Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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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
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.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Still got it, June 12, 2007
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!!!!!
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Don't call it a comeback; they've been here for years!, May 9, 2007
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have long been one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time. Creepin' On Ah Come Up was possibly the greatest hip-hop EP of all time, and their full-length debut, E. 1999 Eternal, has long been one of my favorite hip-hop releases ever. Unfortunately, after E. 1999 Eternal, the Bone Brothers started to slip, both in terms of commercial success and quality itself. The Art Of War was a decent follow-up to their classic debut, but they'd clearly hit the sophomore slump; the double-disc ambitions were far too much for Bone. After many unsuccessful albums, critically and commercial, a greatest hits compilation, and a collaboration with Phil Collins, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have returned to the mainstream with Strength & Loyalty.
Much of their newfound fan base(because let's face it, the people that buy this album probably only heard of Bone because of their chart-smashing single with Akon) are here because of I Tried. I Tried is a refreshing change of pace for commercial hip-hop, but not the best track on the album. While the lyrics are strong(by Bone-standards), and the beat is elegant, the song as a whole isn't the cream of the crop of their discography. In fact, I Tried is a bit like Crossroads 2007; a very nice cut with enough commercial appeal to get people to buy the much more Thuggish Ruggish album.
Wind Blow feels like an updated version of Bone's Ghetto Cowboy; however, ten times better. With a great sample, and an original beat, the Bone brothers flow over this track like water. Flow Motion maybe the greatest track on the album, and is certainly the best opening track to any Bone album. This track does what Bone intended to do; showcases their lightning-quick flows to the new audience they've managed to acquire through the success of their first single. Bump In The Trunk is a hot Swizz Beats track, and you've gotta thank Swizzie for saving Bone's career; because without him helming this project, you can almost guarantee Bone would've floundered in obscurity for the rest of their career.
Lil' Love and C-Town are both tracks made for the radio(the former featuring Bow Wow and Mariah freakin' Carey, and the latter featuring pop's favorite tongue-Twista), but they're still of a high enough quality not to stop the great experience. Order My Steps takes the album back up another notch, preparing us for the awesome will.i.am produced Streets featuring Game. The Game kills his verse, showing why he's one of the best upcoming lyricists in the game, commercial or underground.
9mm, Gun Blast, and Candy Paint are three straight tracks of nothing but Bone goodness; while there's a lot of guest appearances on the album, Bone seem to do the best when it's just Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish. 9mm and Gun Blast are clearly the street-oriented tracks Bone is known for, and that their hardfore fanbase will absolutely adore; Candy Paint is Bone's attempt at grabbing a Southern audience, and while that may sound forced, this track is anything but, and ends up being one of the best tracks on the album.
So Good So Right is a nice track featuring Felicia, while Sounds The Same addresses the current mainstream hip-hop scene, accusing everyone of sounding the same(and honestly, is there a difference between Boosie and Unk?). While it may sound like the typical disgruntled hip-hop veterans track, Sounds The Same is a hot track that gets the Bone brothers point accross by PROVING it. Never Forget Me features the second Akon guest appearance, and it's akin to I Tried, if not as commercial.
Altogether, Strength & Loyalty is the best, and most consistent Bone Thugs album since E. 1999 Eternal. They've won a lot of people over again, and this time, it's for all the right reasons. Pick it up.
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