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Here
is a review thanks to RAPPAGES.COM of thealbum:
Too
$hort knew exactly what he was doing when he called
his retirement before the release of Gettin' It
(Album Number Ten). Here's how the story goes:
about three years ago, Too $hort realized he was
a much greater commodity than just a platinum
artist. He found out he was an icon; better said:
a legend in music history. Of course, rap consumers
from Oakland to Atlanta and all points in between
already knew that, but when a number of New York
rappers and consumers finally came out of the
closet and gave him his props, it was time for
Jive Records to renegotiate. Now, with a new deal
signed and the legend of Sir Too $hort known on
every Hip-Hop corner, comes album number 11, Can't
Stay Away.
After
rapping over a track produced by DJ Premier and
recording with East Coast rappers Erick Sermon,
the Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Kim and Jay-Z, a whole
new world opened up to $hort. While he has been
the same person telling the same tales for 16
years, with Can't Stay Away, $hort experiments
with his signature sound and raps--and it's brilliant.
Can't Stay Away includes some things $hort has
never done on his previous albums: strong, soul-music
production featuring stellar singers (Horace Brown
and Dwayne Wiggins) on the hooks, a concerted
effort to outrap his guest stars as well as the
inclusion of more uplifting material.
On "Still
Strugglin'," his first real foray
into the R&B genre, $hort summons the services
of Horace Brown's falsetto. The acoustic guitar
strumming, blended with $hort's traditional 808
programming, is as deceiving and effective as
a well-dressed assassin. Also, the Million Man
March he attended must have really affected $hort,
because he offers more than the usual game/survival-oriented
advice. $hort aims to keep youngsters on the streets
safe from harm by schooling them on the pitfalls
of the recording industry, the penal system and
jealous friends. Songs like "Good
Life," "Tell
the Feds," "Divide
and Conquer" (featuring Black) and
the slamming title track "Can't
Stay Away"contain words to live by.
As uplifting
as these songs are, Can't Stay Away wouldn't be
a complete Too $hort album if he didn't digress
into the sexual themes like, "What
Happened to the Groupies" featuring
B-Legit, and the Priest 'Supafly' Brooks-produced
"You Might Get G'eed"
featuring Daz and E-40. The latter is an elaborate
sexcapade that borrows its title from a famous
phrase on 1988's "Dopefiend Beat." As
an added bonus, "More
Freaky Tales" and "Invasion
of the Flat Booty Bitches"
updates two of $hort's past hits.
On the
competition level, Too $hort trades rhymes with
a number of MCs who complement his voice and style.
Reuniting with his 'Sex Faces' partner, Scarface,
on "Longevity,"
$hort and 'Face explain why they are the best
at what they do and how they've been doing it
for so long. Eightball and MJG help sauce up "Don't
Stop Rappin'" Lil' Kim gives a little
risqué performance on "Call
Me" and $hort's new tag-team partner
Jay-Z lights up "Here
We Go." Like Method Man and Redman,
$hort and Jay-Z make a formidable combination.
After consistently reaching one-million listeners
for over ten years, matched by a back catalog
that steadily sells, Too $hort retired only to
reap more of his self-created profits and deliver
Can't Stay Away. This extremely well-executed
album takes chances that $hort wouldn't have taken
in the past. It's a new and exciting era for an
old rapper. --Allen S. Gordon
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