The Day After

Picking up where 2004's left off, is heavy with , slickness, and hooks. In other words, it's the kind of album the hardcore lovers of are going to sneer at while the radio heads and clubbers go nuts for it. You could be cynical and say the album is all over again with and replacing for the singles, but if is a contrived attempt at going platinum again, it's an inspired one. With its smoother-than-smooth chorus courtesy of , could melt the paint off the walls twice as fast as 's with could be 's little brother, but tries a shade too hard to recapture 's fire. The opening is the only other time the album sounds forced, as it tries to push and shove the listener into believing is the same old thug he's always been. He's not, and winning tracks with , plus a successful nod to the phenomenon with , are arguments that he shouldn't be, and that superstar collaborations are what he does best, at least for now. The thumping and the easy rolling are where the meat of the album lies, both marrying old-school with new-school, platinum . An album of those kind of tracks and he'd have a classic, but for now, you'll just have to settle for great singles, worthy filler, and a couple missteps. [A 'chopped and screwed' edition of the album appeared in 2005 as well.] ~ David Jeffries