Strength & Loyalty [Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics]

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 8, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced, Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Full Surface / Interscope
• ASIN: B000O58ZQW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (68 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #102,504 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It doesn't happen much, but there are times when the departure of a group's most prominent player inspires the rest of the act to get seriously bizzy. Strength & Love, a tight disc that skitters from track to shiny track with imagination and a renewed sense of rap's widened boundaries, makes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony a prime example. Without Bizzy Bone to layer a drizzle of Midwestern vocal weirdness over their sound, Layzie, Krayzie, and Wish Bone call in a crew of hard-hitting helpers: Akon delivers twice, first on the melting "I Tried" and again on the weepy "Never Forget Me," Mariah Carey flits through "Lil Love" alongside Bow Wow, and Twista and Yolanda Adams also make reputation-enhancing appearances (Twista by barreling through "C-Town" at breakneck speed and Adams by giving it up gorgeously for God on "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)"). Best of all about this proud-making comeback disc is its clever use of samples: "Wind Blow" pins the Fleetwood Mac chestnut "The Chain" down to urban pavement without wrecking its spirit, and the smartly produced "The Streets" updates the vibe of Bobby Womack's timeless "Across 110th Street" while preserving its grit-covered class. --Tammy La Gorce

Product Description

Bone Thugs~N~Harmony came on the scene with their multi-platinum debut Creepin On Tha Come Up and have since released 5 albums that have all sold PLATINUM or better. They have scanned over 15 MILLION records in America with an additional 10 MILLION internationally. Bone has recorded with the greats of the past and present including Tupac, Notorious B.I.G, Eazy-E, Big Pun, Chamillionaire, Juelz Santana, Snoop Dogg and more. With their new album Strength & Loyalty they have continued this trend by recording songs with Akon, Mariah Carey, Bow Wow, Yolanda Adams, Twista and The Game. Producers include Swizz Beatz, Akon, will.i.am and Jermaine Dupri. The single I Tride ft. Akon is a heartfelt example of why their fans have stayed loyal for so long. With the release of Strength and Loyalty Bone Thugs~N~Harmony is creating a 90 minute movie that will be released around the album boosting awareness of the group and the new album. This is the explicit version.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's The Thuggish Ruggish Bone Once Again!, June 25, 2007

By 

Charles L. Hubbert "of Urban-Reviews.com" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strength & Loyalty (Audio CD)

With the absence of Flesh (when was he ever a full-fledge member?) and the enigmatic Bizzy Bone, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is down to the core trio of Wish, Layzie, and Krayzie Bone. And even though they've been holding it down most of the time, the years haven't been very friendly to the Cleveland natives. After years of disappointing projects and a fan base that is completely shaken up, the crew is fighting to prove their importance to the ever-changing rap game. Strength & Loyalty could spell either a inevitable end or a prosperous beginning for the new lineup. The Game holds his own next to the Bone members on "Streets" with help from Will.i.am on production. The super radio-friendly "I Tried" is a no-brainer with the mellow beat riding under their subdued vocals and guest vocals from Akon. Akon pops up again on the somber album closer "Never Forget Me." Mariah Carey and Bow Wow infuse their talents into "Lil Love" while Swizz Beatz brings his expertise for "Bump In The Trunk." And the brilliant pairing of the collective with their fellow Midwesterner Twista for "C-Town" marries the rap styles nicely since they are so similar. Thankfully though, Bone can sustain without the collabos as well. "Sound The Same" speaks to the ever repetitive story of people trying to escape the hood anyway they can. The sinister sounding "9MM" is a throwback to their darker early days of rapping, along with thugged-out "Gun Blast" and the hyperactive delivery of "Flowmotion." And even though the Fleetwood Mac sample on "Wind Blow" is out of place on this LP, Strength & Loyalty redeems the faith in the group by their long-standing fans. And with the remaining members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony each showing their worth throughout the album, there's no reason for anyone to write them off just yet.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still got it, June 12, 2007

By 

Rosemarie J. Williams - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strength & Loyalty (Audio CD)

My son is one of the biggest Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony fans. Ever since he heard songs like "First Of The Month", "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", "Crossroads" & "Home" they've been his all-time favorite rap group. And ever since Flesh Bone's incarceration & Bizzy Bone leaving he never thought they would ever come out with another album. He saw that they had a new video on MTV Jams and went right online to find out when the release date was and on May 8th he drove straight to Target after school and picked it up. I'm not that big on rap music these days but he talked me into listening to their new album "Strength And Loyalty", a 14 track album with no skits no intro's. I loved how it sounded and some of the samples they used. They really do have a lot of talent. I had to look at the booklet just to make sure Twista wasn't in this group. My son had to guide me through who was spitting what verse.

