Saul Williams is such a gifted lyricist and interesting artist that I keep hoping his taste in music will improve. I've queued up for all of his releases since Amethyst Rock Star and have been disappointed by every one, and this is no exception. For those of you like me who were blown away by Williams's minimalist live-wire freewheeling in Slam, I hope you like sludgy industrial that was brewed fresh in 1993. Otherwise, the music will overpower and distract you from start to finish on this LP. Williams needs to pair with a brilliant hip-hop producer who can lead him out of his rock-and-roll/Industrial pretensions. Is it simply bad taste on Williams's part? Or a badly misguided reach for crossover appeal? I've waited a long time for Williams to deliver the five-star revolutionary LP I know he's capable of, but I'm getting tired of waiting now. Deeply felt by you, Mr. Williams, does not translate into deeply felt by your audience. That's where craft comes in.
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