Legend of the Liquid Sword [Explicit] [European Import]

in 1995 he released the critically acclaimed classic album 'Liquid Swordz' which cemented his position as one of the to MCs in the game, and although his third release (beneath the surface) was too short to compare to his earlier work, it proved that he still had it in him. as other wutang members have had differing fortunes, GZa has remained consistent. on every verse on every solo album, every verse on every wutang album, he never drops a bad verse, or even a bad line. now its time for LP number 4 and a chance to get a bit of mainstream success that he deserves.

i was a bit worried about this album. after his first 3 excellent LPs surely he would slip up here? i was wrong. as i waited patiently for the promo songs to come out one by one, each and every song has impressed.

here are my comments on a few of the tracks:

fame was the first and is a song where he uses his superior wordplay to make a story using the names of celebrities. it features a wonderful piano loop and isa very nice tune.

the second track to get out was 'knock, knock' which is a bit of a more uptempo track, but again gza reminds me why i have waited so long for this album with a stunning opening few lines ('im the obcene slang kicker/with no parental sticker/advising ya'll that wise words are much slicker').

as other tracks have surfaced ive been even more impressed. animal planet is such a smooth and soulful track where he again uses excellent wordplay using animal metaphors.

autobio is another great gza track that features piano and strings and is one of the best produced tracks on the album where he rhymes about growing up as an MC.

'did ya say that' has such a strange playful feel to it, again featuring an incredible piano loop and powerful lyrics from gza.

on 'sparring minds' strong bass and a clapping beat provide another great platform for gza to shine.

silent features a crazy old school wu beat, it has a mad sample looped in the background and the vocals of ghostface match the song PERFECTLY, while streetlife drops some nice lyrics too.

'stay in line' is a slighlty different sound and features a hook by santi white which fits the song but sounds a bit strange, its another nice beat and gza rhymes slightly uptempo to match the beat.

the only track ive heard that isnt great is 'luminal'. its pretty good, but not as good as the rest. the lyrics are still nice though, so still a good track.

'fam (members only)' is another posse track were rza and masta killah really shine over a very nice classic wutang beat.

the rest of the album is good, not a bad track on the album atall.

i have heard all the main contenders for album of the year, and this definatley beats them all. its better than 'god's son', better than 'blueprint 2', better than 'the eminem show', and better than anything else i have heard this year.

every hiphop fan, and a lot of general music fans should definatley own this album. great beats, great lyrics. buy it, definatley pick it over anything else released this year.

The 'intro' to the album has GZAs son introducing GZAs story to a 'kung fu movie'-style backing and by mirroring the intro to 'Liquid Swordz' sets the scene perfectly for the next song and the rest of the album.

'autobio' is a great gza track that features piano and strings and is one of the best produced tracks on the album where he rhymes about growing up as an MC. the lyrics are on point as usual.

'did ya say that' has such a strange playful and very 'jazzy' feel to it, again featuring an incredible piano loop and powerful lyrics from gza.

'silent' features a crazy old school wu beat, it has a mad vocal sample looped in the background and the MCing of ghostface match the song PERFECTLY, while streetlife drops some nice lyrics too. GZA of course comes correct and sounds nice over the beat.

'knock, knock' is a bit of a more uptempo track, but again gza reminds me why i have waited so long for this album with a stunning opening few lines ('im the obcene slang kicker/with no parental sticker/advising ya'll that wise words are much slicker'). its a club banger (the only one on the album, dont worry Wu fans) and should get him some airplay.

'stay in line' is a slighlty different sound and features a hook by santi white (a rock singer) which fits the song very well but sounds a bit strange, its another nice fast beat and gza rhymes slightly uptempo to match the beat.

'animal planet' is such a smooth and soulful track where he again uses excellent wordplay using animal metaphors. one of the best cuts on the album and possible the best lyrical song of the year. he uses some incredible metaphors and wordplay describing the animal kindom using some familiar sayings to tell his story.

'fam (members only)' is another Wu posse track were rza and masta killah really shine over a very nice classic wutang beat. masta killa has a particularly good verse and RZAs flow is really nice over this beat. GZA still dropping jems.

the title track 'legend of the liquid sword' has a nice beat that manages to be laid-back but attention grabbing at the same time, more great lyrics. the hook on this song is not that great, probably the worse hook on the album, but its still a very nice song.

'fame' is a song where he uses his superior wordplay to make a story using the names of celebrities. it features a wonderful piano loop and isa very nice tune. this along with animal planet exhibit skills that maybe only 5 other MCs around possess. the wordplay is fantastic, one of the best songs iver heard in the past few years.

'Highway Robbery' is great song with another banging beat and more nice GZA lyrics. it features a very nice reggae style hook.

'luminal' is a wonderful narrative track where GZA raps about a serial killer who is recking havok on a small close-knit community. it has a good beat that lets his lyrics shine, and they sure do shine: ''The State psychologist, forensic pathologist/Warned the detective to search beyond the obvious/They ruled out the possibility that the killa be/Physically fit with athletic ability''

on 'sparring minds' strong bass and a clapping beat provide another great platform for gza to shine. Inspectah deck and Gza trade verses, hence the title sparring minds. they both have very sharp verses.

'rough cut' features another insane wu beat, with Guests Armel and prodigal sunn calling out talentless commercial MCs for their lack of skill.

'Uncut material' is another one of GZAs strings-dominated tracks where he (yet again) shines lyrically.

i cant stress enough how good this cd is. there is not a single bad track, not even a single average track, every single track is top quality. im listening to the album as i write this review and i dont think it will leave my cd player for months.

i have heard all the main contenders for album of the year, and this definatley beats them all. its better than 'god's son', better than 'blueprint 2', better than 'the eminem show', and better than anything else i have heard this year.

every hiphop fan, and a lot of general music fans should definatley own this album. great beats, great lyrics. buy it, definatley pick it over anything else released this year.

Still a lot better than all the commercial wackness out there at the moment, but it just seems the Wu have become a feint outline of their former selves to some extent. If you don't have it already, DEFINITELY get "Liquid Swords" instead.