C.R.E.A.M. Review

07/13/2005 7:22 AM, AMG


A disc containing somebody's idea of the Wu-Tang Clan's best tracks is a risky motion, a concept potentially doomed from the outset. Three of the group's four studio albums may be uneven in a number of ways, but is there any manner in which they can be adequately summarized on one disc? Not really. Still, this is a rather practical beginner's guide, despite its effort to maximize profit protential by appealing to those who already have the four albums. "Method Man" and "Protect Ya Neck" are present in alternate-mix forms, and the group's contributions to In tha Beginning...There Was Rap (a lackluster acknowledgment of Run-D.M.C.'s "Sucker MCs"), Next Friday (the inconsequential "Shaolin Worldwide"), and Soul in the Hole (the inessential but alright "Diesel"), are thrown into the fray. There are no glaring omissions, but if someone were to compile a second volume, that disc alone would be grounds for considering Wu-Tang one of the best groups hip-hop has seen. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide