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Strength & Loyalty

by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony

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It doesn't happen much, but there are times when the departure of a group's most prominent player inspires the rest of the act to get seriously bizzy. Strength & Love, a tight disc that skitters from track to shiny track with imagination and a renewed sense of rap's widened boundaries, makes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony a prime example. Without Bizzy Bone to layer a drizzle of Midwestern vocal weirdness over their sound, Layzie, Krayzie, and Wish Bone call in a crew of hard-hitting helpers: Akon delivers twice, first on the melting "I Tried" and again on the weepy "Never Forget Me," Mariah Carey flits through "Lil Love" alongside Bow Wow, and Twista and Yolanda Adams also make reputation-enhancing appearances (Twista by barreling through "C-Town" at breakneck speed and Adams by giving it up gorgeously for God on "Order My Steps (Dear Lord)"). Best of all about this proud-making comeback disc is its clever use of samples: "Wind Blow" pins the Fleetwood Mac chestnut "The Chain" down to urban pavement without wrecking its spirit, and the smartly produced "The Streets" updates the vibe of Bobby Womack's timeless "Across 110th Street" while preserving its grit-covered class. --Tammy La Gorce