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Wu-Tang Clan: RZA (guitar, strings, programming); GZA, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, Masta Killa, Method Man, Raekwon, U-God.
Additional personnel: Shifu Shi Yan Ming (spoken vocals); Stone Mecca (guitar, keyboards, bass guitar, drums); Dhani Harrison, John Frusciante (guitar); Soundguild (strings, bass guitar); Marco Vitali (strings); Uncle John (horns); Shavo, Trevor James, Gary Foote (bass guitar); Easy Mo Bee, Mathematics (programming); Tasha Austin, George Clinton , Sunny Valentine (background vocals); Tash Mahogany, Dexter Wiggle, Erykah Badu, Gerald Alston.
On their fifth group album, the eight surviving members of the Wu-Tang Clan had some big shoes to fill--their own. After a hard-felt six-year absence and the death of their most colorful member (the mighty ODB), the Wu were out to squelch any doubts that they lost a step as a collective. Of the 14 tracks that make up 8 DIAGRAMS, few would immediately strike listeners as quintessential Wu. Gone are the lo-fi Shaolin Soul beats and the sped-up vocal samples. And the once-fiery vocal deliveries take on tones of muted, subdued energy.
Still, there is a great deal of innovation here. The RZA enlists George Harrison's son, Dhani, and Chili Pepper John Frusciante to provide instrumentation for their ambitious take on the Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." The Clan's tribute to the above-mentioned Ol' Dirty, "Life Changes," with its melancholic piano chords and verses of staircase reminiscing, is most evocative of that classic Wu sound. While it may not be the equivalent of a revolution on wax, 8 DIAGRAMS remains a rarity in the contemporary hip-hop world--an air-tight album, inventive and unpredictable from start to finish, and rife with first-rate contributions from all involved. George Clinton, Erykah Badu, Sunny Valentine, and Gerald Alston are featured
Condition:NEW. Punched upc
TRACK LISTINGS
1. Campfire
2. Take It Back
3. Get Them Out Ya Way Pa
4. Rushing Elephants
5. Unpredictable
6. Heart Gently Weeps, The
7. Wolves
8. Gun Will Go
9. Sunlight
10. Stick Me For My Riches
11. Starter
12. Windmill
13. Weak Spot
14. Life Changes
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