New York Daily News - FISHSCALE Review
Yahoo.Com Review of Fishscale
ALBUM: FISHSCALE (Def Jam)
It is rough being the Wallabee king, but Ghostface does it with ease on his fifth solo album, also his first Def Jam effort under Jay-Z's presidency. Fortunately, his originality has not been sacrificed to commercial concerns outside of the Ne-Yo-crooned single "Back Like That." Ghostface characteristically delivers wild neighborhood anecdotes involving crazy women, beat-downs and drug maneuvers over classic soul samples. Utilizing cinema sound bites like Mr. T's "Rocky III" machismo, the rapper declares his greatness on "The Champ." "9 Milli Bros" is a renaissance Wu favorite, utilizing the Clan and even a weathered ODB vocal, while "Kilo" featuring Raekwon brings back the dual synergy of "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx." "Beauty Jackson" even finds Ghostface fearlessly singing, "You must be a special lady, and a very exciting girl." Overall, "Fishscale" is strong, with archetypal beats creating the definitive Ghost.