Wu-Tang Forever
By this long-delayed, massively anticipated album, the Wu had become less a crew than a small country, with dozens of central and auxiliary members, and rap styles so twisted they seem like another, private language. Without even a hint of anything for radio or casual listeners to latch onto,Wu-Tang Foreversprawls out for nearly two hours, and--taken as pure sound--it's about the most avant-garde No. 1 album ever, with deliberately bizarre production (out-of-tune and off-rhythm loops, even what sounds like a string quartet) and relentless torrents of cryptic, furious words. It demands repeated listens and careful attention to begin penetrating the mysteries of this dense, passionate, unique piece of work.--Douglas Wolk