Ghostface Killah: Apollo Kids

Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids

There's only a few new releases this week and, oddly enough, they are pretty much hip hop and R&B. I suppose Christmas is the time for giving... Jamie Foxx and Keri Hilson albums.

Tucked away in this week's new releases is the 9th studio album from Ghostface Killah -- the Wu-Tang Clan's most prolific member. 2006's Fishscale and More Fish were among some of Ghostface's best albums to date, yet Apollo Kids is shaping up to be a serious contender to the Ghostface throne.

Sputnik Music: As we run around like headless chickens throwing together our "albums of the year" compendiums and tuck our thumbs into our belt loops with something resembling smug satisfaction at our "supposed" superior music tastes, along comes Apollo Kids just to throw a spanner in the works.

Slant Magazine: In many ways, then, Apollo Kids can be considered the antithesis to Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Where Kanye's effort was a grand exercise in pomp and delivered a slice of ultramodern hip-hop with all the indulgent trappings and trimmings, this is a compact release that celebrates the staples of vintage rap music and, more specifically, vintage Wu.

Billboard: Ghostface's first solo track on Apollo Kids ["2getha Baby"] is simple and head-knocking, with a buttery sample breaking up the rapper's boasts and sexual innuendos. Once again, the MC's loose, uncluttered rhymes shine through,

Express Night Out: But can a record be carried by Wu-Tang guest stars alone? With "Apollo Kids," not so much. Instead, the 12 tracks -- none of which were created by RZA, undoubtedly the group's most successful producer -- rely too heavily on samples and offer weak choruses. With so many guest players and a lot of predictable production, the album barely feels like a Ghostface record.

Apollo Kids is out now via Def Jam.