Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams
MusicMash Rating: not rated yet
www.avclub.com Rating: 0
Even before its release, the Wu-Tang Clan's ostensible comeback album, 8 Diagrams, drew heated criticism from hip-hop luminaries. In the beef-filled world of rap, that isn't unusual; what is unusual is the source of that criticism: standout Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah and Raekwon, both of whom have criticized the group's new musical direction, the latter even calling RZA a "hip-hop hippie" in an interview.
The pair's criticism initially seems misguided. "Campfire" and "Rushing Elephants" swagger with the adrenaline rush of vintage Wu-Tang Clan while "Wolves" playfully experiments with the group's well-worn aesthetic via a freaky-funky-greasy George Clinton chorus and spaghetti western atmospherics. "The Heart Gently Weeps" is a less successful attempt at broadening the group's sound. It's a sleepy take on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that gets an A for effort and ambition but a C for execution. As on Ghostface's consistently transcendent solo albums, whenever he and Raekwon join forces they time-travel back to Wu's 36 Chambers heyday. In a similar vein, every time he raps alongside his Wu brethren, Method Man makes a remarkable transition from grumpy, mild-mannered has-been to charismatic super-MC.
After "Wolves," though, the album meanders in search of direction, and Ghostface, now the group's MVP, goes missing. "Starter" revolves around a drunken, woozily infectious horn sample, and the version of Diagrams available at Best Buy and in Europe ends with a poignant trip back to the beginning with "16th Chamber (ODB...
Read the complete review here