It took two years to follow up the great , and while that doesn't seem like much to most folks, in pre-release interviews was apologetic and promising this album will be followed up next year; no long wait. After a couple of spins it becomes apparent that is a very good album but short of being one of his best. The problem seems to be 's over-anxiousness to get back in the game and prove he's still vital. This attitude makes for one hungry, down-low beast of an album, but the overall product isn't as well crafted as and even if the redundant numbers are shuffled skillfully into the play list to help hide them, they are there. Luckily the highlights are all hard winners, sometimes with that wit and sometimes with his gargantuan, intimidating attitude. The good-timing finds the rapper working some "this is your captain speaking"-type airline talk into a polished bud smokers anthem, while with is just about the most fun you can have while threatening a rival crew. is at his trashy, strip-club best while both and have inescapable hooks with high-profile guests -- , respectively -- giving their all. The skits with the character are back and still funny, and at 15 tracks it's a pleasingly tight album, at least when compared to the over-stuffing that ran rampant across full-lengths in 2006. While it's not as ambitious or astonishing as the last one, if 's plans were to hold it down and keep the longtime fans happy, is a success. ~ David Jeffries