Notes & Personnel Info |  | The Bone Brothers: Layzie Bone, Bizzy Bone (rap vocals). | | Additional personnel: Felicia Howse (vocals); Kareem, Krayzie Bone, Mo Thugs, Outlawz , Treach, Wish Bone, Skano (rap vocals). | | Finally bringing the much-anticipated reunion of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony brothers Layzie and Bizzy to the stereo, The Bone Brothers is a frustrating album if there ever was one. Skip ahead halfway through this jumble of styles if you want the good news, because the first half of the album is tangled in uninspired venom and commercial thug throwaways. "Like Me" apes Eminem so hard it hurts, "What's Friends" rips off Whodini's "Friends" without adding anything new to it, and the misguided "Dick Rider" tries to marry Bone thugging with Jay-Z's sparkle. Luckily, Layzie's and Bizzy's raps are more hit than miss during these moments, but in regard to production, everything feels forced and choruses that want to be street anthems end up sounding weak and contrived. Once you hit "Give It to Me," a whole new world opens up, and that lazily rolling Bone style is back. It's less ambitious, but the effervescent, feel-good "Hip Hop Baby" is up there with "Crossroads." "Str8 Ridaz" and "Complicated" are worthy additions to your next mixtape of the extended Bone family, and one on-point track after another balances the fake urgency that sours the album's first half. All this said, hearing so much Bone family interaction after loads of solo albums is a nostalgic thrill for anyone who used to spend countless hours listening to Cleveland's finest. That's just enough to recommend this up-and-down album to veteran fans, but the casual Bone listener can pass. ~ David Jeffries | | Bone Thugs-N-Harmony came straight out of Cleveland, Ohio in the early 1990s, capturing the ears of Eazy-E, and, subsequently, the rest of the country, with its then-unique blend of hardcore rap and harmonized vocals. After fading into the background for awhile, the Bone clan returned prominently in early 2005. THE BONE BROTHERS, a collaboration between Bizzy Bone and Layzie Bone, follows close on the heels of a strong solo effort by Krayzie Bone, as well as a retrospective of Bone Thugs' career, and features appearances by all four free Bones (with Flesh-N-Bone in jail). | | The album continues in the Bone tradition of complex flows delivered in a gloriously unpredictable fashion, incorporating numerous musical styles. In the chorus of "Hip Hop Baby," Bizzy and Layzie croon sweetly about the variety of music they enjoy, noting, however, that it all comes back to hip-hop. On the previous track, "Complicated," they join with the Outlawz for a deft interpolation of the Avril Lavigne hit, which features a brilliantly dark story and a sinister keyboard line. The solemn, reflective "What's Friends" showcases Krayzie Bone, and reminds listeners just how crafty the Bone Thugs mixture can be, as the three Bones whimsically play off each others' rhymes. |
Producer: Dennis Johnson; Self |
Musical Guests | | Krayzie Bone |
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