Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

Alternating between weepy ghetto ballads and more bombastic club tracks, Bone Thugs are as schizophrenic as they are talented. "I Tried" is a rap teardrop, offering an intensely personal and unapologetically fatalistic reflection on loss. That downbeat number is nicely balanced out by gritty street tracks ("Gun Blast," "9MM") and more celebratory club bangers (the Swizz Beatz-produced "Bump in the Trunk"). The appealing blend of sweat and sorrow makes this the group's best record since the departure of Bizzy Bone.

Three of the original Bones -- minus Flesh-N-Bone, who appears on a bonus track only, and
Bizzy Bone -- reunited for this guest-crammed collection that juxtaposes the MCs'
double-time rhyme schemes with minimal, eclectic beats, often with thrilling results. The
unfortunate first single, "I Tried," featuring Akon, buries the trio's talents amid maudlin
piano and cloying sentiments. But when their free-flowing, melodic patter is mat... More >