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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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The Big Doe Rehab
by Ghostface Killah
The seventh album for the member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
| LABEL: |
Def Jam |
| RELEASE DATE: |
04 December 2007 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Rap |
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Rehab packs the visceral, transgressive punch of the best crime fiction but it's equally adept at old-school Sunday-in-the-park jams (the infectious single 'Celebrate') and wiggy conceptual tracks like 'White Linen Affair (The Toney Awards).'
91
MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)
By dint of hard work, Ghost now has him a minor career as the classiest crime story writer in a genre that supports plenty of them.
90
Urb
The Big Doe Rehab, is predictably entertaining, not because he doesn’t have new tricks, but because at this point his weirdness is hardly surprising.
85
Prefix Magazine
Ghostface's beat selection is impeccable.
83
Entertainment Weekly
With Rehab, Ghostface proves his tried-and-true technique has plenty of juice left in it.
80
Rolling Stone
The Big Doe Rehab isn't as distinct as last year's Fishscale, but it's close. Ghost's bouncy, more direct approach on cuts like 'Walk Around' shows off his ability to turn crack-slinging narratives into big, hooky pleasures.
80
RapReviews.com
Even the weaker of Ghost albums tend to be relatively strong compared to some of his peers, both in and outside of the Wu, and The Big Doe Rehab is no exception.
80
Billboard
For the fan of fictional party rhymes, there's 'White Linen Affair (Toney Awards),' where Ghost lines up the current roster of hip-hop royalty and takes his place strong in the middle of it.
80
Blender
Fresh off his triumphant "Fishscale" series, the thinking-thug’s MC once again shows why he’s the alpha Wu-Tanger: palpable street authenticity, classic taste in R&B; (Stax, Motown) and the breakneck rhyme virtuosity of hip-hop’s golden age.
80
Boston Globe
This isn't new territory for Ghostface, and it's something of a marvel that his signature narrative style still feels fresh on his seventh solo outing.
80
Pitchfork
Ghost's new album may not uncover many of the verteran MC's still-hidden darts but, even 11 years after his solo debut, there's no denying that one of hip-hop's most vibrant voices in its comfort zone.
80
NOW Magazine
Sadly, no RZA production appears on Ghost's seventh solo project -- thus this isn't as good as the invincible Supreme Clientele, but it's more cohesive than Fishscale.
80
PopMatters
The Big Doe Rehab succeeds because it is an album unafraid to show kinks in its armor.
79
Lost At Sea
Rehab has every right to coast on the momentum of Ghost's hot streak--exploit it, if you will--for an overload of same.
75
Los Angeles Times
On his seventh solo album, the strong The Big Doe Rehab, Ghostface brings the energy and excitement to his songs unfortunately missing from much of the Wu-Tang's latest release.
70
Dot Music
Despite not being quite as smart as "Fishscale", The Big Doe Rehab certainly marks another reason (along with recent GZA shows and the release of "8 Diagrams") to suggest the Wu-Tang dynasty is going through something of a renaissance.
70
Slant Magazine
Given that a relevant part of his appeal has always been his eccentricity and willingness to take risks, a record mostly defined by his adherence to the tried and true is bound to feel like a bit of a copout.
70
Paste Magazine
While Rehab doesn't represent the top of Ghostface's game, the MC's approach is as viable as ever.
70
The New York Times
His storytelling focuses it all, at least for the first half of each song; after that, momentum flags.
70
Tiny Mix Tapes
The album has more than its share of bangers and certainly beats last December’s leftovers casserole More Fish on the killer-to-filler ratio, but Ghost veers too close for comfort to the feel of his worst albums
70
Drowned In Sound
Big Doe Rehab is another valuable insight into the skewed world of Ghostface away from Wu’s taming Shaolin stylings.
70
Village Voice
The album might actually play to Ghost's strengths too much; virtually every track is a straight-ahead adrenal banger with a screaming soul sample and a death-obsessed narrative.
70
Hartford Courant
It’s a strong album, but The Big Doe Rehab grows wearying by the end, like pounding Red Bull to stay up all night debating whether there ever were any weapons of mass destruction.
60
All Music Guide
"Misstep" is certainly a word too harsh for The Big Doe Rehab, which is more "uneventful" than "wrong."
60
Q Magazine
This doesn't quite match the delirious energy of 2006's "Fishscale," but it's packed with big numbers showcasing his maniacal rhyme style. [Feb 2008, p.95]
60
Hot Press
Most of the record is--sonically-speaking, rather than in terms of quality--classic Ghostface, but only a couple of these familiar tracks match the standard set on previous records.
50
Austin Chronicle
One of the hardest working men in hip-hop fails to push himself on Big Doe, but better Ghost rapping than Soulja Boy. So "We Celebrate."
50
Dusted Magazine
The ensemble crew can't maintain the promising start. Aside from a few lyrical bullets, 'Paisley Darts' doesn't quite live up to the potential of its title.
40
cokemachineglow
Really, the sad emptiness of these raps needs little explication from me.
The average user rating for this album is 8.3 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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