Sean Paul is back... no not that one... the other one... Mr. Young Bloodz is back again and flying solo once more.
Straight from the ATL, Sean Paul addresses many circulating rumors with the release of his second solo album, Hood Anthems. But he couldn't do it alone; Sean Paul collaborates with the likes of Prince Bugsy, Kash Flow, Young Fell and, of course, J-Bo.
Hood Anthems, produced by AD Future, Row Beats and Sean T, is just that, an album for the hood. With twelve potential hits and five bonus tracks, can this be a full-out knock-out? Time will tell... let the games begin...
Right out the gates, Sean Paul quickly lets us know that he's hood and you should be too with, "I'm Hood." No wonder it is classified as an anthem right?
Up next, every man knows he is ready and "Soldier'd Up" when they listen to this track. Another hood anthem under his belt, Sean Paul will have many gangsters and wannabe wanksters hailing each other out with this song.
The album seems to be handling itself like a pro, but it doesn't mean it wasn't jabbed a few times along the way. "Like This" and "That's Fo Sho" don't really connect to the rest of the album due to laskluster production and lethargic lyrics.
Trying to recover, one final run is needed, and it comes in the form of two tracks: both "Going Hard" and "40's In a Brown Bag" help Sean Paul win the battle. "Going Hard" is a defiant, post-up, head nodding, club banger. Collaborating with his partner-in-crime, J-Bo, on the track, this is the Sean Paul we are all familiar with. And with the superb lyrics -- never mind the beat (which is pretty good) -- it will make anyone sit up and listen.
"40's In a Brown Bag" has a "back then they didn't want me, now I'm hot they all on me" type of sound, with the help of producer Numskull (of the Luniz). This actually saves this track from contributing to an already wounded album.
So what happened... did this album ball or fall? The bell has rung... it's battered, but not buried.
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