Nelly's debut single, 'Country Grammar', succeeded in putting the sound of St Louis hip hop on the map with its stylistically unique ode to the sound of the city in the country giving Nelly a marathon run at the top of MTV's R&B chart.
'E.I', the follow-up, develops the sound in a more subtle direction and may prove more palatable to those factions of the scene that found his debut a little too 'compromised'.
It's essentially the same sound - swinging R&B meets hip hop production with Nelly's unique half-singing, half-rapping style of delivery waxing on yet another song about da laydeez. It's appeal lies in the production values, which have more in common with She'kspere and Timbaland than DJ Premier and Pete Rock.
And, yes, it's damn catchy without being nearly as irritating as the Jay-Z style nursery rhyme antics of 'Country Grammar'.
