On his second album,
Off Parole,
Rappin 4-Tay plays it a little too safe. Occasionally, he lets it rip -- the title track and a duet with
Too $hort, "Never Talk Down," are lean, funky workouts -- but for the most part, he rolls along on a lazy Californian groove that never really catches fire.
Off Parole isn't a bad record, but it isn't a noteworthy one, either -- it delivers safe G-funk thrills that only sound good while it's playing. There's not much that stays around after the record is finished. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine