Bizaar

Released simultaneously with another disc called Bizzar that had similar cover art but completely different tracks, Bizaar is the Insane Clown Posse's attempt to prove that they are not the one-note novelty act they've been labeled. The music, by longtime producer Mike Clark, is actually the best of the band's career, seamlessly fusing metal guitars and shuffling beats. Lyrically, though, the band is still up to the same tricks. Though the ICP make some rather astute lyrical observations from time to time, they still rely too much on sophomoric jokes and shock value. In "Fearless," they rap about various dangerous stunts they can perform to prove their manhood, including asking Michael Jackson's plastic surgeon to do some work on them. "Rainbows and Stuff" is a mean joke, but the singsong verses and deliberately corny lyrics will appeal to the adolescent boy in every listener. Only "The Pendulum's Promise" and "Take Me Away" avoid the wannabe gangsta bluster and misogyny of the other tracks. Of the two albums, Bizaar is the weaker, although, of course, fans will want to have both anyway. ~ Victor W. Valdivia, Rovi