Idolator

Nearly every week, we round up the all-important, all-summarizing last sentences of the biggest new-music reviews. Today's entry is Jay-Z's American Gangster, which hits shelves tomorrow:

• "What unites the collection more than a specific sound is a narrative arc that loosely parallels Lucas' rise and decline. On 'Fallin',' the record's emotional climax, Jay-Z raps frantically as the walls close in. 'The irony of selling drugs is sort of like using it,' he admits over Jermaine Dupri's chaotic looped keys, 'Guess there's two sides to what substance abuse is.' But ultimately, Jay-Z fends off disillusionment and knuckleheaded usurpers, only to emerge cockier than ever on the next track. Lucas, in the film and in real life, gets pinched and turns snitch. For Jay-Z, that would be out of character." [EW]
• " Just Blaze contributes "Ignorant Shit," an outtake from The Black Album that's spruced up with a funny Don Imus dis and a defense of hip-hop lyrics: 'Are you saying that what I'm spittin'/Is worse than these 'celebutantes' showing they kitten?' This obviously has nothing to do with the concept; neither do references to the Jena 6 or dope that has "'ess steps than Britney.' But then the concept is really just a spark to get Jay started. Forget Frank Lucas: The real black superhero here is Jay, and with American Gangster, Gray-Hova is back in black." [RS]
• "There's a writers' adage that advises, 'Show, don't tell,' that Jay-Z has taken to heart. In his recent work, he's been concerned about telling everyone how great he is. On American Gangster, he shows it - crafting not just the likely album of the year, but one that will likely go down as one of hip-hop's greatest." [Newsday]
• " At 15 songs spread across 60 minutes, American Gangster would've been better cut by one-third. Nonetheless, it's undoubtedly the comeback that Kingdom Come should've been but wasn't. It works because Jay-Z not only sounds like he has something to say, but something to prove." [Chicago Tribune]
• "Once, words just seemed to flow out of him, as if he couldn't help himself; now it's clearer than ever that he's choosing them carefully. That makes him easy to admire; obsessives and skeptics alike may well be impressed by the clarity and complexity of these rhymes. But these days it's much harder for him—and, therefore, for us—to get carried away." [NYT]