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LL Cool J
Todd Smith
(Def Jam)
If you're a musician looking to grow old gracefully, try playing jazz.
Twenty-plus years into a career that has seen him never waiver from the sound and bravado that once made him the biggest name in hip-hop, LL Cool J is widely perceived as residing in the where-are-they-now-file.
Yet, for a supposed has-been, LL can still command high-priced talent when it comes time to cut a new record. Rising star Juelz Santana, Jennifer Lopez, Mary J Blige, Ginuwine and of course the suddenly everywhere Jamie Foxx -- all lend their touch to a wildly-uneven collection that gives equal time to the lover and the fighter.
The songs for the ladies are, well, you've heard them before. More than once. And when LL gets tough on tracks like the accurately titled It's LL and Santana, he leaves himself wide open to being knocked out by his guests.
However, the sexy Control Myself (with J Lo) and the unnerving I've Changed rise well above the level we've come to expect from has-beens.
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The level of elder statesmen, they used to call it. And so LL Cool J lives to fight another day; a fact of which too few of his contemporaries can boast.
Track Listing:
1. It's LL and Santana
2. Control Myself
3. Favorite Flavor
4. Freeze
5. Best Dress
6. Preserve The Sexy
7. What You Want
8. I've Changed
9. Ooh Wee
10. #1 Fan
11. Down The Aisle
12. We're Gonna Make It
13. So Sick