D-Roc and Kaine are back with their fifth album, entitled Chemically Imbalanced, a name perhaps reflective of the Ying Yang Twins' energetic personalities on and off the mic. It's the follow-up to their platinum selling United State Of Atlanta, which included the infectious "Wait (The Whisper Song)", and Chemically Imbalanced hopes to see similar success as the duo's 2005 release. But will too much of the same thing be the group's downfall this time around?
More than half of the album, mostly produced by longtime producer Mr. Collipark, sounds so typical (club tracks about booty, sex, liquor and partying) that you might be ready to give up by track 10. But hold that thought, because the Twins employ new collaborations in the form of Wyclef Jean and Jerry Wonder, making the second half of the album a bit more innovative. Whether this is enough to make you a believer is really up to you.
If you enjoy the old-school, sexually-crunk feel of the duo, songs like "1st Booty On Duty" will make your head nod. It's a song about, you guessed it, strippers to the background of Mr. Collipark's signature sound. Likewise "Jack It Up" has Lil Jon-like club banger written all over it. Still, both songs make the Ying Yang Twins look like two partygoers that are hard to take serious, lyrically or otherwise.
The lead single "Dangerous" featuring Wyclef at least shows the listener that the group can experiment with a different, more sensual sound, even if the content is still about women. On their experimental streak, you'll also find "Family," a sort of heartfelt song in which D-Roc opens up about his daughters. The duo also brings it back to English class with their use of metaphorical content in "Collard Greens" and "Open" which by their titles appear to be more innocent than they actually are, so make sure to pay attention.
Yes, the duo tries something different on their fifth album, but D-Roc and Kaine might always be the silly, sexually-charged additions in the eyes of hip-hop fans. We're all ready to see something more from the Ying Yang Twins, and though Chemically Imbalanced doesn't exactly get the job done, it does serve as a good start.
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