Tech N9ne ALL 6'S AND 7'S

Recording information: Germano Studios, New York, NY; The Airport Studio, Burbank, CA; Tree Sound Studios Inc., Norcross, GA.
In the early 2000s, it seemed like the cut "Tormented" would forever be Tech N9ne's theme song, but enthusiasm, determination, and a whole lot of success had made the once simply "sick" rapper sound strangely positive and hopeful since about 2009. It just means that in 2011, the rapper considers being sincere more important than being sinister for sinister's sake, so take every crossover play on All 6's and 7's for what they are: the gifted and dark Tech N9ne testing his skills against the unknown. Granted, he's worked with big names before, but the guest list here is especially ambitious, running from Lil Wayne -- who joins Tech and T-Pain on the cartoonish sleaze number "F**k Food" -- to Snoop Dogg, along with E-40 and Krizz Kaliko on the suitably titled "Pornographic." Somewhere in the middle there's B.o.B. sounding rather Juggaloo on the grand graveyard dance "Am I a Psycho," plus a truly global cast on "Worldwide Choppers" which features Turkish rapper Ceza next to domestic favorites like Twista and Busta Rhymes. Gimmicks abound on this dark carnival of an album, and if you can't hang with some murder talk and misogyny, it's best to stay away, but this fat, epic effort is still a swift thrill ride and doesn't bore despite its size. While a couple of hatchet-carrying fans from the old days might be shaken off by the man's willingness to sound radio-worthy, the album Tech introduced as his "biggest" and "craziest" is also his best to date. ~ David Jeffries

• Format: CD
• Genre: Pop