Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 18/12/06
Label: Drytown Records

So here it is. The one and only Flavor Flav, releasing what he's promising will be his one and only solo album. After two decades as Public Enemy's light relief, the clock wearing rap loon - who's filled recent PE downtime with three series of "The Flavor Of Love", the VH1 reality/dating show where he tries to find a mate - is unleashing his own, unique solo vision: a cartoon, hip hop, R&B, electro car crash. Flav has said this will be his first and only solo album because he wants it to be a collector's item. Everyone else will be able to think of many other reasons to hold him to his word.

Clues to the content of his self-titled debut, not to mention why he's wise to limit his solo career to just the one album, can be found in the fact that "Flavour Flav" isn't strictly his first solo effort. Indeed, there are three known solo Flav creations which have thus far never seen daylight. Legend has it that his first two solo albums were both turned down by Def Jam, while the third, "It's About Time" was slated for release in 1999 but never materialised.

If it was anything like "Flavor Flav", it's not hard to see why. It's very DIY, and not in an arty, grass roots way either. It sounds homemade; full of enthusiasm and good ideas, yet lacking the flair, style or ability to make good any of them. And if there's one place where there's no room for half thought ideas and vagueness, it's hip hop.

Once a key player in shaping rap as an art-form, capable of distilling the essence of a message to a dogmatic beat and killer hook, Flav now finds himself rambling like a confused geriatric over "Unga Bunga Bunga"'s old-skool bounce and swaying wino style through painfully-off key R&B love-in "For The Rest Of My Life". And while "Two Wrongs", "I Ain't Scared" and "Baby Baby Baby" all come with viable choruses and proto-Dre production, they never really make it off the drawing board. Certainly, he misses the imperious drive and focus of Public Enemy cohort Chuck D.

Curiously though, it's an incredibly endearing record. His personality at least is infectious and for all the lack of direction and clarity, tracks have enough charm and nod-along interest to be worth sticking with to the end. But charm can only carry his good natured chaos so far. Flav's previously stated that he'd like to helm the next Public Enemy record. As he slurs "Let It Show"'s hook of "if you're happy and you know it and you're not afraid to show it", it's difficult to imagine Chuck D ever letting that happen.

    by Dan Gennoe