Universal Motown

Super-talented wordsmith Pharoahe Monch has struck a chord in rap's increasingly fickle marketplace - Desire, the MC's first studio album in nine years! From the title cut to the social message joint, "Hold On," the rapper-"songwriter" waxes topically with his "flow that's so influential." Among the release's surprises are the sonically bouncy "Body Baby" and a cover of Public Enemy's "Welcome To the Terrordome." Accompanied by blaring horns, Monch recites rapper Chuck D's dense opening verse from the original cut before expanding on the theme with pyrotechnical lyrics of his own. Thrills, chills and getting ill - it's all here, baby. -forrest green III

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