Review: RZA has always been an interesting character who has dabbled in many different projects alongside his legendary presence as part of the Wu-Tang Crew. For this new album, he makes his first foray into the world of classical music and fans have already dubbed it a masterpiece. It's an emotional rollercoaster with turbulent moods, beautiful finales, and plenty in between, all of which have been designed as a way of attempting to get people into classical music who might previously have ignored the genre. It will surely work wonders on that front.
Opening Theme (Raise Your Sword) (instrumental) (3:23)
Flying Birds (1:14)
Samurai Theme (1:17)
Gangsters Theme (1:04)
Dead Birds (0:51)
Fast Shadow (feat Wu-Tang Clan - version 1) (1:25)
RZA #7 (1:48)
Funky Theme (2:32)
RZA's Theme (2:29)
Samurai Showdown (Raise Your Sword) (RZA vocals) (3:55)
Ghost Dog Theme (1:20)
Fast Shadow (feat Wu-Tang Clan - version 2) (2:45)
Untitled #8 (2:03)
Untitled #12 (Free Jazz) (2:46)
Wu-World Order (feat Wu-Tang Clan - version 1) (3:36)
Review: Following the release of Jim Jarmusch movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai in 1999, many hip-hop heads were keen for the RZA's immaculate soundtrack - his first movie score - to get a release. It did, but only in Japan. Finally, the RZA has put that right, and now the soundtrack, which features a number of contributions from the Wu-Tang Clan, is available around the world via this new pressing. Largely warm, light and airy, much of the material mixes traditional instrumentation - electric piano, various Japanese instruments, guitar - with head-nodding hip-hop beats and the kind of obscure, Blaxploitation-era funk samples that have long been a staple of the RZA's work. It's a great set of instrumentals, with just enough forthright vocal cuts to keep things fresh.
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