War And Peace Vol.1 (The War Disc)

Rolling Stone - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...a characteristically grim ride through the ghetto streets, the projects and the penitentiary....Cube manages to come off both visceral and polished, hardened and thoughtful, heartfelt and obnoxious..." Rolling Stone - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...Cube manages to come off both visceral and polished, hardened and thoughtful, heartfelt and obnoxious..." Spin - 6 (out of 10) - "...WAR...is all Cali thump and old school gangsta-isms. The production isn't beats by the pound so much as beats by the ounce: a cleaner more refined cut, maybe, but nothing revolutionary..." Rolling Stone - 3 Stars (out of 5) - "...a characteristically grim ride through the ghetto streets, the projects and the penitentiary....Cube manages to come off both visceral and polished, hardened and thoughtful, heartfelt and obnoxious..." The Source - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...in spite of his new allegiance to the life of a Dom-sippin' kingpin, Ice Cube can still be vocally mesmerizing..." The Source - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...in spite of his new allegiance to the life of a Dom-sippin' kingpin, Ice Cube can still be vocally mesmerizing..." Entertainment Weekly - "...Ice Cube propulsively combines Cali cinemania and New York verbal dexterity into Southern bass booms that'll combust your woofers. His greatest weapon remains his rhyme flow--it's like a machine gun, only with better beats." - Rating: B+ Spin - 6 (out of 10) - "...WAR...is all Cali thump and old school gangsta-isms. The production isn't beats by the pound so much as beats by the ounce: a cleaner more refined cut, maybe, but nothing revolutionary..." Entertainment Weekly - "...Ice Cube propulsively combines Cali cinemania and New York verbal dexterity into Southern bass booms that'll combust your woofers. His greatest weapon remains his rhyme flow--it's like a machine gun, only with better beats." - Rating: B+

Considering that he hadn't delivered a full-fledged solo album since 1993's disappointing Lethal Injection, maybe it shouldn't have been a surprise that Ice Cube returned hard in 1998 with War & Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc), since five years is a long, long time to stay quiet. What was a surprise was how ambitious the album was. The first installment in a proposed double-disc set, The War Disc is a cacophonous, cluttered, impassioned record that nearly qualifies as a return to form. Designed as a hard-hitting record, it certainly takes no prisoners, as it moves from intense street-oriented jams to rap-metal fusions, such as the Korn-blessed "Fuck Dying," with its seething, distorted guitars. It's a head-spinning listen and, at first, it seems to be a forceful comeback. Upon closer inspection, The War Disc falters a bit. Not only does the relentless nature of the music wear a little thin, but Cube spends too much time trying to beat newcomers at their own game. His lyrical skills are still intact, but he spends way too much time boasting, particularly about material possessions, and his attempt to rechristen himself Don Mega, in a Wu-like move, simply seems awkward. Even so, the quality of the music -- and the moments when he pulls it all together, such as "3 Strikes You In" -- sustains War and makes it feel more cohesive than it actually is. The key is purpose -- even if Cube doesn't always say exactly what he wants, he does have something to say. That alone makes War & Peace, with just one album completed, a more successful and rewarding listen than the typical double-disc hip-hop set of the late '90s. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine|