rahzel's make the music 2000

If you like the Roots, you already know what Rahzel can do with his mouth: pretty much anything. Since his first appearance on record, providing beats to "The Lesson Pt. 1" like few machines can, it was clear that old school verbal percussionists like Doug E. Fresh and Biz Markie had been outmatched. Rahzel wasn't so much a beat creator as a human orchestra, able to recreate entire songs with a few tweaks of his vocal cords. With Make the Music 2000, he looks to bring the old school into the future.

Does he succeed? For the most part, the answer is a resounding yes, especially when guests hold forth over Rahzel's instrumentals. The thumping, futuristic beat on "Night Riders" lets Slick Rick rock like it's 1988. "To the Beat," flowing with vocal horns from every direction, features Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest and could send Native Tongues fans into epileptic shock. Erykah Badu plays cute country girl on "Southern Girl." "Steal My Soul," featuring Branford Marsalis, shows off Rahzel's vocal-trumpet—it's not as easy as one might think to tell horn from mouth.

MTM only goes off-track when Rahzel steps away from his meal ticket and starts trying to rap. While the production skills of Pete Rock and the Roots save him on occasion, most tracks are bland attempts at hip-hop club music. The title track is little more than a reworking of the Biz Markie original, with just enough flourishes to distinguish it from another Puff Daddy beat-jacking.

Nevertheless, there's more than enough of Rahzel at his best to make MTM a satisfying album, and the live interludes may tide you over after his recent appearance at Toad's. And the album definitely has one advantage over a concert—there's no danger of catching any saliva. Just keep your distance from the stage next time. (RCA)

—Josh Drimmer

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