producers: swizz beats, stevie j, dr. dre, scott storch, others.

guests: dmx, drag-on, da brat, gwen stefani, stephen marley, others.

Eve is one of those female rappers, guys aren't afraid to play. There's a certain mix of possible excuses like 'but she cusses', 'but she looks fine', 'but she's down with the Ruff Ryders', 'but...' you get the idea, that allows them to put her records on. Also her looks and the way she can be wearing tom boy clothes, but also haute couture, and look good to the eyes of the usually anorexic flat ass white chicks affectionaros, enabled Eve to get her name known beyond the rap publications and MTV Base. Now this is her second album and the record that often is slacking, because of the infamous sophomore jinx. Well, thinking about it, there haven't been many second time out jinxes to be reported lately. That's either because the first one was wack too, or because the second really comes at least okay or correct, like Eve does.

The Ruff Ryders are known for animated rowdy tracks. While there has been a shortage of those lately, "Cowboy" is coming barely close with a nice stuttering beat by Swizz, that Eve takes to set things straight: "they calling me a savage / cause I gotta have it / I ain't work this hard not to ball and live lavish / and let some clown take my shine like I ain't workin' overtime / I refuse to fuck up and lose my place I got in line". So the album starts on the right foot, but then stumbles over the left one, with the horrible Teflon produced "Who's That Girl". Eve does show though that she might just be a little more expressive than others on that level in that main stream, when she goes "I can understand, why you're scared of Eve / thought I did it one way, ain't prepared for me / huh, mad cause an image I don't care to be / realness, real shit, spit reality / attitude rude, that's the Philly in I / need me in the game, I'm the thrill in your life / breath of fresh air / little boys hand me on their wall, I grow 'em chest hair / why you listening to other shit? / you got the best here". The next cut, "Let Me Blow Ya Mind", has us afraid, that we have to bear an awkward collabo, when Gwen Stephani is acquired for the hook. You know the rock chick. But this Dre and Scott Storch produced track is just plain dope and Eve utilizes it to talk relationship. Now this should be the next single and could quite possibly become a summer smash.

The next cut is a little confusing as it's hard to tell if this is serious or done with humor, as on "You Had Me, You Lost Me", Eve gives some ex a verbal bashing on a "sneaking numbers out my phone / calling bitches on the cell / what the hell / clunky bitches one on the scale / I'm like a dime over line / you can't calculate my status / and you fucking with these bitches like my ass wasn't the fattest" and "we wasn't fucking raw" tip. Now is she addressing Stevie J who produced this, or is this some thing in retrospect or fictional, as it's easy to relate to? However, the track is cool, with an accessible beat. Whatever you think of Drag-On, he still has a commanding voice and the melody Swiss does on "Got What You Need" makes the track a solid one, that's pop enough to blow up. Swizz continues to surprise us with his offering on "Gangsta Bitches", that features estrogen galore with Da Brat and Trina dropping by. We then continue on to the next Dre produced cut "That's What It Is". This track goes that previous formulated way (meaning we heard similar ish before), and Styles of The Lox drops by to add little to be excited about.

The next cut and at the same time Ruff Ryder collabo works better. While not totally taking us in, there's still enough right with "Scream Double R" featuring DMX that makes this somehow appealing. Not yet being left to herself, "Thug In The Street" has Eve team up with The Lox and Drag-On, over an almost animated Swizz beat. Lyrically this is weak, what scaringly doesn't surprise us. Changing the vibe, we then go into a little reggae ish type something, with "No, No, No", that has Eve singing for a big part and pulling it off well, and Damian & Stephen Marley adding authenticity. Dame Grease confuses us too, for in a way, we like, but also hate his beat on "You Ain't Gettin' None". Eve talks about some love jones ish before on "Life Is So Hard" produced by DJ Shok, she shares her thoughts and fears and angers with us, as well as the retrospect that has her content and thankful. And then finally "Be Me" is ending the album and unfortunately it's a rather crap beat she picked for this, while more thoughts expressed make this as valid as possible.

Okay, don't listen to this expecting something you know you will not get. The record of course has serious flaws, but also some hard and only unfair to diss moments. It is what it is and for what it is, it's not really too bad, better than many claim it is, also not brilliant, but it's an okay, tending to be good effort, by an artist that does hip hop, not blatantly, but still impossible to hide. So like and accept it for what it is, or continue to hate it for what it isn't.