DJ Jazzy Jeff - The Return Of The Magnificent

Famed almost as much for his TV appearances as his recording career, DJ Jazzy Jeff follows-up his 2001, solo-debut with Return Of The Magnificent. Like The Magnificent, which saw Jeff utilise his considerable DJ and production experience to record a series of collaborations with artists including Jill Scott, J-Live and Boyz To Men, Return... takes the 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' approach. This time, Jeff's called on such established names as Pos of De La Soul, Big Daddy Kane, CL Smooth and Method Man, but also makes uses of less well-known MCs and vocalists such as Kel Spencer, Twone Gabz, Peedi Peedi and ChinahBlac. With lyrics celebrating hip-hop past, present and future combined with Jeff's slick-smooth, jazz-embracing production, new ground's not really being broken here. However, aside from the unnecessary series of skits between tracks, overall this album goes down so easy it's hard to be overly critical. [Colin Chapman]