After loving a few of their albums, the next ones I checked out weren't as likeable, but this is back on form and feels more like the albums from The Tea Party that I rate - 'Splendor Solis' and 'Transmission' in particular. Best Tracks: The Maker, Black Roses, Water's on Fire, The Ocean at the End

Seeing Kendrick Lamar put this amongst his top 25 albums made me check this album out and I'm kind of with AllMusic's rating. This hasn't done much for me. It's hard to put my finger on exactly why. It's not bad, but it just doesn't hit. The production is the usual Quik sound, but they aren't his best, and they don't get me moving enough. The rapping is all too similar from song to song, including the features, Quik sounds more like Suga Free than what I've noticed previously, and the majority of the content isn't interesting at all. There is still some toe-tapping production and a couple of catchy hooks, but there aren't enough of them and the best don't grab me to make me want repeated listens. 3-2.5 out of 5. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Rhythm-al-ism - Intro, We Still Party, So Many Ways, I Useta Know Her, Speed, Reprise (Medley for a 'V')

There aren't many better openings to an album than this with 'Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)'. What a damn song! I heard it in the car as a child and it hasn't lost its luster. I don't adore everything on this album, but there is enough I do, and you can't not appreciate the creativity. Best Tracks: Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God), Hounds of Love, The Big Sky, Cloudbusting, Jig of Life, Hello Earth

The thumping catchy production of 'Lollipop (Candyman)' never gets old. There are lots of other melodies to get stuck in your head for decades as well and only then do you hear the sexual innuendo. Best Tracks: Happy Boys and Girls, My Oh My, Good Morning Sunshine, Lollipop (Candyman), Roses are Red, Turn Back Time

This Dude Can Rap Part II! T-Rock was one of my finds of last year. With his fast flowing rapping he is a joy to listen to over any intense beat and he quickly caught my attention - he really can rap and has everything a good rapper needs such as: a distinctive voice and style, a variety of flows including being able to spit incredibly fast but still maintain clarity, good diverse lyrics, diverse topics, and a great ear for beats. Something else I like and have noticed over the past twelve months or so listening to T-Rock is that he is a nice chorus writer creating some fairly catchy ones. Where his albums that I've heard are let down though are that too much of it sounds the same. You're left with a feeling off familiarity in a few tracks on his albums in pretty much everything I've heard from him, and throughout my first couple of spins I had the same feelings about this album. Maybe he needs to expand his beat selection branching out to other producers, which should remove this criticism. In saying this though it is one of those albums that the more you listen to it, the more distinctive the tracks become which do increase the enjoyment level more so a few spins in. In comparing this album to his last Chapter I, it is a small step down from that, as far as having real stand-outs that that had, however it is more consistent from start to finish than Chapter I was and out of the four to five albums I've heard it is the most enjoyable T-Rock album track for track. The only real let down for me on this is 'Dat Fruity' ten tracks in. Overall if you're a fan of T-Rock and/or the Rock Solid Music family you should enjoy this, but if you haven't liked anything much you've heard from T-Rock in the past then this won't do much for you either. But for me I just love this guy's style, and most of the beats bang. Lastly, this album is an even greater achievement because the album leaked but this has mostly new tracks. Beats: ★★★★☆ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★★ Hooks: ★★★★☆ Best Tracks: Feelin Like Whateva, South Atlanta, It's All G, Call His Own Shots, Pushin, Sound Like Me, In and Out, Hell & Back, The Matrix, Feelin How I'm Feelin (Remix)