G-Unit
T.O.S. Terminate on Sight
G-Unit

50 Cent is the human drama highlight reel, whose real life's events give constant promotion to any project he is working on. He releases T.O.S. Terminate On Sight as a member of G-Unit. He is joined in his effort by the remaining members Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks with an occasional feature of the newly thrown out Young Buck. I'm still not convinced if that's a good or bad thing. On one hand Young's humble southern flow offsets Tony Yayo's nonsense "wise guy" rambling. On the other hand, every one of Buck's verses serve as a reminder to the listener just how much G-Unit needs him, thus giving you the feeling that their music is going down hill from here.

It surprised me how many throw away tracks were on T.O.S. Given that G-Unit recently released a mix-tape on the internet for free titled Elephant in the Sand (a diss to Fat Joe), one might think that both projects were grabbing content from the same lot. If that's true, someone wasn't on their job. Clearly there were some songs that better fit the continuity of an album and others that only packed the street edge favored by the mix-tape faithful.

Tony Yayo shines bright along with Banks on “Straight Outta Southside,” then completely falls out of the picture. Every other song after that (besides a select few) his purpose is simply to remind me to press the skip button. This really sucks because Yayo is the one who tries to pick up the slack for Buck's absence. So the album features a whole lot of Tony Yayo. That is not a good thing.

50 remains constant as he always does. How can he not, he is just being himself.

The person who shines most frequently throughout the album is Lloyd Banks. If you listen to his words, you'll notice that he is a very clever lyricist. He must have the LOX syndrome though. I know he is a good rapper. I just can't see myself buying his LP. I don't know why.

Overall T.O.S. is not for everyone. This is true even within the target audience of 50 cent fans. There isn't enough playing time for 50 to offset the time when he takes a back-seat. What does help is that Banks sounds very similar to 50 on choruses.

Tracks of interest are “You So Tough” (were 50 seems to take a jab at T.I.)
“Straight Outta Southside” (everyone rips the mic) "Party Ain't Over" (It's just something about rapping over a constant 808 that just does it for me)

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Los Lonely Boys
Forgiven
Sony/Epic

It was clear, even back in ’04 – when “Heaven” was cementing its destiny as the sure-to-be-permanent FM-radio staple – that Los Lonely Boys wouldn’t allow a hit single to divert them. They saw themselves as a band that was more about show-stopping performances than hit singles.

In the tradition of other Texas trailblazers not unlike Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, the guitar-bass-drum trio’s signature “Texican” rock comprises rock, groove-based blues with their Tejano roots. And it’s as American as Johnny Cash and Hank, Sr…

…a seemingly rare breed that’s ensuring the traditional wisdom of three chords and the truth.

It can be debated that the brothers-Garza (guitarist/singer Henry, spider-handed bassist Jojo and drummer Ringo Jr.) are foremost are a live-act, but Los Lonely Boys capably write songs that transcend bottleneck audiences.

A new single, “Staying With Me,” holds its own as a simple, pop masterpiece and, thankfully, doesn’t even attempt to plagiarize “Heaven,” and it’s no huge revelation that self-plagiarism has become an all-too-common, desperate tactic that has cost the credibility of other relatively recent acts – Maroon 5, Gavin DeGraw, for example – having them being taken less seriously than when they were fresh debut artists.

Admittedly, Los Lonely Boys’ crowd-pleasing tendencies are apparent, however, most notably with a listenable but unnecessary cover of The Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m A Man.” It’ll undoubtedly slay audiences live, but it comes off comparably bland on this album.

Not the case with “Superman,” which salvages any bumps in the road Forgiven may or may not have. It starkly illustrates Henry’s skilled axemanship, melding a driving chord-progression with a vocal melody that keeps the soul in proper balance but will clue you in that he knows his instrument.

Having previously worked with John Mayer, Forgiven’s producer Steve Jordan could potentially become a spoiled pro, reaping the satisfying experiences of working with uniquely gifted guitarists. Just as Stevie Wonder creates piano-chords that only he can, or Ray Charles, or Donald Fagen – Henry Garza’s multi-cultural elements are some of the most original riffs ever created by a sole musician.

“The Way I Feel” may be in the spirit of “Heaven,” but the effect is unexpectedly emotive, and the brothers’ call-answer harmonies will have you hitting the “repeat” button and could become an enduring favorite for the band.

Rating: 4 out of 5