Back on My B.S. - Busta Rhymes

Following up his troubled 2006 release The Big Bang, Back on My B.S. -- or B.O.M.B.S. -- is guided by the "return to form" template, sometimes to a fault. "Give Em What They Askin For" is an exercise in yelling, kicking, and screaming "I'm back" as loud as you can, and while fans will likely cheer, Busta and producer Ron Brownz are just preaching to the converted and should have left this hookless monster on a mixtape. A handful of similar tracks suffer from this same problem of ambition over inspiration, but for every miss, there's a hit, and you don't have to look any further than the other Busta and Brownz team-up, "Arab Money," which acts as an Arabic-sampling alternative to its equally infectious older brother, "Mundian to Bach Ke." The Jelly Roll production "Sugar" is the wild sound of Kraftwerk with an Isley Brother in their ranks, while Pharrell gives "Kill Dem" a Neptunes-styled version of dancehall, allowing Busta to turn on the patois and let his Jamaican heritage take control. Odd that a comeback album would put unsurprising Akon and John Legend collaborations in the fourth quarter, but even odder is the successful closing bit of Euro-disco called "World Go Round" which falls somewhere between a Flo Rida single and a new wave club classic. That's more highlights than last time out, and even if B.O.M.B.S. fails to put Busta back on top, it is certainly a step in the right direction. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide