By: Matthew Fox

3.5 out of 5

The Beastie Boys have had a wild past couple of years to say the least. First, they branch out with a crazy new sound, focusing more on odd samplings and instrumentation and much less on basic rapping. Even their shows, to many a fan’s dismay, began to turn into instrumental beat-based jam sessions. Secondly, Adam Yauch (more commonly known as the gravelly voiced MCA) was diagnosed with cancer in one of his lymph nodes. Although this led to some tour date cancellations, it didn’t stop their momentum for a second. Within the year, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 (Part 1 has yet to be released) came out, and is available for all to hear!

The album starts off with “Make Some Noise,” one of the first songs to leak and quickly receive positive acclaim, and I couldn’t agree more. Between the funky synth beat and pumped-up lyrics, it is an incredible way to start off the record. Although it shows a bit of the new style with the live drumming and random noises, it is one of the less deviant tracks stylistically on the CD.

Another positive worth mentioning are the guest appearances of Nas and Santigold. “Too Many Rappers” has one of the coolest beats, and Nas’ contribution to the chorus tops everything off perfectly. Santigold’s part on “Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win” seems somewhat on the back burner, but is still very pleasant and appropriately placed. I could go on much more about both these artists, but I’ll let their performances do the talking.

Lyrically, each of the three members bring hilariously wry lines to each song, ranging from referencing Willy Wonka’s fizzy-lifting drink to setting up a restaurant with Ted Danson. They may be getting up there in age, but the lyrics still entertain all ages, even a young’n like me. I don’t think they could have summed it up any better than the line, “My rhymes age like wine when I get older.” My only complaint about the lyrics is that half the time they are impossible to understand, which leads me to my next point.

My main issues with the entire album are the shoddy mixes and tasteless use of effects. So many elements are added to the vocals tracks that you can’t discern words amidst the excessive reverb and other bizarre additions. It seriously feels like a nine year old got a hold of the songs, along with a Kaoss Pad, and decided to have a ball with the mix. “Tadlock’s Glasses” is a perfect example of this problem, listen for yourself. If excessively-layered beats and overwhelming distortion on this track is what they mean by a new sound, I am not looking forward to future releases. Aside from these issues which are found in a handful of tracks, I really enjoy the changes they’ve made, and hope that most (not all) of them stay.

To be honest, I would have rated the album higher if it hadn’t been for the horrible mixing/effect job. The guys took control of the producing, which should have been left to actual producers. Otherwise, Hot Sauce Committee Part 2 is proof that the Boys still have what it takes to make quality records. Some of my favorites would include “Make Some Noise”, “Don't Play No Game That I Can't Win”, and “Crazy A** S***” (sorry for the profanity, but it’s just too catchy to ignore!). I can’t say I would put it at the top of my list as one of their best works, but it’s a good collection of solid raps and thumping beats.

Matthew Fox lives in Nashville, TN. He drives a Jeep, frequently looks up cute pictures of animals online, and once won $15 off a lottery ticket. An archive of his blog posts can be found at foxtalks.wordpress.com.