Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Strength and Loyalty

(Full Surface/Interscope )

It seems most hip hop artists spend their downtime hanging out in the recording booth with other hip hop artists. Rarely is an album cut without support from one or another - or several other - rappers. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's Strength and Loyalty may not be any different, but it feels exceptional.

When one of the rapid-fire rap outfit's founding members, Bizzy Bone, turned heel last year for a solo career, remaining members Layzie, Krayzie and Wish Bone got busy themselves: they called on friends to lend their voices, from Mariah Carey to Bow Wow, Akon, Yolanda Adams, the Game, will-i-am and others. The result is an album that pushes Bone Thugs-n-Harmony in a new direction without diverting seriously from their signature sound.

Akon answers twice, on the album's first single, I Tried, and again on Never Forget Me. His pinched-nosed porcelain sound nicely fills the space where Bizzy Bone's quirky Midwestern warble would have been. On Streets, the Game and will-i-am sound more like fellow Bones than mike-hogging guest stars. The second single, Lil Love, has the most collaborative sound, but few will have a bone to pick with Carey's guest turn. Similarly, Adams on Order My Steps and Twista on C-Town are given a brighter spotlight in which to shine.

Two appearances also worth mentioning are songs: Fleetwood Mac's The Chain is excellently sampled on Wind Blow, and Streets makes wise use of samples off Bobby Womack's classic Across 110th Street.

They may have lost a Bone, but Strength and Loyalty has Layzie, Krayzie and Wish Bone sounding more fleshed out than ever.