'Magna Carta' less than Holy

“You in the presence of a king. Scratch that; you in the presence of a god.”

So proclaims Jay-Z in the song “Crown” on his new effort “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail,” his 12th studio album.

But does he deserve this self-proclaimed praise for this album? Well, no, but it is a damn good album.

Jay-Z delivers his rhymes in his trademark impeccable spitting on top of some very solid foundations and the numbers that feature guest artists enhance the album to a lofty place. So what’s not to love? Why is it not perfect?

Well, it’s not that smart, and it’s not that fun.

On “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail,” Mr. Carter falls into the fatal trap of lyricizing mainly about ... well, nonsense. Over and over and over again. It’s not terribly creative. Instead of filling his album space with smart, powerful and poignant lyrics that deeply express his thoughts, in the same quality of his delivery and production value, much of the poetry ends up being one-liners of things we assume he owns. Or lyrics about how he’s the greatest, and how he has so much money. Or n-word fillers. Granted, the whole album isn’t like this. Tracks like “Ocean” and “Heaven” do have wonderfully penned lyrics for the most part.

“Magna Carta ... Holy Grail” also often lacks the existential quality that makes much of good hip-hop good — that of being fun to listen to, fun to bump along to. It’s amazing music for the most part, but we only really get to see the “Izzo (H.O.V.A.)”-side of Jay-Z come out in a couple of songs, like “Somewhereinamerica” and “Beach Is Better.” The latter, by the way, features a hilarious line about Beyoncé. I think I literally laughed out loud.

But, in the end, “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail” is an outstanding hip-hop album and definitely a solid addition to the already venerable 2013 lineup of new work from the genre.

The record features the know-how of a veteran superstar. Everything is refined to such a fine tip, yet it sounds so spontaneous and off the tongue that it’s hard to believe. The opening track, “Holy Grail,” which features Justin Timberlake’s sexy falsetto styling at the top, is an almost perfect hip-hop song. Tracks like “Jay Z Blue” and “Part II (On the Run)” are testaments of the deepest cares he has in life — to his child and wife. Both showcase Jay-Z’s incredible writing ability.

It’s easy to get hung up on the negatives of the album, because Jay-Z, while not yet at the status of “god” or “king,” is definitely a legend. Any piece of work he releases will be scrutinized with a fine-toothed comb. Nevertheless, when looked at in the macro, “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail” is without a doubt a great album. It’s nothing game-changing, but still a sturdy reason to love Shawn Carter.