Jay-Z - Kingdom Come

Nobody expects hip-hop stars to actually retire. They'll say they're done – sure. Why not? But everyone knows they'll be back in a year or two, shrugging, saying as Jay-Z does here, "Whatchoo want me to do? I'm sorry!" The most you can hope for is that their return is justified, that Jay-Z – who retired on the back of 2003's The Black Album, among the strongest records of his career – doesn't make us wish he had stayed gone. And he doesn't. Kingdom Come is a better record than many have suggested; Hov's still the best rapper alive, effortless in boasts and rhymes, Prince Charming in a Yankees cap. The trouble is that nothing here improves on what's come before nor shows a new direction for Mr Shawn Carter. The Just Blaze, Dre and Kanye tracks are ho-hum Blueprint lite; the Neptunes' 'Anything' shows none of the glint from their recent work with Clipse; and, well, the Chris Martin-produced 'Beach Chair' might just be the best track on the album (!). Maybe Jay-Z could retire and come back again next year. [Sean Michaels]