Release date delays and hype that just doesn't pan out are nothing new or rare in the world of urban music, but
Nelly's 2008 release could be the quintessential result. Fitting squarely in the middle of the "troubled album" spectrum,
Brass Knuckles is neither a disaster nor a brilliant mistake. It's an album where the forgettable lows marginalize the towering highs, while the feeling that something is missing covers it all. Maybe it's
Nelly's dream collaboration with
Bruce Springsteen that never happened or the lack of any fresh, breakthrough number, but this parade of mostly unsurprising pop-rap tracks has no anchor. Still, there are plenty of winners, as the macho thug anthem "U Ain't Him" with
Rick Ross kicks open the door with proper swagger.
Snoop and
Nate Dogg dominate with their G-funk memories on the very good "LA," while both the
Akon vehicle "Body on Me" and the
Jermaine Dupri production "Stepped on My J'Z" are great singles, polished to perfection with hooks that last. On the other hand, the single "Party People" with
Fergie feels like a dull outtake from either of
Nelly's 2004 albums
Sweat or Suit, while the
Neptunes production "Let It Go Lil' Mama" ruins its wicked beat with clichéd lyrics from both
Nelly and
Pharrell. While the
LL Cool J and
Chuck D appearances are worth hearing, they fail to pull the ambitious, loud, and cocksure
Brass Knuckles out of its three-star, been there, done that rut. [The U.K. version of
Brass Knuckles features the bonus track "Bay," which was also featured on the Japanese CD and the Wal-Mart online edition.] ~ David Jeffries