Armed To The Teeth

After their 2006 release, Black Magic, underground favorites Swollen Members took an unexpected break. Member Mad Child had some addiction and legal issues to work out, and while the latter isn't the best fuel for a hip-hop song, the former can be -- and is -- in the hands of the Members. Mad Child's anti-pill track "My Life" is arguably the most moving track here, and not so arguably, the most revealing track the crew has recorded to date, and the rabid fans will no doubt cherish this look inside the rapper's head. The pleasing creeper "Lonely One" is of the same ilk, but the rest of Armed to the Teeth is bragging, boasting, partying, and thugging. In other words, familiar territory and with the usual quirky production from Rob the Viking but with three years off and the MC getting back on his feet, it seems callous to complain that this one doesn't innovate. Fans hungry for SM material won't mind at all, since after three years a redundant track beats no track, and while all of it seems familiar, the crew deliver the material with new life, suggesting they're mad happy to be back on the grind. ~ David Jeffries