Ghostface Killah
Album : Ironman
Realase date : 1996
Label : Razor Sharp

Review :
The Wu striked again in 1996 with another unforgettable effort. "Ironman" is quite a different album than other Wu-Tang classics like "Liquid Swords" and "Enter the 36 Chambers." Ghostface may be the headliner, but Raekwon is all over this, and Cappadonna appears many times as well. Rza rhymes on a couple tracks and almost all the other Wu members make appearances (Gza sat this one out). I didn’t like this CD much during the first spin-through, but the same can be said for "Liquid Swords," and you HAVE TO keep listening to Wu albums to even attempt to catch the brilliance going on.

"Ironman" welcomed some ’lighter’ vibes into the Wu’s catalog. Not that the lyrics were lighter or any less hardcore, just some of the beats. Yes, the soul samples were introduced here, and done effortlessly and smoothly if you ask me. There were a couple tracks that showed bitterness towards women or even a specific woman like "Wildflower" and "Marvel." Then women are portrayed in a positive light on the slow, sultry "Camay." Ghost wasn’t afraid to get heartfelt and unabashedly sentimental on "All I Got Is You"(w/ Mary J. Blige). This album’s got a whole lotta different vibes going on. They didn’t forget to include some of their signature grimey, hardcore joints, in case you’re worried.

My favorites on this album are the upbeat "Iron Maiden," "Fish," "Daytona 500," "Black Jesus," and "After The Smoke Is Clear." "Fish" is the only beat not done by Rza, and I love the beat here and the track overall ! "Daytona 500" has some cool singing at the beginning and for the chorus. I’m not sure why they called it "Black Jesus," but it has a holy beat (think "Gold") that would make Jesus himself proud. LOL ! Posse cuts like "Assassination Day" and "Winter Warz" are excellent as well. There’s not really one song that I can complain about on this CD, not even the explicit "Wildflower" or "Marvel."

Rza displays his masterful production touch again on this album, even as he was trying many new things. Ghostface’s lyrics may be tough to penetrate and comprehend (I wonder if he even understands what he’s saying), but it’s his hype flow and energy that deserve recognition. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that he got help from many of the other talented Wu-members. Every once in a while you will catch a great line from Ghost though, such as "slap box with Jesus, lick shots at Joseph." Ghosface may actually have some profound undertones with all the rhymes he’s spittin’ here. This was a very good album, I ended up liking it a lot. Check it out ! DukeOfEarl

No profanity, or inaproppriate remarks.

Ghostface Killah Ironman, by [2008-07-18 05:40:13]

Without a doubt one of the best hip-hop albums ever made ! Not a single weak track. Only criticism is that it’s more of a group effort than a solo album (although with Wu-Tang this is not a bad thing).