Two new releases leave Jim Caroll less than impressed.

NAS

Untitled

Def Jam

**

Nasir Jones wanted to call his new album Nigger until his people pointed out a few home-truths about the problems of getting an album with that moniker stocked in certain US supermarkets. The rapper capitulated on the title, but the album's thematic examination of the US's problems with race remained in place.

Nas likes to tackle the big issues - 2006's Hip Hop Is Deadwas fairly self-explanatory in that regard - yet the new album's rush of polemic is rife with confusion. Nas may have all the pitches and ideas worked out in his head, but he just can't make his arguments stack up when it comes to the jump.

Instead of sounding brave, bold and sure, Nas comes across as someone flip-flopping to win brownie points from all. This year, there's real scope for a rap album looking at the crossover between race, politics and hip-hop, but sadly, the simplistic, trying and out of its depth Untitledis not it. www.nasindependenceday.com

JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: Fried Chicken

RZA AS BOBBY DIGITAL
Digi Snacks Bodog
**
Keeping tabs on the Wu-Tang Clan's comings and goings on wax requires dedication. Bossman RZA's third run under the Bobby Digital moniker comes on the back of last year's 8 Diagrams Clan-tacular, an album that subsequently had high-profile Clan members washing their hands of any involvement in the project.

On Digi Snacks, though, RZA can run free with the sounds, styles and collaborators (including George Clinton, Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante, System of A Down's Shavo Odadjian and Swedish singer Thea van Seijen). The problem, though, is that this means there's no one on board to pull RZA up when the album lags - and boy, does it lag.

Despite the familiar framework of spot-on strings and samples, there are times when you wonder just how a would-be superhero ended up in such a creative bind. RZA can do better, though you have to wonder if he really wants to.

[ www.myspace.com/rza Opens in new window ]

JIM CARROLL

Download tracks: You Can't Stop Me Now