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.