Disco de Bone Thugs-N-Harmony: “Strength & Loyalty [PA]”

My son is one of the biggest Bone-Thugs-N-Harmony fans. Ever since he heard songs like "First Of The Month", "Thuggish Ruggish Bone", "Crossroads" & "Home" they've been his all-time favorite rap group. And ever since Flesh Bone's incarceration & Bizzy Bone leaving he never thought they would ever come out with another album. He saw that they had a new video on MTV Jams and went right online to find out when the release date was and on May 8th he drove straight to Target after school and picked it up. I'm not that big on rap music these days but he talked me into listening to their new album "Strength And Loyalty", a 14 track album with no skits no intro's. I loved how it sounded and some of the samples they used. They really do have a lot of talent. I had to look at the booklet just to make sure Twista wasn't in this group. My son had to guide me through who was spitting what verse.

The album gets off to an excellent start with track 1 "Flow Motion", which samples one of my favorite songs from back in the day "Sky High" by Jigsaw. Everybody gives the listeners a reminder of how fast they can rap. Track 2 is "Bump In The Trunk" which features Swizz Beatz. The title is self explanitory. Is a great song to blast in the car. The bass guitar is good but the only flaw to this song is that Swizz Beatz adds nothing to the song except a repetitive hook. It's a little lack luster. Track 3 "Wind Blow" is probably the biggest standout from any other song on here. It samples Fletwood Mac's "The Chain". And the topic of the song is great. they explain that it's a shame that people jump on their bandwagon just because they are now on the radio. At first listeners might get turned off because in the beginning it sounds like a country song but it's one of the better tracks on here. Track 4 is the album's 1st single "I Tried". It features Akon, which by the way is the only reason this song is on the radio. It's classic BTNH material talking about struggling in the streets. Beat is great too. Track 5 is "Lil Love". I heard this is supposed to be the 2nd single which really pisses me off because it's the first Bone Thugs song I've heard that is actually made for the radio. i guess for them it was an obvious choice since it features Mariah Carey, Bow Wow & Jermaine Dupri's stupid "Y'all Know What This Is" line at the beginning. I was expecting Chingy to appear on this song. Thank God I didn't. Track 6 is "C-Town" featuring Twista. I really like the production on this song. I noticed that it sampled that old Lenny Williams song "Trust In Me". This song should be a single. It probably won't be though. Track 7 is "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)" featuring Yolanda Adams. I was a little worried that i was going to hear some haunting music or something cause this is a little too holy for my taste since it's a rap song. It's not bad though. It samples the original "Order My Steps" song by GMWA Women Of Worship (Aleho Int'l). After this the album gets to the three hardest songs. Track 8 is "Streets" which features Ex G-Unit member The Game & Will.I.Am. It samples Bobby Womack's famous song "Across 110th Street". Each Mc (Especially Krayzie Bone) slaughters this track. Track 9 is "9MM" which is one of the most catchy records I've heard in a long time with it's hook, "/Go loco wit da heater,/ 9 millimeter, /9 millimeter, millimeter, millimeter, pop pop/". The piano beat is pretty agressive too. Track 10 is "Gun Blast". I hated this song at first but after a few listens it grew on me. But just out of curiousity isn't that the EXACT SAME BEAT AND PRODUCTION from Cam'Ron's song "Living A Lie" from the Killa Season album. Then again it's better so we'll leave that one alone. Track 11 "Candy Paint" in my opinion has the best beat on the album. It features Swizz Beatz and Autumn Rose. Each mc delivers nice verses on this down south track. This could be a potential single in the long run. Track 12 is "So Good So Right" which samples the original titled song from Brenda Russell. Layzie Bone's wife Felicia is on the hook and the mc's sing about how they are doing good even with all the bullshit that's gone on the past few years. I'm liking track 13 "Sounds The Same" more each time I listen to it. The song explains how every rapper talks about the same struggle, people dying, parents being laid off, going to jail, hustlin. Track 14, the closer "Never Forget Me" is without a doubt the best track on the CD. And if promotion is correct this is supposed to be the 3rd single. Akon sings a phenominal hook. The beat is very furious. Each mc delivers nice once more and it's an excellent song to close out the album.

My Top 5

1. Never Forget Me feat. Akon

2. So Good So Right feat. Felicia

3. I Tried feat. Akon

4. C-Town feat. Twista

5. Candy Paint feat. Swizz Beatz & Autumn Rose

Honorable Mention Tracks

1. Wind Blow

2. Flow Motion

3. Bump In The Trunk feat. Swizz Beatz

4. Streets feat. The Game & Will.I.Am

5. 9MM

BTNH hasn't let us down yet. GET THIS ALBUM IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY DAMMIT!!!!!

Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have long been one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time. Creepin' On Ah Come Up was possibly the greatest hip-hop EP of all time, and their full-length debut, E. 1999 Eternal, has long been one of my favorite hip-hop releases ever. Unfortunately, after E. 1999 Eternal, the Bone Brothers started to slip, both in terms of commercial success and quality itself. The Art Of War was a decent follow-up to their classic debut, but they'd clearly hit the sophomore slump; the double-disc ambitions were far too much for Bone. After many unsuccessful albums, critically and commercial, a greatest hits compilation, and a collaboration with Phil Collins, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have returned to the mainstream with Strength & Loyalty.

Much of their newfound fan base(because let's face it, the people that buy this album probably only heard of Bone because of their chart-smashing single with Akon) are here because of I Tried. I Tried is a refreshing change of pace for commercial hip-hop, but not the best track on the album. While the lyrics are strong(by Bone-standards), and the beat is elegant, the song as a whole isn't the cream of the crop of their discography. In fact, I Tried is a bit like Crossroads 2007; a very nice cut with enough commercial appeal to get people to buy the much more Thuggish Ruggish album.

Wind Blow feels like an updated version of Bone's Ghetto Cowboy; however, ten times better. With a great sample, and an original beat, the Bone brothers flow over this track like water. Flow Motion maybe the greatest track on the album, and is certainly the best opening track to any Bone album. This track does what Bone intended to do; showcases their lightning-quick flows to the new audience they've managed to acquire through the success of their first single. Bump In The Trunk is a hot Swizz Beats track, and you've gotta thank Swizzie for saving Bone's career; because without him helming this project, you can almost guarantee Bone would've floundered in obscurity for the rest of their career.

Lil' Love and C-Town are both tracks made for the radio(the former featuring Bow Wow and Mariah freakin' Carey, and the latter featuring pop's favorite tongue-Twista), but they're still of a high enough quality not to stop the great experience. Order My Steps takes the album back up another notch, preparing us for the awesome will.i.am produced Streets featuring Game. The Game kills his verse, showing why he's one of the best upcoming lyricists in the game, commercial or underground.

9mm, Gun Blast, and Candy Paint are three straight tracks of nothing but Bone goodness; while there's a lot of guest appearances on the album, Bone seem to do the best when it's just Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish. 9mm and Gun Blast are clearly the street-oriented tracks Bone is known for, and that their hardfore fanbase will absolutely adore; Candy Paint is Bone's attempt at grabbing a Southern audience, and while that may sound forced, this track is anything but, and ends up being one of the best tracks on the album.

So Good So Right is a nice track featuring Felicia, while Sounds The Same addresses the current mainstream hip-hop scene, accusing everyone of sounding the same(and honestly, is there a difference between Boosie and Unk?). While it may sound like the typical disgruntled hip-hop veterans track, Sounds The Same is a hot track that gets the Bone brothers point accross by PROVING it. Never Forget Me features the second Akon guest appearance, and it's akin to I Tried, if not as commercial.

Altogether, Strength & Loyalty is the best, and most consistent Bone Thugs album since E. 1999 Eternal. They've won a lot of people over again, and this time, it's for all the right reasons. Pick it up.

In early 2005, Bone Thugs fans were enlightened to learn of a new deal that would make Bone Thugs-N-Harmony a part of Swizz Beatz' new Full Surface Records, a move that would regain them big label distribution and promotion. Now, over two years later and after numerous independently released side projects, the current three Bone Thugs, Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish (Bizzy was ousted following

, and Flesh remains incarcerated) release "Strength & Loyalty." This album brings a very new sound to Bone that may take some getting used to for longtime fans like myself, but I think they will really enjoy it as I do. Swizz Beatz and the high-profile producers fit Bone with some very nice beats, and while there are a handful of missteps, for the most part the product is excellent. Lyrically, there is lots of different subjects touched. There are the classic slow and deep songs that they have always perfected, some great upbeat hardcore thuggish ones, and a few that aim for mainstream play, that while slightly compromising their ways are very well polished. Their signature harmonic, fast deliveries sound as tight as ever. This album is in sharp contrast to their 2006 independent album

, and I think I like this album just as much, if not more, than that release. For the first time, I feel like they are missing Bizzy at least a little bit, because a lot of their spirituality and star-gazing wonder of old is notably missing, but for the most part they get along without him. Wish Bone gets more face time than ever before, and while he'll never be the rapper Kray and Lay are, he gets the job done. I apologize if this review is a little lengthy, because as a longtime die-hard Bone fan, I have not been so excited for an album in a very long time, it's very satisfying to see Bone back on top after all this time. New and old fans alike will love "Strength & Loyalty."

