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"The ladies say there ain't enough songs for them to dance to," Atlanta rapper Lil Jon exclaims on "Work It Out" (featuring Pitbull), an aptly upbeat track off his often-delayed new album, "Crunk Rock." And he's right. The set is worth a listen for its high-energy club bangers and colorful guest appearances, but it holds extra baggage. Gratuitous interludes and an overall lack of Lil Jon's rhymes hurt the would-be dance disc. Irresistible booty-shaking anthems "Shots" (featuring LMFAO) and closer "Hey" (featuring 3OH!3) prove Lil Jon's still hip to high-octane production and celebratory lyricism, while the single "Ms. Chocolate" (featruing R. Kelly and Mario) takes a more sensual approach at peaking listeners' interests ("Girl I can't wait to unwrap ya/It's a chocolate fix I'm after"). But things slow down considerably with two shot-heavy interludes and tracks like "On De Grind" (featuring Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley), on which the rapper's vocals are upstaged by the A-list musicians he taps to accompany him. --Melanie Bertoldi
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