Mystikal - Let's Get Ready CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

may be relegated to footnote status in Colonel P's ongoing saga. That would be a shame; Let's Get Ready . . . has the makings of a sleeper hit. There are clarion calls-to-arms ("Ready to Rumble," "Ya Lookin' for Me"), bursts of civic pride ("Family," "Neck Uv Da Woods"), monologues on mortality ("Ain't Gonna See Tomorrow"), splendid shit-talking ("The Braids") and sublime dance-floor mashers ("Shake Ya Ass," "Jump"). Through it all, there are peaks of triple-time rhythm and valleys of bass, with Mystikal bouncing in between like a pimped-out yodeler in need of Ritalin, proving that he doesn't need any army to take your ass to war. (RS 850)

KRIS EX

On his fifth album, Mystikal finally blows up on a national scale, thanks largely to the addictive hit singles "Shake Ya Ass" and "Danger (Been So Long)." With better producers (like the Neptunes) replacing No Limit's generic Beats By The Pound crew, this record is easily Mystikal's best LP to date. Also features the excellent Outkast team-up, "Neck Uv Da Woods.