Galactic

Despite being more or less a funk fusion combo, Galactic are most often lumped in with the noodling quasi-hippies of the "jam band" circuit. Perhaps by design, the New Orleans quintet's latest album finds them straying further from that crowd with what is essentially a straight-up hip-hop record, featuring an array of guest rappers that includes underground stars such as Juvenile, Lyrics Born and The Coup's Boots Riley.

Though the band can easily settle into an airtight groove, the instrumentals alone aren't particularly compelling, and the success of the tracks depends greatly on the quality of each guest performer. Mr. Lif's deft, cerebral rhymes elevate the sparse, Roots-esque highlight "...And I'm Out," and Riley brings his A game to the super-charged, funk-rock number "Hustle Up." But too many of the cuts feel overly dated and generic, especially Chali Tna's and Gift of Gab's verses on, respectively, "Think Back" and "The Corner."

—Matthew Perpetua
08.24.07