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Customer Reviews: Average Rating:  Rating :  - Decent, but a little dull
Don't get me wrong - I'm a huge fan of the Beasties, and the Beasties bickering about politics doesn't bother me, what's wrong with this album comes in the form of too little, as opposed to too much.
The first Beastie Boys album in 6 years "To the 5 Boroughs", is a very plain Beastie experience compared to the likes of "Paul's Boutique", "Ill Communication", and even "Licensed to Ill". The production on here, all of it done by the Beasties themselves, is sorely lacking. Gone are the guitars, and in once again are tons, and tons of samples. The sampling thing was cool back in '89 with Paul's Boutique, but this is 2004, and I was expecting a new sound from the Beasties, instead of the stripped-down minimalistic beats on here. The only track on here with any sort of production quality at all is "An Open Letter to NYC".
The rhymes however, are on point, as usual. Adrock, Mike D and MCA deliver some great lines and verses, though most of the songs on here follow the exact same rhyme structure. The lead single, "Ch-Check it Out" is probably the best track on here, but that's probably because it doesn't sound much different than the others. "Crawlspace" has some nice funk-elements in it, "Oh Word?" and "Hey F*** You" show the Beasties can still tear it up when they're pushing 40. A few of the tracks on here are really weak though, such as "We Got The" and "Time To Build", I don't think it has anything to do with those two being two of the most political tracks, they just don't cut it for me.
Die-hard Beastie fans might be a little disappointed, and probably will be left waiting until the Beasties pick up their guitars again. This is a decent album, but it's not one that will maintain heavy rotation in your CD player. + See Full Customer Review |  |
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