Heavy Starch
Nelly's  multi-multi-platinumCountry  Grammarcasts a long shadow over the rest of theSt. Lunaticscrew, so one would think that as the crew's elder statesperson, Ali would do  something, anything, to distinguish himself. Sadly, he doesn't veer too far away  from the pathetically predictable hooks ("Ore Ore") or simpleton catch phrasings  ("Wiggle, Wiggle") made famous by his stable mate--and this release suffers as a  result. Clearly, Ali's selling point comes when he's in his no-nonsense,  braggadocio lyrical mode ("I Got This," "No") or parodying subjects like the  church ("Collection Plate") and class-combo women ("Boughetto"). But the vast  amount of filler sullies his occasional attempts to wax about poignant subject  matter such as safe casual sex ("Crucial"). Ali is on cruise control here, and  it shows.--Dalton Higgins