After a nine-year wait, Oakland hip-hop group Souls of Mischief has released its fourth CD.
Since "Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution" came out in 2000, three of the four members have released solo albums, all four have released mix tapes, and they have toured extensively as a group and as solo artists.

The group is also part of a larger collective called Hieroglyphics, known for its three-eyed, straight-lipped face logo. Hieroglyphics has released two albums of old demos, two compilations, a live album and the collective's second LP in the time since the last Souls of Mischief album.

A-Plus, Opio, Phesto and Tajai, the members of Souls of Mischief, did almost everything besides release a new group album over the past nine years. "Montezuma's Revenge," the title of Souls of Mischief's new album, was worth the wait.

Listening to the album took me back to the laid-back sound of rap in the late '80s and early '90s, thanks in large part to Prince Paul's production. Prince Paul produced all three of hip-hop group De La Soul's albums during this period, which is often referred to as the golden age of hip-hop music.

Souls of Mischief released their debut album, "93 'til Infinity," in the tail end of this era. The group and their sound have matured in the 16 years since their first LP. Their new CD shows the evolution of the group.

"Tour Stories," the first single off "Montezuma's Revenge," was released back in January. It was a fitting single that reflects the tone of most of the album.

The song tells the tale of the constant touring the group does all around the world.

The track isn't all that impressive on a lyrical or rhyming level, but it has the laid-back beat and flow featured on "93 'til Infinity" and the group's tape-only release, "Focus."

"Postal" shows the evolution of the group. The song's lyrics deal with relationship issues in a mature manner. It discusses a girlfriend who always wants to get angry and make her boyfriend go postal. The rapping has harmonic segments and each emcee gets his turn to flow over the complex beat.

"Damn, you got some nerve miss / I'm thinking to myself, 'do I deserve this?'/ I mean I'm trying to be there with you, but honestly I'm lightweight scared of you / I just can't see myself without you, same time I can't be myself around you / Understand I'm a work in progress / All this fussin' just hurt the process."

"Fourmation" has the feel of a Jurassic 5 song to me. It is a playful song that jumps back and forth between rappers from line to line. It has the creativity of Blackalicious, where the lyrics revolve around a central topic, which in this case is the number four.

The album is hosted by the founder of Hieroglyphics, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. He introduces the album, appears on "Hiero HQ," and does the "Outro" track. Del doesn't take away the spotlight, though.

"Proper Aim" has some of the best rhyming and flowing of the album, on top of a bass beat.

"The deadly pedigree, leaves little for editing / thoughts are dead in me, inevitably put you ahead of me / I'm steadily battling your chicanery with battery after battery, blast your smattering to smithereens."

The song's video has painter Steve Lopez creating the album's artwork in fast forward. Lopez has done snowboard illustrations, murals and CD artwork for other artists including Erykah Badu.

The album has skits in between songs, which is something different for the group. This idea was most likely brought in by Prince Paul, who has had comedy skits on both of his Handsome Boy Modeling School albums.

While the beats definitely have a Prince Paul feel, Domino also helped on the production to keep a Hieroglyphics sound.

In a news release, Tajai explained the title of the album has two meanings. The CD was recorded in the Montezuma house, near Point Reyes. The title also was a reference to the slang term for infectious diarrhea.

"The deeper meaning is this album will make you crap yourself," Tajai said.

This CD is the best hip-hop album to be released in years. It captures the old-school sound, but is complex in its beats and rapping. Any fan of underground or backpack hip-hop music should cop "Montezuma's Revenge."

Review by Tommy Wight