Country Grammar

セントルイス生まれのヒップホップ界の大御所、ネリーの2000年に発表されたデビュー・アルバム『Country Grammar』の発売20周年を記念して、デラックスLPを発売!

Rolling Stone (8/31/00, pp.73-74) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Quick-rolling liquid bass bumps wrap around his wordplay-heavy sing-song rhyme-flow....the best thing to come out of St. Louis since Redd Foxx." Rolling Stone (8/31/00, pp.73-74) - 3.5 stars out of 5 - "...Quick-rolling liquid bass bumps wrap around his wordplay-heavy sing-song rhyme-flow....the best thing to come out of St. Louis since Redd Foxx." Entertainment Weekly (7/21/00, p.78) - "...What salvages Nelly is his voice...appealingly minimalist tracks, and introspective moments like 'Ride Wit Me'..." - Rating: B- Entertainment Weekly (7/21/00, p.78) - "...What salvages Nelly is his voice...appealingly minimalist tracks, and introspective moments like 'Ride Wit Me'..." - Rating: B- Q (1/01, p.92) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000". Q (11/00, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A peerless party record. All rubbery beats and shameless pop nous..." Q (1/01, p.92) - Included in Q's "50 Best Albums of 2000". Q (11/00, p.112) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...A peerless party record. All rubbery beats and shameless pop nous..." The Source (5/00, pp.216,218) - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...Validates Nelly's husky, singsongy style as the new steez to jock. The boy's thick, gospel flavor is so nice at times that he'll soon be stealing collab gigs from Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo..." The Source (5/00, pp.216,218) - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...Validates Nelly's husky, singsongy style as the new steez to jock. The boy's thick, gospel flavor is so nice at times that he'll soon be stealing collab gigs from Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo..." NME (Magazine) (9/23/00, p.34) - 9 out of 10 - "...Slurred and slow and damn proud of it. Nelly is legit and eased...and is the year's dreamiest new hip-hop discovery....This album's one in a million; pure gold. Album of the year so far." NME (Magazine) (9/23/00, p.34) - 9 out of 10 - "...Slurred and slow and damn proud of it. Nelly is legit and eased...and is the year's dreamiest new hip-hop discovery....This album's one in a million; pure gold. Album of the year so far."

By the time of Country Grammar's release in summer 2000, the album's title track had become a major hit single for the previously unknown St. Louis rapper Nelly, who was making his national debut. In particular, the song's tongue-twisting chorus is downright infectious: "I'm goin down down baby, yo' street in a Range Rover/Street sweeper, baby, cocked ready to let it go/Shimmy shimmy cocoa what? Listen to it pound/Light it up and take a puff, pass it to me now" -- or something like that. There are many more tongue-twisting singalong moments like this on Country Grammar, such as "Ride wit Me" and "E.I.," enough to make the album an engaging overall listen, despite some pedestrian rapping at times. More than anything, Nelly's knack for writing -- and singing -- such infectious hooks makes Country Grammar an exceptional album for its time, one that transcends regional styles like Dirty South and is universal in its (Midwestern?) pop-rap appeal. Some of the credit should go to producer Jason "Jay E" Epperson, who showcases a lot of talent over the course of Country Grammar. ~ Jason Birchmeier