Z-Ro Cocaine CD

Despite his status as one of hip-hop's most prolific artists, Z-Ro never quite spreads himself too thin. The provocatively titled COCAINE is his second release from 2009, and features his trademark self-aware, yet rapier-sharp lyrics over some of the hotter beats out of the fertile Houston scene. The Intro skilfully sets out the landscape as the dark-vocaled MC reflects upon his choice of a life of street dealing without a shred of remorse, while stressing his decision was not exactly the wise one. From there, Z-Ro, an expert storyteller, wanders from tale to tale, each one delivered with a novelist's touch, on a record which somehow transcends cookie-cutter.

In 2009, Z-Ro's loyal fan base expected Heroin, a two-CD set announced the previous year, but instead they got Cocaine, a one-CD version with many songs that already appeared on the mixtape Codeine. Confusing, and rumors of the rapper's difficulties with the Rap-A-Lot label top it all off, but the good news is that Cocaine is no great disappointment. It does feel a bit disjointed and perhaps cobbled together from tracks recorded for the mythological Heroin, but fans of the rapper spend enough time in the mixtape world that any semi-sensibly laid-out Z-Ro release is a step up, and Cocaine is just that. Highlights include "Quarterback," which is filled with football metaphors; the anthem "Southside" with special guest Lil' Flip; and "Can't Leave Drank Alone," which serenades the purple stuff as if it were the sweetest woman Z-Ro has ever known. In another move fans will appreciate, Z-Ro handles most of the production himself, and even if some of these tracks have already debuted on mixtapes, they sound better here with more separation and much less compression. ~ David Jeffries