Look at Me - Cadillac Don & J-Money

The peanut butter is the tan interior of a car, the jelly is the shiny paint you lay on your Chevy, and the song is as catchy as two "Chicken Noodle Soup"'s with a "Chain Hang Low" on the side. Crawford, Mississippi's Cadillac Don & J-Money had an unstoppable hit in 2006 with "Peanut Butter & Jelly," a Chevy-loving club track and instant party starter that kicked it regional but had worldwide appeal. The album it lands on, Look at Me, has the proper amount of trunk rumbling beats and party music to carry you through weekend -- maybe even a three-day, holiday weekend. It's also a great résumé builder for producer Big Fruit since he handles every single track and does so like an up-and-coming Lil Jon, but the duo with their name on the cover are left with an identity crisis. On the club tracks, they're the Ying Yang Twins. On the thug tracks, they're U.G.K.. On everything in-between, they're heavily influenced by Paul Wall, an obvious hero whose name they've already dropped twice by the time he actually appears on the album five tracks in. Making matters worse is the overall balance with the more satisfying party bangers up front and the trying street music pushed towards the back. Fortunately the loopy winner "Do Some Strange" and the B+ "Show Them Dickies" save the second half from being entirely forgettable, and if you roll up to the club playing "Peanut Butter," "Ice," or "Showin' Out" you'll be feeling like a dirty, dirty baller superstar. Whether Cadillac Don & J-Money can come out of this and turn it into a career like the Ying Yang Twins surprisingly did or fizzle like they were Wreckx-N-Effect remains to be seen. Even if it's the latter, excusably spotty and faceless party albums like this still have their place, especially when their highlights are this high. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide