Too bland to fill appetite

 

By Wes Woods

On-Line Forty Niner

 

Cypress Hill's fourth full-length album, "Cypress Hill IV," is much like eating vanilla ice cream. After indulging in it a couple of times, boredom ultimately sets in.

The 17 tracks on the album follow the successful themes of the member's previous albums.

Unfortunately, the themes are a little too familiar. The songs on "Cypress Hill IV" have all been surpassed by the group's previous efforts.

The musical backdrops and topics, such as marijuana and murder, fail to capture the glories of past songs.

"Dr. Greenthumb," an ode to growing weed and first the first single, is an example of past successes.

While the simple, catchy drum bounces along, B-Real's nasally vocal gets stale. He sounds unfocused, trying to steady his vocals to match the drums.

B-Real's flow is now a shadow of itself. Once able to smoothly glide his unmistakable voice over any track, he now struggles to rhyme too many phrases into a song. This technique only works sometimes.

Despite the lyrical problems, the album is not devoid of good songs. Producer DJ Muggs provides a varied soundscape ranging from plodding and moody to rock-guitar laced and fast-paced tracks.

The slow and simmering "Looking Through The Eye Of A Pig," with B-Real writing from the point of a police officer, is well-executed.

"Audio X," featuring Barron Ricks, has B-Real speeding up his groove, a la Bone Thugs N Harmony, and achieving tremendous results over the slow-rolling beat.

"Dead Men Tell No Tales," with Sen Dog providing his signature baritone, is a nice cut.

Other songs, despite excellent production, do not quite pan out.

"I Remember That Freak Bitch (From The Club)," featuring Barron Ricks with its wailing sirens and bouncy drums, fails to impress. B-Real's vocals clash with the composition, nullifying the infectious beat.

"High Times" is a smooth, kick-back-and-vibe oriented track ruined by B-Real.

B-Real is not the only negative, however. "Checkmate," "Riot Starter" and "(Goin' All Out) Nothin' To Lose," all employ speedy, crashing drums and not much else.

It sounds like Muggs just threw the tracks together quickly.

While catering to the appetites of hungry Cypress Hill fans, "Cypress Hill IV" is too bland to fill the appetite.