As a teenager, hip hop was my thing and groups like Public Enemy were my idols. As I grew older, and the rap/hip hop scene really started to take off, and groups such as 2 Live Crew and Public Enemy were overtaken by the likes of Wu Tang Clan in the mid 1990's, I started to drift away from that area of music as it seemed diluted or very copycat. In the year my daughter was born (2000), Wu Tang released what was probably their most mainstream album with 'The W'. When So Solid Crew came onto the British garage scene, they were the closest this country has got to a group like Wu Tang Clan in that we are never really sure of their exact line up, as group members come and go, release some solo material successfully, and then return back to the fold from time to time. Even those middle of the road music fans amongst you may know of Method Man, who had a guest spot with Texas at The Brits a few years ago. That said, there are nine founder members of the group who are Method Man, RZA, GZA, Ol Dirty Ba***ard, Ghosface, Masta Killa, Raekwon, U-God, and Inspecta Dek.

***Careful (Click Click)***
This track opens the album for real, and RZA's production skills are very obvious, and I have to say that the man is a genuis, and criminally his talents are pretty widely ignored, and if it were not for his efforts, I am sure there would be no more Wu Tang. It is a a song which would never have been considered on any of their other releases, as the rawness has gone, and it sounds more like a weak attempt at a sample. The track has an Oriental theme, and at times sounds like it would have been more at home on a programme like 'Monkey Magic', and this kind of inconsistency is one of the reasons that this album was not a commercial or critical success, and it can never be hailed as a classic.

***Redbull***
I need a Red Bull to keep me going through this CD, as it is really starting to try my patience, but there is nothing so far that is making me eager to hear more, and I dread to think what their die hard fans must be thinking, and the same goes for the dreadful 'One Blood Under W'.

***Protect Ya Neck (The Jump Off 2000)***
I really cannot work out where this album is meant to be going, as the tracks just do not mesh, and I feel like the mood and style is changing too often, and it just feels really messy. I know that the group have been accused of being in it for the money (but in reality who isn't?), and I am wondering if these criticisms have hit home, as the attitude and the don't give a damn approach has gone, and it is just a little too nice, and there are no real messages in the music anymore. I am sure that this is the track which will prove once and for all that the group are at war with each other, nevermind what their critics say, and here it seems they all wanted to have their say, regardless of the final outcome.

'***I Can't Go To Sleep***
This track features soul legend Isaac Hayes and his version of 'Walk On By', and it is a shining light in a dark tunnel of mundane tracks. It touches on 1970's soul, and the production gives the track a funky edge which is like a breath of fresh air, and will satisfy the listeners thirst for a really great track....for a short while! RZA ensures that the brilliance of the original track is captured, and because of this he does not mess about and try to cut it to meet with the song he has in mind. The rapping from Ghosface is as good as I have heard from him on any release, and then RZA decides he wants his moment in the limelight, and he is up to the challenge, making this one of the best tracks on here.

*** The Monument***
Another low point for me on this track, and listening to it is starting to feel like really hard work. The lyrics are substandard, and clearly the group can do much better. With the addition of the brilliant Busta Rhymes, this track could have been so much more, and I am sure he is joining the other guests and wondering why he agreed to be part of such a let down. It promises so much in the first few lines, but we soon find that all of those promises are empty, and the song becomes much of the same compared to what we have heard so far. When I first bought this CD, I was convinced I would love it, and be giving it a glowing review, but the fact that it has taken me 3 years to even contemplate writing about it shows how it has been forgotten.

***Jah World***
Thankfully, the final track, and then I am sure that this CD will be forgotten about for many more years. The vocals are provided by Junior Reid, and they are without fault, but again the music behind the voice is without anything new that makes me want to listen to it, and it just has an overwhelming feeling of staleness. In comparison to their release in 2001 which was called 'Iron Flag', this falls some way short. It seems that as the majority of the group have gone off and done their own thing, the uniformity is missing, and they all seem to be a separate purposes. The group have claimed that this album is the start of a new mature sound, but I just don't get it. If you have never liked 'The Clan', then this CD will certainly not change your mind.