J5's 4th a good time, but not their best

Jurassic 5 is a stunning array of talent. Take five MC's (each with their own distinct sound) and two DJ's putting out honest, raw and catchy hip-hop reminiscent of the old-school days of NWA and the Wu-Tang Clan (when ODB was still alive and not in jail). This is the boys' 4th release, entitled Feedback. Party people, get ready for some old-school party rap here.\nUnfortunately, this release is a bit disappointing for a J5 fan. First off, the production is weak. This can be explained by the departure of DJ Cut Chemist, who is pursuing a solo career. Gone are the goofy samples and speedy cutting and crossing that Chemist brought to the distinct J5 sound. On Feedback, the beats are kind of bland. DJ Nu-Mark tries to go it alone, and guest producers take a stab at things, but it just falls short.\nLyrically, this album isn't on par with their earlier releases either. The lyrical content is very typical: relationships, popularity, etc. The fun loving lyrics of Quality Control (their first release) aren't here. But this can be overlooked at times because these MCs can deliver.\nThere are some fun tracks here. "Red Hot" could have been on their second release Power In Numbers, with goofy beats and slick rhymes from all the boys. "In the House" is a party track, with bouncy Sugar Hill Gang synth bass. "Radio" talks about the old days when hip-hop was about being real and having fun, not about money and fame. Icy beats and a catchy chorus, this is a pretty tight jam.\nIt's seems like Jurassic 5 wanted to go mainstream on this one, and for Buddha's sake…on "Work It Out," Dave Matthews makes an appearance. I abhor this. "Brown Girl" is also a very weak track; it definitely sounds too radio-friendly to be the J5 that I know and love. At 15 tracks, it's almost cut down the line between solid tracks and skippable ones.\nAll in all, I can't hate the 5. The flow is amazing, but this isn't what I've come to expect from a group of such talented MCs, but I guess I'll have to live with it until their next release. If you're new to Jurassic 5, you might actually want to pick up this first, because you'll have nowhere to go but up.