LL Cool J

3.5 stars out of 5

LL Cool J's staged a comeback or two before. People were already writing him off in 1990 when he stunned everyone with Mama Said Knock You Out, and he'd supposedly lost his touch when his 1995 Mr. Smith put him back at the top of the charts. Now it's 2004 and the conventional wisdom on LL is that rap's original bad boy has gone soft. After all, when was the last time he had a hit that wasn't a by-the-numbers baller ballad?

Well, the "LL" still stands for "Ladies Love," so it's no surprise that his latest album has its fair share of bedroom tracks, including one great one, the spacey, seductive "Can't Explain It." But what makes The DEFinition by far LL Cool J's best album since the aforementioned Mr. Smith is the edge he's rediscovered on bass-heavy party tracks like "Apple Cobbler," "Move Somethin'" and especially the monstrous lead single "Headsprung," which makes the most of a smokin' hot hook courtesy of Timbaland (who produced six of the disc's 11 tracks). Nothing else on the album comes close to "Headsprung"'s power, but LL's flow is in top form throughout and there are some entertaining highlights, including a smart, funny ode to boozing ("Every Sip") and the brazenly old-school "Feel the Beat," on which LL revels in his old-timer status over some lo-fi beat boxing ("in '86 I balled liked that").

The DEFinition is not without its stumbles, including a surprisingly tepid R. Kelly collaboration ("I'm About to Get Her"). But this lean, mean comeback should serve as a reminder to today's hordes of young MCs that you don't need a lot of skits, guest raps and foul-mouthed posturing to make a great hip-hop record. The original bad boy is back. - Andy Hermann

It's great to hear LL Cool J so unrestrained and so inspired on "Hush," one of the fantastic tracks on the more hit than miss The DEFinition. The track segues into the much lesser "I'm gonna do this to you, I'm gonna do that to you" Penthouse letter that's "Every Sip," but there's more here to bounce to than on 2002's mushy 10, and you can thank Timbaland for that. He's in the producer's chair for the banging kickoff single, "Headsprung," where LL meets the South with crunk beats and a slowed-down, syrup-sipper's chorus. He adds that Art of Noise-styled, mystic pan flute synth to "Can't Explain It" and a buzzing-in-your-ear melody to "Feel the Beat." LL responses to all these fresh sounds with vigor, spitting out the rhymes swiftly, and comes up with a couple things that make you go "dang!" without a trip or stumble. As good as Timbaland's beats are, it's 7 Aurelius who steals the show with his work on "Hush." It's more lovers' rap from LL, but Aurelius' beats and tricks should appeal to XY and XX chromosomes equally. Same goes for his team-up with R. Kelly, "I'm About to Get Her," making "Every Sip" the only romantic yawner. LL offers up "you rap for the thugs/I rap for the ladies" on the album, but there's some tough, near-"Mama Said Knock You Out"'s here, and from any hardcore thug's point of view, he's getting better at splitting the difference. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide