Bizarre Hannicap Circus CD

Bizarre is known as the Ol' Dirty Bastard of Eminem's D12 posse--an out-of-control, just-maybe-crazy guy whose visual hook is that he's always wearing a shower cap. After a series of guest spots on Eminem's records, Bizarre manages to define himself as a solo artist on HANNICAP CIRCUS. Although the Marshall Mathers-produced first single "Rockstar" sounds suspiciously close to Mathers's own "Just Lose It" and D12's "My Band," the rest of the album sounds more like the 2005 equivalent to Blowfly's cheerfully obscene R&B party records of the '70s. Bizarre's unique sensibilities are such that a track called "Porno Bitches" is the closest thing to a conventional love song, and "Gospel Weed Song" delivers exactly what the title promises. On HANNICAP CIRCUS, the goofiness of Bizarre's silly lyrics and between-song skits almost overshadows the fact that he and his co-producers give the laughs more substance through the stacks of solid beats and the inventive use of samples on tracks like "Let the Record Skip."

Personnel: Bizarre (rap vocals); Eminem, King Gordy, Obie Trice, Raphael Saadiq, Big Boi, Kuniva, Devin the Dude, Sindee Syringe, Swifty , Stic.man (rap vocals).