Latest releases reviewed

NOTORIOUS BIG Duets - The Final Chapter Bad Boy *As far as we know, Christopher "Notorious BIG" Wallace never met Bob Marley. Yet there's evidence to the contrary to be had on Hold Ya Head, featuring Bob Marley. Hear that sound? That's the sound of the Bad Boy corporation scraping the bottom of the barrel in an effort to squeeze more cash from its dead star attraction. More Biggie records have been released since his killing in 1997 than when he was king of New York, yet these posthumous releases have never matched or bettered his Ready to Die masterwork. This collection of studio fixes, shoddy out-takes and dubious duets is truly the pits. You'd think it couldn't get any worse than Beef (with Mobb Deep), and then Wake Up (with Korn) comes along. I know it's the first working week of the year, but this may well be the worst CD to come your way in 2006. www.biggieduets.com

Jim Carroll