Ah, the unplugged album.

A recording industry fad that mercifully died out in the mid-'90s.

It did little for music other than show how many emperors were in fact unclothed, as well as create a cheap cash cow for the artists, the labels, and the main perpetrator of the heinous and rather pointless crime against the consumer -- MTV (the "M" is for what again?).

That's why the appearance of this new album of unplugged material from top hip hop artist Jay-Z, who's currently enjoying a major wave thanks to last year's The Blueprint, is one that should be viewed with mixed emotions.

Though not an essential release by any means, it is, itself, quite a good recording.

Joined in the MTV studio by a string quartet, members of The Roots and special guest Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z performs acoustic versions of his hits such as Girls, Girls, Girls, Hard Knock Life (The Ghetto Anthem) and Izzo (H.O.V.A.), as well as a tacked-on new track, People Talkin'.

For the most part, the songs are buoyed by the looseness of the live setting and the exceptional back-up by The Roots, not to mention the very vocal studio audience.

All of that said, there's a lot riding on this release, the first since the American video-less music video station revived the Unplugged show.

If this album does well, as it probably will, you can expect an endless stream of these releases.

I ask you, are Unplugged albums from *NSYNC, Creed, Limp Bizkit and Jennifer Lopez really something we need?

Or, more importantly, something you're prepared to have on your conscience? (More on Jay-Z)

Track Listing