'Ghost is back, stretch cadillacs, fruit cocktails'. These aren't my words. Neither are they the words of Micheala Stratton, although you could be forgiven for making that mistake. They are in fact taken from the song 'Apollo Kids' on Ghostface Killah's brilliant 'Supreme Clientele' album, and they are especially fitting here as, not only do I LOVE fruit cocktails, but - more importantly - Ghost is indeed BACK.
'More Fish' is half new Ghostface material and half Theodore Unit promotion and, while I have a lot of time for Trife and the boys, it is Starks who comes off best by far on this record.
This album is, I think, Ghost's most accomplished work since the aforementioned 'Supreme Clientele'. I am, however, in no position to say this as - despite being a huge fan of the Ironman - I have not actually listened to any of his work since the aforementioned 'Supreme Clientele'.
A few years back, after paying actual money (£2.99 in HMV bargain bucket) for the musical abortion that is Cappadonna's 'The Yin and The Yang', I came to the conclusion that far too great a percentage of my record collection harboured the Wu stamp, and I decided to stop buying new Clan solo material. It is for this reason that Pretty Toney, Bulletproof Wallets and Fishscale all passed me by. It is for this reason also that I never got hold of U-God's recent masterpiece 'U-GODZILLA presents The Hillside Scramblers'; a mistake that still keeps me awake at night now.
So, when my fellow Ruffhouser Little Lord Fauntelroy returned from NYC just after Christmas bearing a copy of 'More Fish' - and a worrying genital yeast infection - my initial reaction was one of disinterest and quiet despair; it had taken me a long time to get over 'The Yin and The Yang'. However, Fauntelroy was insistent we give it a listen and, as I thought back to Starks' brilliance on 36 Chambers, Ironman and ...Clientele, I was forced to consent.
This is turning into a longer post than I had intended so, in order to assure its brevity, I will pick what I believe to be the stand-out tracks on this record and talk about them a bit.
1. Ghostface Killah (f/ Sun God) - Street Opera
This is the first time I've heard from Sun God (since the postcard he sent me during his history of art trip to Venice last Autumn) and to be honest, I'm not overly impressed. His rhythmic structure, flow and lyrics are fairly bog-standard and he clearly got his generic Wu alias from the internet 'Wu-Tang Name Generator'. It was probably a toss-up between 'Sun God' and '41st 60 Second Masta Killa Bee Disciple' and Sun God just rolls off the tongue easier. Ghost, on the other hand, is pretty good and the final, conversational verse between the two of them works very well indeed. However, it is the beat that truly makes this song great; a shuddering, wailing lump of soul that provides the perfect soundtrack for a late-night walk home with your hood on your head and a scowl on your face.
2. Ghostface Killah (f/ Redman & Shawn Wigs) - Greedy Bitches
Ghost, as we all know, is a soul man. However, as a quick glance at his attire on the cover of Ironman will confirm, he is also fucking hilarious. He allows his humour to come to the forefront on this track, which opens with Mr Starks bewhaling 'greedy bitches' and claiming 'the hoes ate the Oreos'. He also allows the kind of humanity and maturity he demonstrated on tracks like 'I Can't Go To Sleep' to shine through, as he states, 'And your fat friend you bought, she can crash too/But if your stomach growling hard, I'mma laugh, boo'. Tony Starks is quite clearly all heart. Nice guest spot from Reggie Noble too; he's apparently 'still spending from Red & Meth's sitcom'. He clearly shops at Morrison's.
3. Ghostface Killah (f/ Trife & The Willie Cottrell Band) - Josephine
So, yeah; joking aside, Ghost really is a soul man and this track is the genuine proof. A lovely chorus -and bass-driven beat - from the Willie Cottrell band compliments Ghost and Trife's gut-wrenchingly brilliant tales of innocent young ladies corrupted by the vices of the ghetto. This song reminds me a lot of my own life, with the exception that I am white, male and have never smoked crack or had intercourse for money.
4. Trife (f/ Solomon Childs) - Grew Up Hard
Here's Trife all out on his own! Well, nearly; he evidently got cold feet at the last minute and went back to get Solomon Childs for emotional support, but still, this track is not half bad! While a string-lead beat with a sped-up soul sample is hardly pushing the boundaries of experimentation in hip hop, it is still a very strong backing to some even stronger verses from the Trifester. Certainly, excluding Ghostface himself, he is the most talented lyricist in Theodore Unit and he proves it here with some nice double and triple syllable rhyme patterns and an excellent flow. Well done, Trife. On a separate note, Solomon Childs claims on the chorus, 'I ain't been to many operas', when I know for a fact that he and Akon reserve a box at Glyndebourne together every summer.
5. Ghostface Killah (f/ Amy Winehouse) - You Know I'm No Good
I bet Ghost tried to have sex with Winehouse. She was probably pissed when he asked and she probably said yes. Maybe Ronson worked the camera. He doesn't look like he'd actually get involved, although I'm sure Starks and Amy would have been up for it. I bet Ghost's had a threesome and I bet Winehouse has too. The only difference is Winehouse probably wept after hers and Ghost probably had a nice bit of cod. Anyway, this track is very good.
So yeah, all you Wu-Tang solo skeptics out there: go cop this! it's both big and bashy.
Peace out, Billy Van Buskirk.
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