The album kicks in with "Flow Motion," itself a sequel to a song of the same name from their 1993 underground album

. I love this song, it also reminds me of the intro to

. It cleverly takes the chorus from the 1993 song, gets an awesome new beat from Swizz Beatz, and has triple-time, lightning fast verses from all three MCs. The beat is great, the vocals are great, and this song kicks off the album with a bang. "Bump in the Trunk" gets a beat and a mic guest from Swizzy, I think this song is pretty good, the beat has some hard guitars, but I wasn't really feeling the chorus and subject matter so much. "Wind Blow" is the song that really grew on me, at first I didn't like it but now it might be my favorite on the album. Musically it's very interesting, Swizzy uses a totally out-of-left-field sample that sounds like it came from a country song, with banjos and odd vocals. The chorus is thumping and I really came to like this song. The single "I Tried" follows, and this is an excellent song musically and lyrically. Akon makes an excellent appearance, delivering a heartfelt chorus over dramatic production. Bone performs excellently, and this is a slow, sentimental song to be remembered in the vein of "Home" and "Change the World," and exactly the type of song that will regain mainstream success. The next song, "Lil Love" is awful, exactly the type of song I never wanted to hear Bone do. The song opens with Jermaine Dupri proclaiming "Y'all know what this is!" and immediately I began shaking my head. To make matters worse, the beat is terrible, and the untalented-as-ever Lil Bow Wow guests. The subject matter is sappy and Mariah Carey sounds like she's in pain. I was really disappointed that Bone would do a song like this, because although I understand that artists and music change, ten years ago this would never have happened. I like "C-Town," a collaboration with fellow Midwest vet and formal rival Twista. The production is very polished and appealing, slow and understated. "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)" is decent, it's a dramatic spiritual track that's almost reminiscent of an

or

era Bone. The production is just okay, and this isn't one of my favorite songs here. A collaboration with The Game and Will.i.am follows, this is another attempt for mainstream attention that while sounding okay doesn't really appeal to me, I don't feel the production or hookiness fits Bone at all. "9mm" brings back the gun-toting Bone Thugs of old, over some chilling piano lines, this song reminds me of "3 Glocks" from

. "Gun Blast" is lyrically quite similar, with some hard hitting bass. I think my two favorite tracks follow. At first, I admit I did not like "Candy Paint," because the poppy beat and hook are much more Swizz Beatz than they are Bone Thugs. However, I can't front on this beat, it's an excellent beat, and this one should be blaring through speakers all summer. I didn't like hearing them rapping about cars, but vocally they sound very nice. I absolutely love "So Good, So Right," which sounds like classic Bone. Layzie's wife Felecia sings a heartfelt hook, and over a nice piano cadence, Krayzie, Layzie, and Wish rap about all the turmoil the group has experienced in the last few years. This is exactly the type of song longtime Bone fans will love to hear. "Sound the Same" is very nice musically, and while not among the best songs is quite solid. The closer is phenomenal, the epic-sounding Akon collaboration "Never Forget Me." The horns in the production are furious sounding, and Akon makes this song one to remember.

This album stacks up quite favorably to the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony group discography. This is an album that I can anticipate listening to for years to come, in constant rotation with my other Bone albums. Bone is back baby! This is one of the best albums yet of 2007, standing tall along with Tha Dogg Pound's

, Redman's

, and DJ Jazzy Jeff's

, and I highly recommend it to longtime fans and new listeners.

You don't know me, but anyone who does knows that I am a Bone Thugs enthusiast....seriously I have every album, underground albums etc...if you search my itunes I have over 600 tracks from Bone...AND like everyone else, I feel like the last few albums (thug stories, Bone 4 life, bone brothers...)have been lacking without Bizzy's flow.

I've been waiting for this album to come out for over a year, and after delays and push backs, its finally here.

I bought the album today and listened through the whole album twice...From the beats to the flows, everything is just right on que...Layzie stepped his game up, Krayzie's flow is insane, and Wish is wish and it all comes together perfect.

The album is leaps beyond Thug Stories and I personally like it better than Resurrection....Its not East 1999, but then again its 10 years later, and we can't expect that same old sound...BUT What they have to bring to the table this round is something reminiscant of the old Bone sound but completely modern and valid.

