In short, the album has something for just about everyone. But, as the old saying goes, you can't please all of the people all of the time. Though impeccably produced throughout, Shadow's old fans probably won't dig the hyphy tracks, while newcomers will likely find his experimental tendencies a bit too eclectic to swallow.  Full text...

So, fanboys and girls, calm the eff down: It's still DJ Shadow.  Full text...

The Outsider is a long album, and a diverse one, sounding more like a mix tape than an album, and by mix tape, I mean that Maxell you dubbed for Summer Road Trip '97. Shadow made a strong effort not to adhere to just one style, and for such a non-committal stance, it's not half bad.  Full text...

Josh "DJ Shadow" Davis' The Outsider is a mix tape. The artful flow that defined Endtroducing and The Private Press has been eschewed in favor of individual tracks, and the album succeeds or fails along these lines.  Full text...

Call it a draw. Both show flashes of ability, but neither will be carried aloft from the arena.  Full text...

The legendary underground hip-hop DJ drops his signature sample-driven sound for a more upbeat, club-driven style relying more heavily on vocals and raps that is bound to scratch more heads than wax.  Full text...

On his third album, DJ Shadow posits himself as a renegade outsider in the music biz, and certainly there's no easy niche in which to pigeonhole the various stylistic strands that comprise The Outsider.   Full text...

The Outsider sounds like a chore-- to record, to listen to, and to review.  Full text...

Unfortunately, many of his hyphy cuts on The Outsider are too forgettable to be entertaining.  Full text...