Heartbeat

Get down on, or get down with, the rapper's viewpoint, but Da T.R.U.T.H.'s nuanced argument has long been that the WWJD attitude isn't enough, and that without worship and spreading the Gospel, all is lost. Here, the opening cut delivers "Based on how the world is changin', there's no thing as a bad decision/I'm gonna let you be the judge" with a heaping helping of snide, but even if he's on the hardline side of things, these strong words are delivered with enough sugar that "Gray" falls easily into the category of attractive highlights. Check the booming bass of "Press" and the slick, slow pop of "I Made It," and Heartbeat has something for everyone musically, even those who like to see hip-hop pushed further, as the great "Welcome Home" sits at the album's midpoint with the sunshine style of Chiddy Bang and the bounce of the old-school coming together for new flavor that secular rap ain't even heard about. In other words, it's the usual T.R.U.T.H. boldness and brilliance all over again, along with the return of the overabundance issue, although even at 16 tracks, this one only seems overstuffed by about one or two.