André 3000 – New Blue Sun (Album Review)

On November 15, 2023, when André 3000 dropped a surprise announcement that he was dropping his debut solo album in just two days, sufficient to say, the internet was abuzz. Former member of rap conglomerates Outkast (Comprised of André 3000 and Big Boi) and Dungeon Family (Including members such as Big Boi, Cee Lo Green, C-Smooth, and Killer Mike), André 3000 has been quiet with his discography since the split of Outkast in 2007, appearing in features sporadically throughout the years.

His most recent feature before the news of his new album, which appeared on Scientists & Engineers from Killer Mike’s album MICHAEL, going on later to win a Grammy for Best Rap Song, further fueled speculation that the world would receive an official solo rap album from the Atlanta artist himself. It wasn’t until NPR released their one-hour interview with André 3000 that the concept and premise of the album were revealed; not only is André 3000 not rapping on the album, it will be comprised of his performance on flutes such as contrabass, maya, and bamboo flutes along with other digital wind instruments.

Confusion, complaints, and negativity soon swept over the internet with many people wondering, “Why is he not dropping a rap album?!”. In an interview with GQ, he describes the difficulties at his age (48 years old) to find relevant lyricism about his life experiences as he stated that, despite public speculation, he isn’t sitting on unreleased music but actually, hasn’t had much inspiration to write. So then, why the flute? Stating in the GQ interview, André revealed that he has been playing the flute for over the past half-decade or so, using the flute as a pastime alternative to scrolling on his phone. It wasn’t until 2019 that André began being spotted in public spots such as Starbucks, open mic nights, and on street corners playing a double mayan flute for unprompted and unannounced appearances.

Stating in an interview with Rick Rubin on The Broken Record podcast also in 2019, André 3000 cited a loss of confidence and a newfound fear of his lyrics being overanalyzed online without inspiration to write new songs, explaining his absence from original content outside of features. It wasn’t until 2022 that it started to become more apparent of André’s focus on the flute as he recorded four tracks with his Mayan flute for the soundtrack of the A24 film Everything Everywhere All At Once, a movie met with massive success worldwide. While the trajectory of how André decided to make a flute-exclusive album is there, it still took fans of Outkast and André himself by surprise. Even with the recent announcement of André 3000’s first concert appearance in years slated for The Roots’ Picnic in 2024 with a clear disclaimer he will be playing the flute exclusively, fans were befuddled.

On November 17, 2023, over the course of 8 songs (1hr 27min) with the help of co-producer/co-writer Carlos Niño, André 3000 keeps his promise of a flute exclusive album, even including a disclaimer on the physical album covers of “Warning: no bars”. With song titles offering fun explanations for the inspirations of the tracks (i.e. I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time and That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control… Sh¥t Was Wild) or just cryptic messages (i.e. Ninety Three ‘Til Infinity And Beyoncé and BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears a 3000® Button Down Embroidered), the titles are a fun expression of André’s thoughts, feelings, and personality for fans to analyze or take at surface level. With references to other iconic artists (i.e. Souls of Mischief’s 93 ‘Til Infinity and Beyoncé), historic leaders (Gandhi, Dalai Lama, Jesus Christ), and even serial killers (Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and John Wayne Gracy), André 3000 offers cryptic interpretations to the meaning, if any, behind each song title.

As for the tracks themselves, André 3000 gives most tracks sufficient time to seamlessly flow and set the scene with most songs having a runtime of over 10+ minutes. Impressively enough, André 3000 set a record for the track I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time charted at #90 on the Billboard Top 100, making it the longest song (12min) to chart on the list in its history. With songs as long as 17 minutes and as short as 4, André’s focus isn’t on accessibility but, instead, on the quality, flow, and intention of the track itself.

Tracks such as That Night In Hawaii When I Turned Into A Panther And Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn’t Control… Sh¥t Was Wild are furthered by André’s explanation on NPR of going to Hawaii, taking ayahuasca, and having a trip that convinced him he was a panther during the peak of his high. Anecdotes like this of the inspiration behind each track, offer a more insightful look into André’s mentality and purpose of the tracks; unfortunately, not every track has commentary as transparent as this.

Throughout the album, André offers a light and delicate touch to his instrumentation while simultaneously maintaining a unique sound to each track. Serene, tranquil, mellow yet full of personality, the lo-fi nature of the light instrumentation offers a deeply meditative tone throughout. With subtle versatility in each track with the instrumentation included, André does an excellent job of exploring a more natural sound in a track (i.e. BuyPoloDisorder’s Daughter Wears a 3000® Button Down Embroidered) just to explore a more electric, artsy, and perilous tone in the next track (i.e. Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Your Lord & Savior J.C. / Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, And John Wayne Gacy). With tracks that elicit an overall feeling (i.e. Natural, Spacey, Dark, Sinister, Animated, Wonky, Otherworldly) it becomes apparent of André’s intention of the album; to create a space for us to self-reflect, explore, and deepen our appreciation of life, nature, and our own spirit.

Overall, New Blue Sun is an extremely cohesive and flowing album that offers such a delicate and healing touch that one could be forgiven to believe it’s the soundtrack for a nature documentary at times. Despite its cohesive flow, this album is not accessible to the masses given the bold and experimental nature of the project, possibly alienating fans of André’s discography. Excelling as an album as a whole rather than individual songs, this meditative mental trip is a beautifully and carefully curated project whose symbolism and expression bring it to new heights. Open to interpretation about deeper meaning or simply something to take at the surface level, New Blue Sun is an ambiguous project that’s experience is purely subjective from person to person.

Rating/Excellent – Defying public expectation while being someone of André 3000’s caliber is extremely tricky; a shift of this change, especially for an active artist in the public eye since the early 90s, can always be potentially career-ending. André made an album for André and the stage of his life that he is in; concerned about public perception, sure, but still furthering his art despite his concerns in a way that feels authentic for him. Not concerned about commercial success, satisfying fans, or critical reception, New Blue Sun is a passion project that clearly means a lot to André 3000. Dedicated to creating quality content, André made an album that isn’t accessible to the masses at all, isn’t radio-friendly, nor is something that fits within his discography. Instead, it is endearing, mediative, healing, and symbolic of an artist’s freedom and authenticity that not only should be encouraged but celebrated, regardless of personal opinion.

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