Ever since their 1989 debut with , have puzzled fans by continually resisting the laid-back grooves and intelligent message tracks of 's best first album ever. From their sophomore rebuke, , to the harder-than-thou , the trio has often sacrificed happiness for hardcore, even when it's clear they do positivity better than any other group. , the second volume in 's comeback trilogy, Art Official Intelligence, presents the trio in astronaut gear on the cover, while inside a female-vocal intro proclaims the new : "Better, stronger, faster." Listeners a bit doubtful after the rapid disappearance of first installment can rest easy; the trio sounds positively refreshed here, finally content to concentrate on its specialties: wrapping groovy, sparkling productions around smart, sympathetic themes with rapping that doesn't scrimp just because they're not gangsta. is first, a wickedly wonderful tribute to the beautiful black woman in all of her various shapes and figures. Producer spins a beautiful sample (from ' ) for the highlight, a mid-tempo hand-waver named Though this is by no means a album, the trio also spits a few bars, criticizing the easy answers of organized religion on (as well as on the three interludes scattered during the rest of the LP). handed virtually all of the production duties over to the talented , and it pays off doubly, not only giving a great sense of album flow, but freeing up the trio to concentrate on its excellent rapping (probably the best since their debut). It hardly seemed possible that were capable of such incredible work after being lapped by most of the world, but ranks right up there with . ~ John Bush