Mr Cheeks Back Again! CD

Though his refusal to dumb down his raps or resort to sensationalism has prevented Mr. Cheeks from becoming quite as big a star as he perhaps should be, BACK AGAIN! reveals a mature and wiser artist who isn't afraid to search for deeper meaning in the hip-hop philosophy. "Reminisce" is a virtual pop-culture history lesson that points to the increasingly fleeting nature of popularity, given by a man who knows whereof he speaks.

Though he essentially belongs to an earlier era (as appearances by Pete Rock and CL Smooth suggest), Mr. Cheeks shows that his skills have only improved with age, and proceeds to spit out one lyrically complex and thoughtful rhyme after another. He also has an old-school veteran's knack for picking choice, no-nonsense samples and using them to create a mood that perfectly fits his rhymes. With BACK AGAIN! Mr. Cheeks reveals himself to be one of the few hip-hop artists who can maintain the sharp edge of gangsta rap while almost completely eschewing the violent aesthetic. Ultimately, this talent gives his work a much more "real" worldview than that propagated by his more famous contemporaries.

Recorded at Sony Studios, Sound On Sound, and The Hit Factory, New York, New York; Circle House Studios and South Beach Studios, Miami, Florida.

Personnel: Tommy Martin (guitar); Big Baby (keyboards); Chuck Madness (programming).

Audio Mixers: Doug Wilson; Hernán Santiago; Rob Paustian; Jim Caruana; Rich Keller.

Recording information: Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; Daddy's House, New York, NY; Sony Studios, New York, NY; Sound on Sound Studios, New York, NY; South Beach Studios, Miami, FL; The Hit Factory, New York, NY.

Photographer: Christian Lantry.

Parental Advisory-Guests:M.O.P Floetry/A.O'Neal/G.Lewis

Personnel includes: Mr. Cheeks, Mario Winans, Pete Rock, C.L. Smooth, Journalist, Alexander O'Neal, M.O.P., Floetry, Glenn Lewis.

Producers include: Bink!, Mr. Sexx, P. Diddy, Chuckie Madness, Mario Winans.

Vibe (4/03, p.177) - 3 discs out of 5 - "...It may not be complicated, but it sure is fun..."