(High Times)
The Wu-tang Clan is once again producing decent material, even though their golden era has passed. Their newer albums, Gza's and Inspectah Deck's , were great but went unnoticed. Mathematics, the DJ and a producer for Wu-tang Clan, has put out an album called and did not produce anything new.
The brightest spot on the album is \Respect Mine,"" with guest appearances from the Wu-tang Clan and Cappadonna. The song gets your head nodding and the piano loop is addictive. The song has the energy of the old ""Wu-bangers."" Another decent song is ""Hip Hop 101."" The beat is woven well with many different levels to it and the scratches add a subtle ""oomph"" into the song. A few other songs are decent, but the rest of the album lacks intensity.
Mathematics, as DJ for the Wu-tang Clan, would lead you to expect more technical scratching or, at least, a blending from song to song like a Beat Junkies record. Instead, it feels disconnected. Much of the album samples R&B type loops with women singing off-pitch-a sound like fingernails on a chalkboard-especially on songs ""Justcantluv,"" and ""Guntalk.""
Though the album has a few gems, it does not have the lyricism or production that the great Wu-tang albums have. It would be much more worthwhile for a person to purchase either Gza's or Inspectah Deck's new album.
