Obie Trice - Cheers CDs • Vinyl Records • LPs • Music Albums

Teeth," he chronicles absurd romantic encounters over an Eminem beat that sounds like fusion jazz on cough syrup. What redeems Trice is his workmanlike emphasis of craft over style. It's not flamboyant, but it's impressive. "I remember when I was on the ave., clutching them dimes/Gut touching my spine/ Busting my rhymes," he wistfully spits on the title track. Indeed, new friends in high places can be a liability; Trice shoulders his homeys' feuds on "Shit Hits the Fan" and "We All Die One Day," strong songs that, in their vitriol, distract from his otherwise almost demure display of skill.

JON CARAMANICA
(RS 934, October 30, 2003)

A member of D12 and longtime Eminem compadre, Obie Trice strikes off on his own with this debut solo album. Like his Detroit cohorts, Trice balances griminess and humor into his conversational flows, dispensing comical rhymes about busted ladies ("Got Some Teeth") and rugged battle raps ("We All Die One Day") alike. Em and Lloyd Banks also share the mic.