Ghostface - The Pretty Toney Album - 2004 - Def Jam
After the poorly handled Bulletproof Wallets it's no surprise that Ghostface would switch to a new label. His Def Jam debut is phenomenal. Though there's enough high quality cutting room floor material to fill several more albums, everything he kept is top notch. Right from the beginning you can sense that Ghost (who for some reason dropped the 'Killah' for this release) is having a blast just cutting loose being himself. The intro finds interviewers asking him a bunch of hilarious questions ("how has the game changed since you revealed your face?" - total fan service), and then leads into the outstanding "Biscuits" produced by True Master. Other production credits are varied, with RZA showing up only twice. But somehow that works on this record much in the same way the variety of producers made Jay-Z's The Black Album so exciting. And speaking of Jay-Z, the cover of The Pretty Toney Album is actually taken from the concert that Fade To Black was filmed at. And perhaps there's a message there. Ghost, on stage at Madison Square Garden, surrounded by hip hop legends and peers. Indeed this is really Ghostface at the top of his game - liberated from Epic and seemingly invigorated to really be the creative weirdo that he is. In fact he handles production on two of the songs here himself. "Holla" is a wistful soul ballad not unlike his "All That I Got Is You," that uses "La La Means I Love You" as a backing track. But his production for "Save Me Dear" is the real standout. Soulful, triumph horns blare as Ghost professes his love as only he could ("I'ma sell my guns and with the cash I'ma take you to Vegas"). Elsewhere Ghost teams up with members of D-Block on both "Metal Lungies," and the frantic "Run" which features a beat that actually uses sirens to chase the vocalists. Interestingly, none of the guest shots on this album are from Wu-Tang members. Though that may seem weird, it helps make this feel like the first time Ghost truly went solo outside of the Clan, and in a lot of ways makes it feel like one of his most unique albums. Don't get me wrong, it's flawed for sure. That cover art looks pretty cheap I suppose. The single "Tush" with Missy Elliott comes across as pretty silly. There's a few more skits than necessary (though they tend to be short and amusing, in fairness). But for all its faults, this is a brilliant album. It's weird, funny, personal, and downright impressive. It is Ghostface at some of his most creative without going off the deep end and completely losing the listener. It is in my opinion an often overlooked modern classic.