Blackalicious

For its third LP, the Bay Area super-duo serves up another impressive collection of advanced lyricism and thumping yet soulful beats. Gift of Gab's freewheeling vocal prowess continues to astound, while Chief Xcel's sonic superiority gets more defined with each release. Guests include George Clinton, Floetry and Lateef.

There's no more accomplished crew in alt-rap, and though that can make their messages seem slick sometimes, on this break with UniMoth their booming beats, lucid raps, and articulate rhymes are technically miraculous. The Lifesavas, George Clinton, and ally-for-life Lyrics Born--whose deep rapid-fire takes the quick-lipped Gift of Gab to Mount Sinai--vary the flowetry better than Floetry, and most tracks offer what we outside of hit radio call hooks. With "World of Vibrations" and "The Craft" bookending metathematically, high points include the uplifting "Supreme People," "Your Move," and "The Fall and Rise of Elliot Brown" and two songs about women. "Powers" describes a queen, "Side to Side" a skank. Musically, both gals get respect. (Grade - A-)