AVERAGE ALBUM FROM AN "AVERAGE MAN"

The first song off CHEERS confirms the worst of fears right from jump--he is an "Average Man." A little self-deprecating, considering that he is one of the better lyricists out of the Shady/Aftermath camp (although that is really not saying much), and the "average" designation, to a degree, does not apply to him as an MC. In fact, in a way, it is unfair that CHEERS was not the commercial juggernaut like his labelmates' albums circa 2002-present. He is decent as a lyricist--his words are clear and crisp, his delivery is virtually on-point, and he does have a couple of nice songs, most notably his acknowledgment of his struggle to the "top" (the title track; "Don't Come Down"), shout-outs ("Never Forget Ya"), and humorous encounters with the opposite sex ("Got Some Teeth," "Hoodrats"). Also, thankfully, the album is free of skits.



But that is where the strong points end. The album is too long (at 74 minutes), and it could have been trimmed, because it does get boring. Obie Trice lacks enough charisma to carry this hefty project by himself. He is perhaps the least interesting of the G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath alliance; maybe that is a reason why there are a plethora of guests here. But even with the assists, he is easily outshined--by Dr. Dre (the s**t-talking "S**t Hits The Fan"), Lloyd Banks and 50 Cent ("We All Die One Day"), D-12 (Geez, Bizzare outshines him--AND steals the last verse--in the LAST song of the album, "Outro"!) and Eminem--thrice!--in "Lady" and the aforementioned "We All Die One Day" and "Outro." The production is, for the most part, solid, but the same thing can be said for virtually all G-Unit/Shady/Aftermath releases; A-List production is the standard. And even in that department, CHEERS pales in comparison with the others like 50'S GET RICH OR DIE TRYIN', G-Unit's BEG FOR MERCY, or Lloyd Banks' THE HUNGER FOR MORE. Yes, there is the occasional thumper ("S**t Hits the Fan" has a killer beat to go with the diss rhymes), but Eminem's generic boardwork of stiff drums and howling strings rears its ugly head here (e.g. "Lady").



Perhaps Obie is right. He is an "Average Man." And he might be branded an "Average MC" for life if he does not make a much better album than CHEERS.

underated album by an underated rapper

dam obie trice really need da respect he deserve. he prolly would have got more sales if he hadnt come out after the immensly popular get rich or die tryin by 50. i was one of da first ppl to buy his album and i liked it pretty much from front 2 back evry song is either average to really good. production is amazin and obie packs just as much lyrical heat as heat from his gat. pick this up and stop sleepin on obie.



i heard hes comin out witta new album called murder city but that might juss b sumthin from a dummasses mouth cuz he already has a song wit that name (featurin almighty dreadnaughts, miz korona, and king gordy.) wich deserves a download.

WOW?!

Im surprised, theres almost no crappy songs on the cd,but you hav to listen to it. Theres some club bangers and the deep ones too,5 stars cuz obie is underestimated, but its not the best album ever.can't wait fo the next... pEz