Family Scriptures
Never as hard in sound as they are in name, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony have always been more about melody, flow and family than any of that gangsta stuff.  Maybe it's their Cleveland upbringing.  OnChapter II: Family Reunion, executive producers Krayzie Bone and Layzie Bone introduce us to the extended Thugs (Trues Humbly United Gathering Souls) family: Felecia, Thug Queen, Souljah Boy, Ken Dawg, Powder, Scant, Potion and MT5, among others. Though the ties that bind may be corporate rather than sanguine--the album is more a showcase for the Mo Thugs record label than a picnic--the sentiments are no less real, and much of the music on the album would go down well at a family gathering. The raps flow lazily (with the exception of the gung-ho Souljah Boy), and deftly, along and the R&B; jams are soulful without crossing over into Velveeta territory.--Randy Silver