Daily Staff Writer

“The 18th Letter”

Rakim

The word on the street is nobody’s been this long awaited since Jesus.

It’s been a long time and Rakim, the microphone soloist, is back with a new arsenal of rhymes after a six-year hiatus from the music business.

Not only did early Eric B. & Rakim albums provide inspiration to other emcees, trademark lyrics like “writing my rhymes, in graffiti on the wall” have become some of THE most-sampled rap lines of all time.

For that very reason, two versions of this album have been released: a single disc with new material and a double-disc, which includes the greatest hits of Rakim.

The split has, if anything, only strengthened Rakim, as he now has the option to pursue a variety of producers for his lyrical flows.

“Intricate lyrics drawn in persian rugs, my flows are paisley,” raps Rakim over the DJ Premier-produced “Guess Who’s Back,” showing his continued creativity and strong vocal presence over an exciting beat.

On tracks like “The Saga Begins,” the unique Pete Rock electro-musical style beats compliment Rakim and make him sound fresher than ever.

The ill-advised “Stay a While” features the Puff Daddy-ism of Clark Kent which almost ruins the song, saved only by Rakim’s golden tongue.

The album’s strengths easily outweigh the weaknesses. Rakim has clearly not lost any of his word-play ability nor his ability to match words to the tempo in catchy-snap-your-finger, snap-your-neck combos.

“I’m one of the freshest on the mic since Adidas,” Rakim Allah says on “It’s Been a Long Time,” and it’s no idle boast.

Even those new jacks who don’t remember Rakim from the old school will still feel this album.

3 1/2 stars out of five.

— Steve ‘Flash’ Juon

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“Slip, Stitch, and Pass”

Phish

For being the follow-up to Phish’s 1995 live release, “Slip, Stitch, and Pass,” doesn’t necessarily live up to the exciting moments of “A Live One,” not to say that it doesn’t have its exciting moments.

The 70-plus minutes of “Slip” were recorded in the middle of Phish’s ’97 spring European tour in Hamburg, Germany. Since Phish was playing off of its home turf, the record does have the hint of a playful spontaneity, but lacks in the skillful musicianship found on the previous album.

The disc begins with a cover of The Talking Heads’ “Cities,” which provokes some cheers from the audience, but isn’t catchy enough to make the beginning of the disc very interesting.

The funky “Wolfman’s Brother” follows and has a pretty interesting jam that fluidly flows into another cover tune, ZZ Top’s “Jesus Just Left Chicago.”

The most interesting moments of “Slip, Stitch, and Pass” come next in the forms of bassist Mike Gordon’s songs “Weigh” and “Mike’s Song.”

“Weigh” is especially fun because it has never been a regular tune in Phish’s concert rotation and its eccentric lyrics are cool to sing along with.

“Mike’s Song” has always been an audience favorite for Phish, and this version verifies why. The 15-minute jam takes off from the very beginning with guitarist Trey Anastasio’s oddball effects and a slick Hammond B Organ solo from Page McConnell.

To tie it up, drummer Jon Fishman offers variations on The Door’s “The End” with phrases like, “Mother I want to cook you breakfast.”

But these and other parts of “Slip” just makes the disc amusing — not groundbreaking like other Phish albums.

“Slip, Stitch, and Pass” is worth the purchase simply because it is difficult to get great sound quality Phish shows without shelling out $50 for an import or following the band around with a DAT recorder.

The disc, however, lacks the musical intricacies that separate a good Phish concert from a wow-kick-you-in-the-ass Phish concert.

3 stars out of five.

— Brenden Greiner

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“A Life Less Ordinary Soundtrack”

Various Artists

Of the many alternative all-stars who show up on the soundtrack to the latest Ewan McGregor flick, “A Life Less Ordinary,” the relatively unknown Faithless is the band that outshines them all.

Faithless’ “Don’t Leave” begins in acoustic guitar fashion with a cool Michael Stipe-like voice singing “Packing your bags like people in the movies do, all severe, and not saying a word,” summing up the surreal feeling of the song and the movie in its first lyric.

A simple piano joins the melody along with a beautiful Faith Evans-like back-up vocalist. The tune flows into a pause and is then picked up by a slow and groovy drum beat, which continues through the rest of the song.

“Don’t Leave” is probably the best movie ballad since “Top Gun’s” “Take My Breath Away,” and could easily carry the soundtrack as the Berlin tune carried “Top Gun.”

But Faithless doesn’t have to.

Weight is equally balanced on the backs of such sure-things as Beck, Prodigy and R.E.M.

Beck’s “Deadweight” features his usual quirky pop sound, picking up where “New Pollution” left off. The lyrics are strange as usual, and set the record off on a good note.

Luscious Jackson contributes “Love Is Here,” which closely resembles the band’s tune “Citysong” from a few years back.

Similar to “Deadweight,” “Love Is Here” features a touch of disco pop that makes it danceable and fun to listen to.

Sneaker Pimps’ “Velvet Force” and Underworld’s “Oh” don’t break any new ground in the electronica scene, but are decent tunes that give the soundtrack an even wider variety.

Folk Implosion does what it does best on “Kingdom Of Lies,” a rather dark tune which flows to a heavy bass drum beat and Lou Barlow’s amazing singing skills.

R.E.M. does the same with “Leave,” a typical Stipe-driven ballad with a catchy chorus and very little guitar work.

As the disc continues, there is a five-song chunk of ’50s lounge music by such acts as Elvis Presley and Bobby Darin that the soundtrack could easily go without.

Also part of the chunk is Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Put A Lid On It,” a pathetic excuse for a song from a pathetic excuse for a band.

Prodigy’s “Full Throttle” brings the disc to an exciting end with a song that has more break-ups than a Hollywood wedding.

The tune is completely instrumental, which is a not necessarily a bad thing.

“A Life Less Ordinary,” if anything like “Trainspotting” at all, is a completely unique movie that deserves a completely unique soundtrack — and this one definitely does the trick.

3 1/2 stars out of five.

— Corey Moss