Album Review: LL Cool J - Authentic

Red flags don't come much redder than an artist partially retreating from an album before it's released. We learned this lesson earlier this year when Lil Wayne dismissed I Am Not A Human Being II before giving critics a chance to do the same. LL Cool J, aka James Todd Smith, recently said of Authentic, “I am not trying to compete with 17-year-olds on the radio, but I am talking directly to the folks who came up with me.” If those folks end up listening, they are likely to be disappointed.

Whaddup may be the album's most disconcerting track. It is driven by a Chuck D sample we first heard more than two decades ago and it also features, incongruously, a present day Chuck D verse. We dive deeper into the rabbit hole as Tom Morello, most famous for his role as the highly creative Rage Against The Machine guitarist, sends out wacky guitar sounds over DJ Z-Trip's scratching. We Came To Party is an oddly flat attempt at a party jam featuring Fatman Scoop and Snoop Dogg. On We're The Greatest we learn that Smith's “got a lot… on (his) mind/Like what's the real reason that the pope resigned”. Hmm. The track's title proves a misnomer as Travis Barker's overloud drums, Eddie Van Halen's shredding and an ugly, anti-melodic hook punctuate Smith's reflections.

Authentic is messy. Smith's delivery – often engaging and ferocious – shows that the fire still burns in him but he has failed here. His guests, almost all of whom at least approach 'has-been' status, failed him too. So… Authentic? Okay, authentic to what? If this is an authentic representation of Smith's vision, it is not an interesting one. Avoid.