Ol' Dirty Bastard
Osirus
on JC/Sure Shot Records
BFans of Ol' Dirty Bastard know that when he died last year, he left the music industry in the same way he entered it: on his own terms.

Since the Wu-Tang Clan's debut in 1994, hip-hop nation has been hooked on the "dirty" rapper. Through most of the '90s, ODB was everywhere. His persona never changed-in some strange way, he was both offensive and lovable. If you couldn't hear his sing-songy rhymes on the radio, then you could turn on the television and catch him doing something crazy and hilarious, like when he allowed MTV to tape him picking up a welfare check in his limo.

In 2004, ODB was ready to make up for lost time. After his release from jail, he signed with Roc-a-Fella Records and recorded a slew of tracks in the studio. Osirus, named after one of the ODB's many nicknames, is a collection of these studio recordings.

So listening to the album is a bittersweet experience. On one hand, you get 15 completely fresh tracks by ODB; on the other, you get an album that could've been so much more if he had only lived to finish it.

Osirus is ODB's best album since his 1995 solo debut Return to the 36 Chambers. The beats are among the most creative of any Wu-Tang album. In "Dirty Run," a sample of David Bowie's "Fame" and Run-DMC's "Rock Box" are seamlessly mashed together.

"Dirty Dirty" has a rocking organ beat only slightly tempered by an obnoxious high-pitched vocal hook. Even the incredibly misogynistic "Pussy Keep Calling" has one of the best and most smoothed-out beats on the album.

Lead single "Pop Shots (Wu-Tang)" is the best cut on the album, and it proves that the only person who should sing ODB's hooks is ODB. Backed by an amped-up piano beat, Dirty rhymes, "That's a trick to try to keep you where you're at/All content, while [they] riding Bentley's and Maybachs."

If you enjoyed Ol' Dirty Bastard more for his entertainment value than his talent as a rapper, this album should give you something to think about. While he lacks the masterful flow of Method Man or the literary rhymes of GZA, his grimy style has a unique appeal on its own, one that is unfortunately lost forever. Osirus will not only get your head bobbing, but will also offer a fascinating glimpse into the future of Ol' Dirty Bastard that will never be.

-Jon Zimmerman


Iron & Wine
Woman King EP
on Sub Pop Records
A-

After a magnificent year that included a spot on the Grammy-winning soundtrack Garden State and several television appearances, Sam Beam, the heart and soul of indie folk group Iron & Wine, has returned with a new six-song EP. What Woman King lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality, at times even besting last year's popular Our Endless Numbered Days.

The record opens with the title track, which introduces us to the manic rhythm section that appears throughout the disc. With this new EP, Beam emphasizes his experimental side, especially with "Evening on the Ground (Lilith's Song)," which finds the usually reserved Beam cursing and, even more unusually, playing a full-out electric guitar solo. He also references the hushed simplicity of past releases in "Jezebel," where the most prominent instrument is Beam's powerful and soothing voice.

With Woman King, Sam Beam creates a solid albeit short masterpiece that is as great-and at times even better-than the songs that cast the songwriter into the limelight in the first place.

-Leor Gali