8ball And Mjg Ten Toes Down [PA]

Recording information: Echo Studios, Atlanta, GA.
Photographer: Chris Stanford.
Jumping from Diddy's Bad Boy South label to T.I.'s more suitable imprint Grand Hustle for their eighth studio effort, 8Ball & MJG are back to their dastardly duo ways on Ten Toes Down's opening track, "It's Going Down," a syrup-slow return to form that grinds on the competition with a Drumma Boy beat. The song kicks off a ridiculously good run of original gangster music that runs six tracks long and features a killer single ("Bring It Back"), a tough highlight with David Banner as producer and Bun B as guest ("I Don't Give a F***"), plus a surprisingly filthy, surprisingly successful team-up with the previously clean Soulja Boy ("F** U Mean"). It's a dream EP for the longtime fan, but the album gets moderate in the middle with "She's so Fine" and "Spotlight," both being examples of unnecessary concessions to radio. These "for the ladies" tracks pale in comparison to the straight-up sexy and very Isleys "Right Now," which slithers between the sheets for a solid six-and-a-half minutes. Worthy nostalgia numbers and two more Drumma Boy cuts finish the set off, leaving the listener with a very good and very familiar effort that satisfies after a bit of trimming. ~ David Jeffries

• Format: CD
• Genre: R&B