A few weeks ago I had no idea who B.o.B. aka Bobby Ray was. I don't listen to the radio often, and I'm not a huge fan of hip-hop. I did run into some buzz about him on the Internet, and heard about how he was collaborating with a wide variety of artists that I either like or find interesting (Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, T.I., Eminem, Hayley Williams from Paramore), so I thought I'd give his new cd, The Adventures of Bobby Ray a listen.

This album may be one of my favorite pop albums to come around in some time.

One of the first songs I took notice of was "Nothin' On You." I have heard this song before and I recognized it. Even though I did not know B.o.B. from his name, I could not avoid a song this popular, and it is a great summer song.

Another song that is gaining airplay is "Airplanes Part II" featuring Hayley Williams and Eminem. Hayley's chorus is very memorable and I can't help but sing along every time I hear the song. Both Bobby Ray and Eminem rap about how their lives could have ended up if they had not followed through with their dreams of becoming hip-hop artists, and it carries some emotion.

Those tracks and every other track on The Adventures of Bobby Ray have a different vibe to one another. "Magic" is a very hyper pop track that has a similar feeling to an Outkast song. It features Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, who sings a chorus that will not get out of my head! "The Kids" featuring Janelle Monae is kind of a remix of a Vampire Weekend song. "Fame" is a hip-hop song about how B.o.B. deals with... uh... fame. "Lovelier Than You" is a ballad of sorts with Bobby Ray crooning and playing acoustic guitar.

I recommend giving The Adventures of Bobby Ray a listen. I recently had the chance to hear B.o.B. play at a music festival and he was a great live performer. Reserve a copy of his CD at the library now, and when he comes to town definitely see one of his shows!

"Airplanes" featuring Hayley Williams on YouTube