Take two bottles into the shower? Sure, why not? I’m an old-fashioned guy. After all, that two-in-one nonsense makes my head all itchy. It burns, it burns…

Yet the two-in-one approach is exactly what Atlanta’s finest sons Outkast have gone for on their fantastical double-album, ‘Speakerboxxx/The Love Below’. Whilst most double-albums render the listener comatose halfway through the first side (see: 'Sign O’ The Times', 'Melon Collie and the Infinite Sadness'), this one is more likely to have you bopping up against whatever female crosses your path (should you be a hot-blooded male that is, as rappers *Big Boi *and *André 3000 *clearly are). It’s just too damn funky for its own good, and the stupendous ‘Hey Ya!’ is just the tip of the cool-as-iceberg. Example one: Big Boi’s positively dirrty ‘Bowtie’, as crisp as the finest wine. Example two: André’s sleazy ‘Spread’ (“Don’t want to move too fast but can’t resist your sexy ass”). Example three: the ‘Stankonia’-style party anthem, and album opener, ‘Ghetto Musick’. Basically, there’s too much hot shit here for you NOT to own this.

Yes, it’s essentially two solo records, but if you can name me just one rapper that made a more complete record in 2003 than either of these two Southern boys' efforts, I’ll call you a liar. Big Boi wants to make you party and André wants to take you to bed – what better combination could there ever be? Break up in the future they may, but even individually they’ll forever be cooler than cool.