BULLETPROOF WALLETS

Personnel includes: Ghostface Killah, Raekwon, Slick Rick, Carl Thomas, RZA, Superb, Method Man, Trife, Twiz, Takitha. Producers include: GFK, RZA, Underdawgz, Carlos Brody, Chris Liggio. This solo offering from one of the more enigmatic members of the Wu-Tang Clan is one of the more unconventional creations to emerge from the world of Wu. The complex urban narrative of "Maxine" combines a colorful sense of detail worthy of Willie Dixon's "Wang Dang Doodle" with the individualistic quirkiness of P-Funk and the sonic invention that's come to be expected of Ghostface and his Wu-Tang cohorts. The lush R&B trappings of "Theodore" borrow a page from the P.M. Dawn book, as smooth vocal harmonies mesh agreeably with emotive rapping. The angular intersection of pop, R&B, and hip-hop on the melodic "Ghost Showers" is suggestive of latter-day Prince. Throughout BULLETPROOF WALLETS, the most impressive thing is the way Ghostface manages to make each track immediately accessible and infectious regardless of the degree of sonic invention.

• Genre: R&B
• Format: CD
• Released: 02/01/2008