The Evil Empire of Everything in Bloomington, MN

Arriving just a few months after
Most of My Heroes Still Don't Appear on No Stamp
,
Public Enemy
's
The Evil Empire of Everything
is a decidedly different album than their other 2012 album. It's leaner and harder, stripped down to its hard, unbreakable basics,
honing their politics and music so
Evil Empire of Everything
has a precise, steely glint. There is no hiding
Chuck D
's anger at the tragic shooting of Trayvon Martin, not when the album opens with 911 calls where black teenagers are held under suspicion for the color of their skin, and not when there's a centerpiece called "Beyond Trayvon," but for as hard as these songs hit, what's striking about
is its music. Despite some prominent guests --
Ziggy Marley
shows up on "Don't Give Up the Fight" and
Tom Morello
ladles guitar over "Riotstarted" --
make clear, conscious connections between their music and classic '60s soul, most notably on the slow-burning "Everything" (featuring vocals by
Gerald Albright
and
Sheila Brody
), where
's testifying sounds straight from the roster of
Stax
, but also on the hard funk of "Notice" or the blaring horns of "Say It Like It Really Is." This is how a hip-hop group reaches middle age: by placing themselves as part of a tradition, never lingering in the past but never desperately riding trends. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine