Hip hop fans tend to have a love/hate relationship with the South. In part, it depends on how open-minded the listener is. After all, this is not the same sound you will hear from an east or west coast artist. But it also depends on who you associate the South with. For many listeners, that is Cash Money, No Limit, JT Money, Luke, and Trick Daddy. Bounce music is synonymous with the region. Then there is the Dungeon Family, who maintain their originality from other hip hop, yet still manage to pull in the traditional hip hop listener.
One thing you must acknowledge about the Dungeon Family is that they will reinvent their sound with each successive album they put out. Outkast went from pimps to aliens, then fused the two with an eclectic mix on "Aquemini." Now Goodie Mob has transformed from grimy Southerners to soulful musicians to political bounce artists. "World Party" may be the toughest album I have had to review because of my expectations, and because it is so different from what I am used to.
I loved the first two Goodie Mob albums. After hearing "Chain Swang" and "Get Rich to This," I had a bad feeling about this one, and it didn't get any better once I heard TLC would be featured on the album. It's not that these were terrible songs - it's just that I didn't want to see my favorite group move away from their style and into the bounce genre. Well, they did... not just for "Get Rich to This," but for the entire album.
Begin listening to the album with an open mind; that is my best advice. It begins with the title track, which combines a powerful (but fast) beat with a sampled Lionel Richie chorus. The song is a nice start. Next is "Chain Swang," which I must admit has grown on me, 
especially after hearing the rest of the album. "Get Rich to This" has left some Goodie Mob faithful in tears with its atrocious hook, and our political, soulful Cee-Lo uttering "I am bout it." Tell me its not happening. "What It Ain't," a game of "ghetto laser-tag" between TLC and Goodie, could definitely be a radio hit, but unfortunately Goodie Mob had to compromise themselves to achieve this. It seemed strange to hear TLC over a bounce beat, and Goodie Mob doesn't even show up until a minute and half into the song. After this, thankfully, the party music takes a backseat for a few political tracks like "I.C.U." and "Rebuilding." But while they may be some of the best songs on the album, they are still fast beats.
I don't want to completely discourage the purchase of this album. There are several good tracks. The fast-paced sound becomes a little monotonous - the album simply doesn't offer the variety of "Still Standing." There are no songss like "I Refuse Limitation," where the track is slow and somber, and the lyrics take over. Also, Cee-Lo is not showcased as much as he had been on the first two albums. This is important because he is clearly the group's most talented member, although the others may not want to believe he deserves more featured time. In the song "All A's," T-Mo finishes his verse with "The world would be a better place if there were a few less fags." For a group who I used to look up to so much, this kind of ignorance is growing tiresome. My conclusion lately, I'm sorry to say, has been that Cee-Lo has always carried this group. On "World Party," he not only gets less time on the mic, but none of his verses are as impressive as his older work. The other emcees, although each occasionally has a nice performance, are many times incomprehensible.
I don't know who had the idea to make a bounce album, but it was the wrong direction to go in. Didn't Cee-Lo just do a song with Santana? And now he puts this out? While the album didn't completely fall flat, it greatly disappointed me as a huge Goodie Mob fan. I hope the group achieves its success. They deserve it after giving me two great albums. And while there are a few songs on "World Party" that show them in their true form, Goodie Mob's 3rd LP is far inferior to their first two.
-Joe Kostelnik
