Trinity: Past Present & Future

Slum Village's sophomore album has as many bright moments as it does miscues. Designed to illustrate the group's rise from the Detroit underground, the album's spotty production takes too long to get you throbbing while the villagers manifest. Emcees T3 and Baatin's stepped-up flow is noteworthy, and newcomer Elzhi adds a rougher, battle-ready element to the mix, but at times his gangsta clichés don't mesh with his cohorts' green-tea-and-a-backrub Casanova personas. Though the overall production is uneven, young-Turk beatmakers Karieem Riggins and Waajeed O'Bryant shine on tracks like "La La" and "Tainted," which build on the momentum created by the group's debut, Fantastic, Vol. 2. Unfortunately, Trinity all but excludes founding member-producer Jay Dee, and in the end, Jay Dee's three contributions eclipse all others. We're left wondering what Trinity would have sounded like if all three original members were still in cahoots. As it stands, Trinity's overall vibe comes off like an often misguided attempt to inherit the kingdom A Tribe Called Quest helped build and De La sold. --Arno Kazarian