The Panty Raider (Meth) meets Funk Doctah (Redman) head on
for a long-deserved dual effort on wax. Or cd. Method Man
teams up with his good friend, Reggie Noble on sixteen new songs
(and three bonus tracks), once and for all proving that he is
the one voice of the Wu-Tang Clan that everyone listens for.
While bandmates U-God and the Gza brought out less than
amazing albums recently, you can always count on Hott Nikkels
to deliver the goods. With “Blackout!" I’ve become positive
that part of Tical’s appeal, aside from his shifty, relaxed
drawl on the microphone, is his mastery of off-handed clichés
and phrases that make him sound unique (“land-sharks get their
chin checked when I Jabberjaw…"). Likewise the Gza has lyrical
mastery, and finds use of even the most bizarre lyrical
references on “Enter the Wu-Tang", but it’s Johnny Blaze
who got a track in his own name on the record. “Don’t make me
pull a Tyson and bite a nigga ear" says Iron Lung, the king of
the Clan. Redman, who subsequently needs a lot more nicknames
is beyond superb on this album, which comes very close to
matching the brilliance he showed on “Doc’s Da Name 2000".
Redman’s more aggro vocal style meshes quite nicely with
Method Man’s slow and low vibe.
Overall, it’s a compelling listen, unspoiled even by LL Cool J’s
brief scatological cameo (the always great Ghostface Killah and Streetlife also do
quick spot-light steals). If you like the guys from Staten
Island, this will make you wanna trade in the plodding
“Wu-Tang Forever" to make space for it in your collection.
Effortlessly fantastic, even at over seventy minutes, which
is a staggering length by any listener’s standards.
By Jason Thornberry, fan reviewer for CanEHdian.com
Method Man / Redman - "Blackout"