Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai - The Album
Indie film director Jim Jarmusch always works an unexpected angle, whether it's offbeat humor, a nonlinear narrative, or specific and idiosyncratic characterization. For his latest film--the story of a ghetto hit man who lives by the codes of the Hagakure, an 18th-century Japanese warrior text--Jarmusch enlistedRZA, a founding member of theWu-Tang Clan. Instead of imagistic tone poems that serve to reinforce a certain mood, à laNeil YoungonDead Man, RZA offers active gunplay that propels the film's narrative. The 11 tracks serve as an RZA-producer showcase, standing as independent pieces, regardless of the movie itself.  Tracks vary from the subdued "4 Sho Sho," which interpolates Forest Whitaker's interior monologue with RZA's street visions, to the stuttering rhythms ofKool G. Rap's "Cakes." Tekitha's '70s disco groove for "Walkin' Through the Darkness" offers unexpected sensuality, while "The Man" by Masta Killah sets things back on the gangsta tip.--Rob O'Connor