Wu-Tang Clan – Legendary Weapons

Any passing glance at a recent lacklustre live show proves that the Wu dynasty has long been struggling to maintain the momentum of their initial flurry of stunningly devastating combo attacks. So it’s no surprise that the original Clan are barely present on this album with almost all verses handled by veteran peers (M.O.P, Sean Price) and newcomers (Action Bronson, Bronze Nazareth); it keeps things fresh, but is it Wu?

There are some nicely bleak tracts and, as always, the kung-fu iconography often comes close to a beautiful surrealism, but those pointed verses are marred by crass and flaccid platitudes – the opening chorus consists almost entirely of calls to “clap your hands,” which makes it hard to remember this is Wu-Tang and not Chipmunk. The sparse drums, gritty textures and dark samples are pretty consistently solid, but the whole thing lacks the depth and charisma to elevate itself above the over-populated fray of equally serviceable boom-bap. [Ali Maloney]