8 Diagrams

The biggest revelation on Wu-Tang's first record in six years isn't the Beatles "reinterpolation" "The Heart Gently Weeps" or even that the album actually came out. It's that the project is as strong as it is—for all the years of obligatory infighting there's a cohesion and strength to these "8 Diagrams." RZA keeps his foot in the sludgy gutter beats and extended chopsocky decoration of Wu-Tang past, but he's also expanding his reach. George Clinton cameos on the nodding "Wolves," and "Rushing Elephants" rolls on a shimmering string section from hell. Ghostface Killah is as wickedly esoteric as ever, Method Man sounds reinvigorated and snapped out of his recent slump, and Raekwon, who's been on record decrying "8 Diagrams," is ice-pick sharp. The absence of ODB is felt more than you'd expect, although the obituary "Life Changes" provides a sense of closure in an album that feels more like a next step. —Jeff Vrabel