Devin The Dude: Landing Gear

Devin The Dude solo albums tend to fall into two

categories: instant classics that immediately announce their all-consuming

awesomeness (2002's Just Tryin' Ta Live, 2007's Waitin' To Inhale) and sleepers that only

reveal the full scope of their greatness after repeat listens, like Devin's

classic 1998 debut The Dude and 2004's To Tha X-Treme. So it's tempting to give

one of rap's most consistent, dependable figures the benefit of the doubt and

assume that his new album, Landing Gear, his first since he parted ways with

longtime home Rap-A-Lot, will improve with time, because on the surface

it's easily Devin's weakest effort.

On previous albums, Devin threatened to give

misogyny, alcoholism, and being constantly stoned a good name. Here, Devin's

sexism isn't leavened with unpredictable wit or infectious anthems. The man who

once boasted that his genitals were so clean, they could be served on a plate

alongside lima beans comes up depressingly short in the one-liner department.

Devin's singsong flow remains hypnotic, and his silky, seductive croon can make

a dis feel like a kiss, but this time, it's in service to forgettable songs

unworthy of his singular talent.