Chase the Cat

Over a dozen albums into his career by the time Chase the Cat came out in 2001, Too Short had exhausted his ideas years before. However, just because Short doesn't have anything new to say doesn't mean he's not worth listening to. In fact, it's rather remarkable how Short was able to sustain his career, album after album with song after song about sexual politics — year after year after year. No matter how many times he hollers "bitch!" in his trademark dialect ("bee-atch!"), it never seems to lose its effect. And no matter how many times Short tells you his "Freaky Tales" and how to manage your relationships, you still feel like calling him Uncle Too Short — the wise old uncle who's experienced it all and is always glad to give you advice about certain kinds of women and life. The reason he's still effective, even a dozen albums into his career, is because little has changed since the days of Born to Mack — even then Short was a veteran, relating his firsthand experiences from the streets, and remains so on Chase the Cat. He works here with many of the same producers (SBX [Xavier Hargrove], Jazze Pha, Ant Banks) and rappers (E-40, B-Legit, MC Breed, Erick Sermon) that he worked throughout the latter end of the '90s. It shouldn't surprise you then when Chase the Cat sounds a lot like the preceding few albums: You Nasty, Can't Stay Away, and Gettin' It. Unfortunately, though, Chase the Cat isn't quite as inspired as those albums. Short often lets his guests do most of the work, and this approach works well on album highlights like "I Luv" (featuring Trick Daddy, Scarface, and Daz Dillinger) and "Domestic Violence" (featuring E-40). However, even if Chase the Cat is ultimately just another Too Short album, perhaps even one of his lesser albums, it should still satisfy longtime fans.