I'm revisiting Slick Rick's albums and having this at 2.5/5 was surprising after the enjoyable start of the album. Moving ahead three years from his debut, the production is an improvement from the jump, with the first couple of songs featuring high tempo drums and quick-fire rapping. After not remembering this album very well, I was asking myself if it falls away.
'Moses' begins the minor problems. Rick drops off from the verses, in a style he often uses, but the beat basically just rides on the chorus, as do most of the previous songs, and it's a touch boring. The following 'Tonto' continues with the sound from the first four songs and again there isn't a hook to speak of. Thankfully, the next song, 'Mistakes of a Woman in Love With Other Men', completely changes up the pace. He could rap louder though. The vocals are too low on some songs. The production is catchy enough that it manages to get a pass, but again, the chorus is just scratching and "how long can you (go)" being repeated.
'Venus' goes back to the high tempo, quick rapping of the first five songs, but the minor production beat change up about half way through works well along with the singing hook after the one solitary long verse. The beat rides for almost two minutes after the hook. 'It's a Boy' sees Slick Rick back in his lane, and like 'Mistakes of a Woman in Love With Other Men', the production is more unique and enjoyable. Then the album ends with an unexpected dance song that isn't bad.
To answer my own question from the introduction, it doesn't fall into too large of a hole, but the sound and way Rick raps is too similar. It kind of feels like he was going through the motions on some of these songs. When you compare the production on here to something like Naughty By Nature's debut, released in the same year, the production does still sound like it's stuck in the previous decade. The hooks are really lacking as well, with most songs just letting the beat ride. Yes, 'Children's Story' doesn't have a chorus either, but he basically does it for a whole album here and that formula can't always work.
This is stuck somewhere between 2.5/5 and 3/5. There is nothing unlikable but there are too many songs that lack that something extra to take them and the album to the next level. If there were more hooks with some variation, it would've added some extra life to the album that in the end, is all too similar and not as fun as a Slick Rick album should be.
Beats: ★★★☆
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★
Best Tracks: Bond, Mistakes of a Woman in Love With Other Men, Venus, It's a Boy
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