Ribbon stable, Bubba Sparxxx appears only able to follow for now". [10]

Track listing

The Charm track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Represent"
 Organized Noize 3:36
2."Heat It Up"
 Mr. Collipark 3:44
3."Claremont Lounge" (featuring Killer Mike and Cool Breeze)
Organized Noize4:08
4."As the Rim Spins"
  • Mathis
  • Wade
  • Brown
  • Murray
Organized Noize2:59
5."That Man" (featuring Sleepy Brown and Duddy Ken)
3:53
6."The Otherside" (featuring Petey Pablo and Sleepy Brown)
Organized Noize3:57
7."Ain't Life Grand" (featuring Scar)
 Big Boi 4:47
8."Run Away" (featuring Frankie J)
  • Jason "Koko" Bridges
  • James D. "Sted-Fast" Hargrove
4:00
9."Wonderful"
  • Mathis
  • Wade
  • Brown
  • Murray
Organized Noize3:43
10."Ms. New Booty" (featuring Ying Yang Twins and Mr. Collipark)
Mr. Collipark4:40
11."Hey! (A Lil' Gratitude)"
 Timbaland 3:59

Chart history

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References

  1. ↑ Harris, Chris (April 12, 2006). "Pink Outdone By Rascal Flatts On Billboard Chart". MTV . Viacom. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for The Charm by Bubba Sparxxx". Metacritic . CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  3. ↑ Jeffries, David. "The Charm - Bubba Sparxxx". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved September 30, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Rabin, Nathan (April 5, 2006). "Bubba Sparxxx: The Charm". The A.V. Club . The Onion. Archived from the original on October 1, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  5. 1 2 Endelman, Michael (April 3, 2006). "The Charm". Entertainment Weekly . Time Inc. Archived from the original on April 27, 2009. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Baker, Soren (March 26, 2006). "Bubba's got his groove back" . Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on September 22, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Breihan, Tom (April 11, 2006). "Bubba Sparxxx: The Charm". Pitchfork . Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  8. 1 2 Vrabel, Jeff (April 3, 2006). "Bubba Sparxxx: The Charm". PopMatters . Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  9. 1 2 Juon, Steve 'Flash' (April 11, 2006). "Feature for April 11, 2006". RapReviews. Archived from the original on September 24, 2023. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Relic, Peter (April 12, 2006). "Bubba Sparxxx: The Charm". Rolling Stone . Wenner Media. Archived from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  11. 1 2 Cober-Lake, Justin (April 18, 2006). "Bubba Sparxxx - The Charm". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
  12. 1 2 Monroe, Justin (December 26, 2005). "Bubba Sparxxx - The Charm (Virgin)". Vibe . Vibe Media. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Bubba Sparxxx Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "Bubba Sparxxx Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
  15. ↑ "Bubba Sparxxx Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard.
  16. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2006". Billboard. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

Bubba Sparxxx – The Charm at Discogs (list of releases)

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