19 Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury
It may not be nice to fool with Mother Nature, as the saying goes, butNature's Fury, Naughty by Nature's fourth LP (not counting the greatest-hits compilationNature's Finest), really is more of a mild storm front than a hurricane. When they stick with the formula that made them famous--catchy loops fronted by relatively innocuous rhymes, but with a furious delivery--Naughty do well (see "Jamboree"). But on too many of the tracks here, NBN play host to a guest star--Big Pun,Krayzie Bone, and a host of No Limit all-stars, among others--and find themselves playing second fiddle. On one of the album's best tracks, "Radio," Naughty indiscriminately plunder the past, with a backing track that nicksLL Cool J's classic of the same name, lyrics that hark back toRun DMC("I'm the nigga hip-hop / There is none higher / Sucka motherf**kers better call me sire!"), and a "la-di-da-di-da" chorus. Other songs find Naughty going reggae, dance-floor pop, and, on "Thugs & Hustlers," intoTimbaland's quirky neighborhood. They handle each chore like pros, but never once do they sound like a group with anything to say for themselves.--Randy Silver