"I done got so cocky I took that Band-Aid off," says Nelly. If only he had stopped there. But no -- the St. Louis rapper had to go and get rid of most of his self-restraint too.

As a result, he has apparently fallen victim to the mistaken belief that every syllable that issues from his blunthole is a brilliant bon mot that must be preserved for posterity.

And thus we have the fraternal-twin conceits Sweat and Suit, two simultaneously issued disc presumably designed to showcase both halves of Nelly's massive artistic personality.

To wit: Sweat is upbeat, nasty and funky, while Suit is more soulful, silky and refined. Colour us fascinated.

Naturally, there are some strong cuts in this 105-minute set. The first half of Sweat -- when Nelly teams with skankstress Christina Aguilera for the Superfly-sampled groove of Tilt Ya Head Back and enlists Stephen Marley on the reggae-tinged River Don't Runnn -- is solid. Suit's N Dey Say, which samples Spandau Ballet's True, is also worth a listen.

But for the most part, the rest of these 24 cuts are disappointingly interchangable, easily forgettable trifles pieced together from the usual bumptious Dirrty South beats and Nelly's tangy, sing-song rhymes.

Hot in Herre? Not in herre, baby. It's gonna take more than a Band-Aid to cover up this boo-boo.

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[[+3]] Thursday, September 16, 2004

Nelly cools off