Customer Reviews

Best of Pete Rock & Cl Smooth: Good Life

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This kind of sounds like a little bit of industry rule #4,080 to me (Rhino Records?) but this disc contains a lot of their classic material. But, coming from a guy who claims that PR+CLS might be the best hip hop duo ever, I always had a problem with a "Best Of" album because their three albums, "All Souled Out", "Mecca and the Soul Brother", and "The Main Ingredient" were kind of best of compilations in themselves. As demonstrated on their "Rare Tracks" set, Pete and CL were so particular about what went onto their albums and fit with the flow that some good cuts were even cut off their albums. The only reason a real Pete Rock & CL Smooth fan would get this is for completeness, because it has a few tracks from the "Poetic Justice" and "Menace II Society" soundtracks and a song from Pete's original "Soul Survivor" album. I also kind of find the tracklisting questionable. Almost all the songs from "All Souled Out" (a six song EP) are included. It doesn't really span their careers properly, I don't think. They include songs like "Searching", a fine song by all means but not their best, and omit "The Main Ingredient" and "If It Ain't Rough It Ain't Right". Bottomline, buy the albums before this, because every song on the three albums combined is amazing, I say that "Mecca and the Soul Brother" and "The Main Ingredient" are the best hip hop LPs ever. This is still 5 stars, because hey, it's Pete Rock and CL Smooth, but buy the albums instead.

CL Smooth "American Me" EP coming late 2005/early 2006, Shaman Work Records.

this is on of the best cd's i've ever heard. the song t.r.o.y is one of my all time favorite song. this is one of the most underrated groups in the history of music let alone rap. this is a must buy cd.

Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth are the best rap duo ever, especially their first 3 albums (All Souled Out, Mecca And The Soul Brother & The Main Indregident/Which I owned all 3) For this album, you should've add these tracks to this album(The Basement, Escape, The Main Indriegent, In The Flesh & The Creator/my personal favorites)! You really need to buy those three albums, seriously! It's really worth it! Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth need to make more albums & get back into the rap game! We need more music from you both!

"Good Life" features some great tracks, including a couple of rare soundtrack joints, but its simply not sufficient for true fans, since it is merely culled material from their two albums and EP. Purchase the albums instead and indulge...rather than gratify the record label by buying this instead.

For the uninitiated however, a definite and accurate estimation of the greatness of Pete Rock and CL Smooth.

Pete Rock's dad was a DJ and his record collection provided the raw material for his son the sampler. The anthemic "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" begins with a Tom Scott horn line mixed into the Association's "Cherish," all over a drum loop nicked from James Brown. Rock sets the table for C.L. Smooth, whose voice allows him to deliver penetrating takes on love, race, and religion.

Like all Best of albums there's gonna be some songs some people don't like and some good one's that were omitted ("The Main Ingredient" is this case). With 16 songs you get some of their better works from, "All Souled Out", "Mecca & The Soul Brother", and "The Main Ingredient" with trax from the "Menace II Society" & "Poetic Justice" soundtracks and one form Pete Rock's 1998 "Soul Survivor" album. Pete Rock does all the producing and has 2 solo's (the only 2 songs he raps on). There is no doubt he can produce and has his signature sound is probably one of the best producers ever. CL Smooth raps on 14 of the songs and his smooth voice fits great over Pete's horn filled and sampled beats. Of the 16 songs, 1 is a classic, 4 are ok, and the other 11 are good and mostly real good songs. A must have from one of the best rap duo's in history.

#1 - 8.5
#2 - 7.5
#3 - 8
#4 - 10 (CLASSIC -- great beat)
#5 - 7.5 (f/ Grand Puba (who has a very nice and funny verse) -- dirty song)
#6 - 8
#7 - 6 (Pete Rock solO)
#8 - 8
#9 - 9 (nice beat)
#10 - 8
#11 - 8.5 (good beat)
#12 - 9 (tight beat)
#13 - 9 (another nice beat)
#14 - 7
#15 - 8 (f/ YGz)
#16 - 9 (Pete Rock f/ Loose Ends -- great beat)

CL SMOOTH -- Corey Penn -- b. 10/8/69
PETE ROCK -- Peter Phillips -- b. 6/21/70

check all my reviews

Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth never had a lot of commercial success, but one thing can be said about them: they stayed true to the game. Putting out quality material throughout the 90s, the duo epitomized the sound of East Coast music for many hip-hop heads. Putting out classics like "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)," "I Got A Love," "Lots Of Lovin'" "Take You There," "Mecca And The Soul Brother," "One In A Million," and "Straighten It Out," The Best of Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth delivers both the commercially-released hits and the album track gems that most of their fans have come to love. Many die hard fans already have everything on this disc. But for those youngsters who are just learning about the group, The Best of Pete Rock and C. L. Smooth gives you a good overview of their best selections.

What collection isn't complete without their 'Best Of' compalation!