Don’t look now, but the greatest group in hip hop’s storied history (arguably) has been staging a modest comeback in the last couple of years.  Masta Killa’s 2006 sophomore effort, Made in Brooklyn, was textbook lyricism at its finest and served as a cogent and shrewd follow up to his quasi-classic debut.  Ghostface Killah’s latest effort, The Big Doe Rehab, made many a tastemaker’s “Best Albums of 2007” list and The RZA’s third installment in the Bobby Digital trilogy, Digi Snacks, was a challenging albeit scattershot effort this year.  Pro Tools, the GZA’s latest proper studio release ensures that the artistic momentum that the Wu-Tang Clan has recently been generating will undoubtedly be sustained. 

If the GZA has built any kind of reputation or brand within the Wu specifically, or the hiphop landscape in general, it is his incisive and deft lyrical acumen.  There is not one moment on Pro Tools, where his lyrical approach, technique, or attack is not precise or refined.  Rappidy rap Pro Tools is not.  The marriage of keen lyricism and piston-like, methodical production (handled by a host of Wu-affiliated artists the likes of Bronze Nazareth, Arabian Knight, and True Master), unite to make the best songs the GZA has created since Liquid Swords.  The pulsing guitar of “0% Finance” perfectly intertwines with GZA’s narrative that is told in a similar metaphoric fashion as the previously released “Labels” and “Animal Planet”.  What makes the poetic turn of “0% Finance” more unique than its predecessors, though, is that the GZA is incorporating an actual story with his auto metaphors as opposed to just themed rhetoric.  “Alphabets” showcases what might be the greatest verse-as-a-hook in years as the GZA masterfully zooms through the English alphabet while piously kicking the science of life.   There are sound emcees out today who are incapable of penning a verse, much less a hook, this intricate and fluid.  And while it might seem like this regal emcee is slumming by crafting a dis record aimed at 50 Cent, the RZA-produced “Paper Plate” works as an album standout based on sonic quality alone.  The album is rounded out by a spirited guest appearance by newcomer emcee Ka on the cinematic “Firehouse”.  With a raspy delivery, fluid flow, and clever wordplay, this relative novice actually manages to show up the protagonist on his own album, as the GZA is relegated to hook duties.

Similar to the actual computer program Pro Tools, Pro Tools the album is a vehicle by which GZA is able to display his precision and perfection in both lyricism and songwriting.  The album’s lean structure and strong production also make it the most worthwhile of listens and the best addition to the GZA’s catalog since his legendary debut Liquid Swords.  Pro Tools also shows that the veteran emcee has not lost a single step in his craft and is indeed still a force to be reckoned with on the mic. While they might not be dropping classic albums at the prolific pace they did in the mid 90s, the Wu is starting to show signs of life and, dare I say, a renaissance.