The album gets off to an excellent start with track 1 "Flow Motion", which samples one of my favorite songs from back in the day "Sky High" by Jigsaw. Everybody gives the listeners a reminder of how fast they can rap. Track 2 is "Bump In The Trunk" which features Swizz Beatz. The title is self explanitory. Is a great song to blast in the car. The bass guitar is good but the only flaw to this song is that Swizz Beatz adds nothing to the song except a repetitive hook. It's a little lack luster. Track 3 "Wind Blow" is probably the biggest standout from any other song on here. It samples Fletwood Mac's "The Chain". And the topic of the song is great. they explain that it's a shame that people jump on their bandwagon just because they are now on the radio. At first listeners might get turned off because in the beginning it sounds like a country song but it's one of the better tracks on here. Track 4 is the album's 1st single "I Tried". It features Akon, which by the way is the only reason this song is on the radio. It's classic BTNH material talking about struggling in the streets. Beat is great too. Track 5 is "Lil Love". I heard this is supposed to be the 2nd single which really pisses me off because it's the first Bone Thugs song I've heard that is actually made for the radio. i guess for them it was an obvious choice since it features Mariah Carey, Bow Wow & Jermaine Dupri's stupid "Y'all Know What This Is" line at the beginning. I was expecting Chingy to appear on this song. Thank God I didn't. Track 6 is "C-Town" featuring Twista. I really like the production on this song. I noticed that it sampled that old Lenny Williams song "Trust In Me". This song should be a single. It probably won't be though. Track 7 is "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)" featuring Yolanda Adams. I was a little worried that i was going to hear some haunting music or something cause this is a little too holy for my taste since it's a rap song. It's not bad though. It samples the original "Order My Steps" song by GMWA Women Of Worship (Aleho Int'l). After this the album gets to the three hardest songs. Track 8 is "Streets" which features Ex G-Unit member The Game & Will.I.Am. It samples Bobby Womack's famous song "Across 110th Street". Each Mc (Especially Krayzie Bone) slaughters this track. Track 9 is "9MM" which is one of the most catchy records I've heard in a long time with it's hook, "/Go loco wit da heater,/ 9 millimeter, /9 millimeter, millimeter, millimeter, pop pop/". The piano beat is pretty agressive too. Track 10 is "Gun Blast". I hated this song at first but after a few listens it grew on me. But just out of curiousity isn't that the EXACT SAME BEAT AND PRODUCTION from Cam'Ron's song "Living A Lie" from the Killa Season album. Then again it's better so we'll leave that one alone. Track 11 "Candy Paint" in my opinion has the best beat on the album. It features Swizz Beatz and Autumn Rose. Each mc delivers nice verses on this down south track. This could be a potential single in the long run. Track 12 is "So Good So Right" which samples the original titled song from Brenda Russell. Layzie Bone's wife Felicia is on the hook and the mc's sing about how they are doing good even with all the bullshit that's gone on the past few years. I'm liking track 13 "Sounds The Same" more each time I listen to it. The song explains how every rapper talks about the same struggle, people dying, parents being laid off, going to jail, hustlin. Track 14, the closer "Never Forget Me" is without a doubt the best track on the CD. And if promotion is correct this is supposed to be the 3rd single. Akon sings a phenominal hook. The beat is very furious. Each mc delivers nice once more and it's an excellent song to close out the album.

My Top 5

1. Never Forget Me feat. Akon
2. So Good So Right feat. Felicia
3. I Tried feat. Akon
4. C-Town feat. Twista
5. Candy Paint feat. Swizz Beatz & Autumn Rose

Honorable Mention Tracks

1. Wind Blow
2. Flow Motion
3. Bump In The Trunk feat. Swizz Beatz
4. Streets feat. The Game & Will.I.Am
5. 9MM

BTNH hasn't let us down yet. GET THIS ALBUM IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DAMMIT!!!!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bone's fine return to form (4 and 1/2 stars), August 22, 2007

By 

Nuisance "the rebel" (Miami) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strength & Loyalty (Audio CD)

I was probably one of the few who didnt feel Thug World Order and Thug Stories but enough with how I feel. Bone is back with another album that is a huge step up from their previous two. The album starts off with the fast paced Flow Motion which reminds me of the Bone I was fond of from the start. Bump In The Trunk is cool plus that hook was taken from Thuggish Ruggish Bone. The first single I Tried featuring Akon is a heartfelt cut that is definetly a standout and Akon also shows up on the superb Never Forget Me. Lil Love with Bowwow and Mariah Carey is an honorable mention that my girlfriend is insanely in love with(I'M SERIOUS!!!). Im glad that Bone buried the hatchet with Twista because C-Town is a damn good song as all three kick high speed rhymes over sleek production provided by Neo Da Matrix. Yolonda Adams(yes, you've read that part right) joins in on the spiritual Order My Steps. The Game finally gives you a dope verse where he didnt heavily namedrop(SURPRISE!)on the will.i.am assisted Streets. The only songs I would say that are skippable is Candy Paint(corny and forced) and Wind Blow(not bad but sounds out of place as the other reviewer mentioned). Bottom Line: Strength & Loyalty is Bone Thugs N Harmony's best work to date and is undeniably one of the best albums of 2007. Not only do they prove that they still have what it takes to make a great album but they also proved that they can still make a good album without Bizzy Bone. Standout Tracks: FLOW MOTION, BUMP IN THE TRUNK, I TRIED, NEVER FORGET ME, C-TOWN(my favorite), ORDER MY STEPS, STREETS, 9MM, GUN BLAST and SOUNDS THE SAME. Honorable Mention: Lil Love. PS will somebody please let me know whats the name of the bonus track?