Even if their collaborative 2010 album was titled Fornever, rapper Murs and producer 9th Wonder are serious when they declare this The Final Adventure, considering this is the last entry in a series of albums that began in 2004 with Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition. Too bad, too, since the chemistry between the two still works, with Murs offering his frank but talky rhymes over 9th Wonder's beats, which always go for soul and groove. Two distinct song types have always figured in, and here, they're back, with aggressive boom-bap politics fueling songs like Whatuptho (There ain't no difference between a gangbanger, and Malcolm X/Just the same anger and Gotta speak the truth by the youth/I've been selected) while woozy young lust and an undying love of booty colors sexy or sex-starved numbers like Walk Like a Woman (I love women, but not like all guys/Take one look and I can tell a chick her bra size). Interesting how Tale of the Cities takes the listener on a journey through Los Angeles, from alarm clock and putting on the shoes to nightfall, and points out how the two sides of the city are painted political red and blue. Also of note is how the slice-of-life Wherever You Are sounds so much like a proper Murs cut off a solo album, hinting he's ready to explore his many other projects. Then there's the closer It's Over, a kiss-off to an ex-girlfriend on the surface, but a fitting swan song for the duo as Murs works his ire into spiteful poetry, and 9th Wonder lays the hypnotism underneath, crafting a loopy bit of R&B that suits the song. It's what they've done so well since Murs 3:16, and if this really is The Final Adventure, it is what Murs would call a damn shame. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi
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