Coming hot on the heels of
Sour Soul,
Ghostface's collaborative album with Toronto jazz band
BadBadNotGood, this second 2015 LP reunites the
Wu-Tang rapper with film composer
Adrian Younge and acts as a sequel to the pair's critically acclaimed 2013 release,
Twelve Reasons to Die. "Here's twelve more reasons to die!"
Ghost declares on "Return of the Savage," giving up the album's alternative title, although
Younge's music alone would alert fans that this is the sequel, as '70s funk and that era's Euro-slasher film soundtracks continue to frame the rapper's story of Mafioso warfare. The gritty electro found on "Powerful One" and the eerie-crossing-into-indie sound of "Resurrection Morning" widen the spectrum ever so slightly, while most everything else sounds like
Curtis Mayfield and
Ennio Morricone were genetically spliced together, and judging from
Ghostface's enthusiasm and heightened inspiration, that's just what the rapper ordered. What's new and improved this time out is guest star
Raekwon, who "plays" Lester Kane on the album, a mob boss gunning for
the Killah's Tony Starks character with the aim of becoming his arch rival. The two bosses meet, Kane trumps Stark, and then Stark takes a personal journey before a rematch ensues -- with all the rest being spoilers, but the important thing is how well these two
Wu brothers play off one another, sounding more in tune than on recent official
Wu-Tang efforts. Fine choices like
Vince Staples,
Lyrics Born, and
Bilal fill in the middle bit, while
RZA drops in with some comic book narration whenever the story needs to speed up. Like the films Superman 2 and Aliens, the concept LP
Twelve Reasons to Die II meets, and for action junkies exceeds, the high standard set by its predecessor. ~ David Jeffries