Of course we all miss the old Bizzy sound, but if you've heard his new solo's you know that his style has changed/evolved...and its honestly not always on cue with what Bone sounds like anymore...I love Bizzy to death but after listening to what he does with 7th sign, I kind of like what he's doing on his own...more than what he did on Thug World Order with Bone. If Bizzy could do what he did on his solo, Thugs Revenge or Alpha and Omega and bring that to the group, this album would compete head to head w/ E.99 in my opinion.

Hopefully now that this album is doing so well, we'll see more of Bone in the limelight, where I believe they needed to belong for a long long time.

Stop reading and BUY IT!

Hip Hop quintet Bone Thugs-N-Harmony came to promise in the mid 90's with the grounbreaking album "E 1999 Eternal" and the #1 hit "Croossroads". They combinated Rap and R&B in their music (Both singing and rapping) and they had the marvelous Mc's Bizzy Bone with a very fast flow and Flesh-n-Bone, with a distinctive rapping style. Apart from having great Mc's and a unusual style, they also came from Cleveland, Ohio and not the East or West side like most bands at the time. Unfortunately they haven't been able to duplicate the success of "E 1999 Eternal" and most other albums were just average. If that wasn't enough, Flesh-n-Bone was sent to prison in 2000 and will not be paroled until 2008 and Bizzy Bone decided to take a break from the band until Flesh comes back (Probably their nezt album). In the meantime the three remaining members Krayzie Bone, Layzie Bone, Wish Bone have done all they can to make up for previous dissapointments and stated that this is their "Comeback" album. Without their best two members it's impossible to call this a comeback album but what differs this effort from previous one's is the production and guest artists included. Swizz Beatz, Akon, Nottz, Will.i.am and Jermaine Dupri are more then enough to make this album interesting, and that itself is something you haven't been able to say about their albums in a while.

In case you haven't already noticed they just scored their biggest hit in over 10 years with "I Tried" featuring Akon (produced by him aswell) that is currently a Top 10 hit. A Hip Hop ballad about trying to change but how trouble follows people and falling back to misery or addiction is inevitable. Very good song but sounds more like Akon then them. After listening through this album it seems like there's alot of songs dealing with the streets and gangsta life, with an occassional club song here and there. Not their most serious effort that is, but it's an worthwile listen in any case. Opener "Flow Motion" is an contest in fast flow with old skool beats. "Bump in the Trunk" feauture producer turned rapper Swizz Beatz but it doesn't seems to have much point. "Wind Blow" lazily samples Fleetwood Mac's classic "The Chain", just like they did with that Phil Collins song they aren't removing the original song on the hook and it sounds quite lazy. However, as good as the original is it could be a hit just the same. "Lil Love" a club song produced by Jermaine Dupri feature Mariah Carey and Lil Bow Wow. Mostly a feel good song pop-rap song where Mariah steals the show. "C-Town" is one of my favorite with it's great beats and guest appearence from Twista, it was produced by newcomber Neo Da Matrix. It's a tribute to Cleveland and since Twista is from Chicago they're reffering to both Midwesterns metropoles. "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)" with Yolanda Adams is about keeping your faith in god no matter what. Great song and guest appearance too.

Will.i.am produced "Streets" feature The Game, surprise surprise he's on a song titled "Streets". He steals the show. "9mm" and "Gun Blast" are two more thug songs, but I could live without both of them. Another Swizz Beatz song titled "Candy Paint" got awesome beats and feauture some girl, good floorfiller. "So Good, So Right" is a classic BTH kind of song where they both sing and rap but also feauture Felecia. They talk of problems they been through like Flesh-N-Bone's incarnation but how they still feel good and are looking forward. "Sound the Same" sound like it's from the mid 90's where they were at their peak. This song deal with how many stories sound the same and lots of people end up with the same fate. Second Akon song called "Never Forget Me" is pretty good but it's beat sound alot like MJ's "Give it To Me". However, hit material. Bonus tracks are "The Future" with Fleshy and "Just Vibe"

Overall, Without Fleshy and Bizzy it's hard to call this a new masterpiece or even a comeback and there are too many guest artists for good and bad, but the production is great and there are more potential hits on this album then in ages. Either way you see it, "Strenght and Loyalty" is a dedication to old time fans that have been saving money time after time hoping for a new masterpiece but ending up with average efforts. This is for them and it's the best in ages. It's far from perfect but it's fun, well produced and it gives glimpses of their greatness. But, just wait a year til they become a quintet again, then I can promise they're going to make an hell of an album.