The Best Damn Rap Show - Vast Aire

The Best Damn Rap Show, a collaboration between producer Mighty Mi (the High & Mighty) and MC Vast Aire (Cannibal Ox), is a full-fledged album, not a mixtape. It might as well be considered Vast Aire's second solo album -- there's only one guest MC, after all -- even if the label, Eastern Developments, doesn't think it should. As such, it's not as scattershot as 2004's Look Mom...No Hands (which featured a number of producers), but then its high points -- and punch lines -- don't quite stack up. Mighty Mi's beats are a good match for Vast, packing all the necessary grit and disorienting ambiance, but the album lacks The Cold Vein's dark edge. While some might think that's an unfair standard, it's also an unavoidable one. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide