It’s been a while since there’s been an album review, so let’s jump right into it with a review of Wu-Massacre; the album created by the three all-stars of the Wu-Tang clan (Method Man, Raekwon, and Ghostface). No doubt, fans have been waiting on this for a while.

Criminology 2.5: The title of the opener alone would get any Wu-Tang fan excited. It really does a good job of giving the listener the feeling that you might expect given the title of the album. That said, it is a little disappointing that Raekwon doesn't appear on the track. Given that it was originally his song and that it is the intro, it would have been nice to have all three of them go over the beat with no hook. However, Meth and Ghost handle the track just fine, and although there is that slight disappointment, there is no denying that the track is nice. Overall, the album starts out with a 4.5.

Mef vs. Chef 2: Once again, the title itself takes Wu-Tang members back to the beginning (at least somewhat) of the Wu-Tang saga with a follow up to the track that originally appeared on Method Man's debut solo album Tical. While it has proved time and time again that it can be dangerous to try to duplicate or recreate the magic of material that fans tend to gravitate toward (even though fans consistently beg for it), the track does not disappoint. While it may never live up to the first, it is nice that there is more back and forth between the two, not just one verse each (like the previous one). Meth also gets a little more personal on the track, although not too much, with lines like "this game tryna play me/I bet this never happens to Jay-Z." Even though it's not quite the original, compared to other tracks on the album and other songs in this day and age, it is a 5.

Smooth Sailing Remix: Another nice track that fits the Wu-Tang style. The beat is very similar to that of Joell Ortiz’s “125 Part 3 (Connections).” This is another track that does not feature Raekwon, but Solomon Childs is nice fit, paying homage to all of the Wu in his verse by describing himself using all of the Wu members’ names (just listen to the song and you’ll get it). Overall, this gets a 4.

Our Dreams: This is the only song that’s produced by RZA and given that fact, it’s probably not what you would expect. Instead of the really heavy production with a lot of detail and samples that tell a story (you know all that commentary RZA usually throws on at the beginning of tracks) that listeners are used to when he produces for Wu-Tang, he uses a Michael Jackson sample that makes up for the radio friendly song of the album. While all three of them (this does finally feature Meth, Rae, and Ghost together) do finally appear on the song together, it is not hard to tell at all why this was chosen as the single for the project. It is a nice feel and the lyrics are always on point, but it’s just not the typical Wu sound, which takes away from it a little bit. The production itself is good, but it just would fit a different artist or group better. However, this radio friendly song is still better than most of what you will find on the radio, so it gets a 3.75 rating.

Gunshowers: This is the first of the two hardest songs on the album. This is the type of music that put Wu on the map; that by any means style/content that has stuck with them throughout their career. The beat is nice, although the sample slightly takes away from the edge that the rest of the production gives out. This is yet another song that doesn’t feature Raekwon (making 3 of the first 5 songs), however. Nonetheless, it is a hardcore song that will please any listener looking for the grit to be brought back to hip hop. This gets a 4.5.

Dangerous: This is the second of the two songs I mentioned above. This song is where Raekwon probably sounds the most like the Purple Tape Raekwon and Method Man spits a hot verse, but Ghost’s verse is filled more with anger than anything else (and doesn’t seem to be directed at anybody in general). This takes away from the track just a bit, but still gives off that original Wu-Tang sound. This gets a 4.

Pimpin’ Chipp: We all know that Wu-Tang is known for telling great stories, and that is just what this track was designed to do. Only Ghostface appears on the track and it is nothing but him and the beat as he tells a story just short of two minutes. It is a story that could be told only in Wu fashion and will probably satisfy a true Wu-Tang fan. It gets another 4.

Miranda: Although another song about the ladies, this song sounds more like a song from the Clan than “Our Dreams.” Just as we have come to expect from them (especially Rae and Ghost), there is a lot of descriptive lyricism when describing the relationship between the artist and “Miranda.” It is another song that gives the organic Wu-Tang sound. It gets a 4.25.

Youngstown Heist: On this track, you will find those ghetto tales that fans may have been expecting a lot more of throughout the album. While Ghost is the only one of the group that appears on the track, Trife, Sheek, and Bully all fit right into the track (especially Trife and Sheek) making for a nice combination. This is a 4.5.

It’s That Wu Sh*t: The track is cool, but not anything to really get excited about. Ghost gets two verses and Method Man gets one last verse at the very end, leading the track out. The production doesn’t really give the feeling that you are coming to the close of the album and is something a little different from what we would usually hear the Clan over. It’s not a bad track by any means, but it doesn’t really do its job of wrapping the album up. This is a 3.5.

Although most of the songs standing alone are great songs and could hold their own when compared to most, as a collective it just doesn’t seem to quite flow together. With a title like Wu-Massacre and the three most popular members of the group coming together to create this project, there is probably a little more to be expected than what actually came from it. Part of this can be contributed to the production. While almost every beat by itself is nice, there are a few that don’t quite meet the expectation of a Wu-Tang album, but more importantly (because it’s okay to experiment), they don’t quite match the title of the album. Also, it would have been nice to see more songs with just Meth, Rae, and Ghost together. There are only 3 tracks in which all of them actually appear on the song, which also fails to meet expectations. It is also a very short album, lasting not quite 30 minutes. All that said, lyrics are never sacrificed and there is still enough material that listeners will instantly gravitate towards. Overall, the album gets a 3.75.

What do y'all think about the album? The review? Let me hear your thoughts and opinions. And as always, feel free to e-mail any thoughts or comments to straightouttahiphop@gmail.com.

Peace.