Slum Village's (SV) style has been rumoured to be the similar to that of legendary Tribe Called Quest. However Slum's "Fantastic Vol. 2", treads the fine line between brilliance and amateur TCQ. Their simple beats, use of diverse instruments, scratching make for a style well-suited for lyrics of a higher intellect. The whole album is laid out to be headphone music, with lyrics & musicianship acting as the foundation. Unfortunately, SV's lyrics were decent, but didn't always make the cut for this style of music.

There were some blazing tracks on this album, with "I Don't Know" heading the group. DJ Jazzy Jeff's use of fresh samples, surrounded by Slum Village's vocals, make this track sizzle. "Raise It Up", was the second (?) single and is super hot. I couldn't get enough of this track, mainly because it was the only track with a mainstream, upbeat, club feel. "Climax (Girl Shit)" and "Forth And Back" featuring Kurupt were both hot hot tracks.

Overall, the album was slightly above average. Slum Village has got the foundation of a beautiful style that requires some tweaking. I expect that there next album will show further growth and experience and will boost them much farther. But for now, if you're feeling Common, D'Angelo, Mos Def, or Tribe Called Quest, then you ought to give these cats a listen.

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