The Outsider (Digi-Pak)

DJ Shadow, also known as Josh Davis, is one of the most reclusive figures in hip-hop, and he wouldn't want it any other way (hey, even his name hints at his stealth nature). He has long been known as the seldom-seen guy who dropped the unclassifiable masterpiece Endtroducing... in 1996, only to go Houdini for six years before returning with the highly anticipated sophomore album Private Press.

Most of us just accepted that it would probably be at least another half decade before Shadow reemerged with a new serving to satisfy his rabid fan base, but lo and behold, he returns in 2006 with the unsurprisingly titled, The Outsider.

But title aside, this is a very surprising release from Shadow. A far cry from his familiar style of quilting mellow, instrumental genius from a drum machine and obscure samples in his record collection (which he handpicks from the hundreds of thousands of dusty vinyls in the dungeons of places like Amoeba Records in San Francisco), The Outsider features a set of modern productions in a bevy of different styles, ranging from hip-hop to rock. Almost every song here has a vocal and there is a heavy presence of fellow Bay Area natives.

Following "Outsider Intro," a film trailer-esque explanation of who The Outsider is and what is his mission, "This Time (I'm Gonna Try It My Way)" kick starts the events. The funky soul jam is strangely fascinating, and becomes all the more so for those who bother to check the liner notes and see the vocalist is listed as unknown. Chris James appears on two tracks, the funky-breaks inspired "Erase You," and the delicately arranged "You Made It." James' precious, echoic voice and slight accent remind one of Thom Yorke and Chris Martin, excellent company. The strong vocals on "This Time" and the subdued vocals by James are contrasted by Christina Carter's spoken word and lightly harmonic singing on "What Have I Done," laid over a haunting Shadow production.

Aside from the aforementioned tracks, The Outsider contains its fair share of upbeat material, most of which is prototypical Bay Area hyphy movement. Gravel-voiced Keak Da Sneak and Turf Talk guest on "3 Freaks," a solid trunk-thumpin production that will leave most listeners surprised that it came from Shadow. "Turf Dancing" features a few more Bay Area ballers, this time The Federation and The Animaniaks. Hyphy forefather E-40 brings his signature babble-raps on "Dats My Part," which Shadow tailored to suit his swift flows. David Banner causes major wreck on "Seein Thangs," and Phonte from Little Brother proves he's still at the top of his game on "Backstage Girl"

Shadow allows his vocalists to take over their spots, but thankfully he reserves a few tracks for himself. "Broken Levee Blues" is a powerful homage to New Orleans, full of moody, Hendrix-esque blues guitar. "Triplicate/Something Happened That Day" reminds fans that he still has a few masterpieces up his sleeve in the mold of "Stem/Long Stem."

In the process of making his previous album, Private Press, Shadow shared with several magazines that he had moved on from his "Why Hip Hop Sucks In 96" mindset and became more open to all hip-hop instead of just "real hip-hop," and even found himself enjoying a lot of it. In many ways, this album is a product of that change of heart. Shifting away from his typical style and even willing to get hyphy, The Outsider is proof that even a virtuoso artist like himself still has room to grow.

By Aaron Ellis