Beginning with the lyrics "Well hello again my weed smoking friends,"
Devin the Dude's fifth album -- and his first for the Razor & Tie label -- is more of the same; chilled out weed and women anthems with plenty of cool funk productions. Maybe that sounds like an everyday
Afroman, but for the uninitiated,
Devin's skills are light years ahead of the stoner-rap competition with much more clever rhymes, an irresistible slacker flow, plus a rock-solid commitment to quality control that makes every release desirable, even when it's been there, done that. As slight as they are,
Landing Gear's identifying features are the softer, more polished productions along with the superstar guest appearance from
Snoop Dogg who goes puff for puff with
Devin on the pimp-walking highlight "I Don't Chase 'Em." The heartbroken and hazy "Thinkin' Boutchu" offers the killer "You've just to get out of my mind/As the old school cassette rewinds/Time will reveal if we can make it last forever/You stole my heart but made it tougher than leather," but most of
Devin's dealings with women are much more like
Snoop's and will drive away those easily offended (plug the title "El Grande Nalgas" into your Babel Fish for proof).
Devin's target audience, on the other hand, embraces sleaze, porno, weed, and hip-hop with plenty of memorable stingers, and seeing as how
Landing Gear delivers on all counts, fans of Texas' most blunted rapper will once again be pleased. ~ David Jeffries