producer: organized noise, deric 'd-dot' angelettie, mr. dj, dallas austin, easy mo bee, others

guests: big boi, backbone, tlc

The Goodie Mob is throwing a party and the whole world is invited. And no one understands them doing it. It's the old story of expectations, unsatisfaction, and knowing it better. It's the eagerness that other people don't have a better time than oneself, it's the envy that comes with every smile one sees on the face of someone else. Is it?

With their third release, the G.O.O.D.ie M.ostly O.ver B.ullshit get somewhat back in their "Soul Food" state. Nope, not with their lyrics, but on "Still Standing", Cee Lo was pushed to the forefront, him being the most prominent member, and so he spent more time on the mic, than almost all the other three guys together. That has now changed, and Bigg Gipp, Khujo and T-Mo are now allowed equal space to lay down what they got to say.

The title track is a track not worth spending too much time with. While the "All Night Long" melody gets reworked by the usually sure hitters Organized Konfusion, the track does not even inspire too much of a fest in the most eager to party drunk. But "Chain Swang" happens to be one of the doper cuts of '99. A real phat Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Deric Trottman and Eric "Coptic" production, sampling Three Degree's "Here I Am", the piano and restrained horns give the track a dramatic feel, that the Goodie Mob's rhyme over with equal intensity, Cee Lo spitting "even when you hate me, you educate me".

But the problem is, the Mob allow themselves to get jiggy. They abandon most of their social comments, their consciousness, they do follow the name of the album and party, but not in a family barbecue way, but in a drinking Moët around sparsely dressed females, stepping outta expensive cars kind of way. Like they suddenly rhyme "she freaky deaky lick her lips with it / she think dick with it / jump, stump, twist with it / make em make em make em scrap with it / tear the club up, champagne campaign with it" and Cee Lo goes "don't test me boy, because I about it / so I'm the major money maker, motherfuck these niggas / keep yo' eyes on amounts, accounts and some bankers / get high, get dry, 'til your kids getting by / don't switch get crunk get drunk get rich". Both of these quotes are from "Get Rich To This", which has one of the plain wack beats on this album. And while this is a harsh word, too much resembling of wannabe Bay Area g-funk, this just does not fit the artists and the producers.

Things get better on the music side with "The Dip". While the lyrics are sexing the ladies again. "All A's" has the Goodie get their thug on, while the beat is not much to talk about. Surprisingly, the odd combination of the Mob and TLC on "What It Ain't (Ghetto Enuff)" actually really works. First of all, if you liked the "Fanmail" album style, this track is very much in that tradition. Second, they actually manage to not do the usual 'the R'n'b ladies sing the hook, we rhyme the verses', but they actually mingle the two styles, having one follow the other, mold them, fold them, merge them, and the result is a dope futuristic track, that combines the boundaries of both music styles. Lyrically, of course this is again nothing to be happy about, since they got mutual flossing going. It's actually one of the most ignorant and wack lyrical offerings on here.

While "I.C.U." is nothing to put on anybody's top then list, this works in an odd way. It got something to it, that is not very obvious, but it doesn't yell 'turn it off' neither. The second and another dope D-Dot and company track "Rebuilding" has Cee Lo singing the hook, has them finally talking on a more intelligent level, talking about the struggle, and pleasing the expectations, or better, the label we are used to put on these cats. On "Just Do It", the lyrics are worth the attention of every listener, while the beat is asking for his or her ignorance, as it is the definition of a 'no-no'.

Finally there's "Street Corner", not much to talk about, as well as "Cutty Buddy" that has a certain pop formula to it. The Easy Mo Bee produced "Fie Fie Delish" brings back a certain thumpness to the production that is recognized with pleasant relief, while the lyrics again leave questions in Goodie Mobs quest.

They were either very sarcastic with their lyrical content on this album, not serious, joking, whatever, or they have made a big big mistake. This is not Goodie Mob content. We wouldn't knock other artists for having such content, but this is the Goodie. They do have some explaining to do. Having the label sell out being thrown in their direction from all over the place, the audience seems to not take this humorous, but rather pissed. They seem to really have sold much of their cause. There is no such pearl as "Free / Thought Process" on here, what degrades this album to pleasant background music, that one will only be tempted to play from time to time. But it's not something you will feel this special rush, while preparing to put the album on, and it can be done fast enough. Nope, not this album.