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EL FOTO GRANDE is Robust’s long-awaited follow-up to 2004’s POTHOLES IN OUR MOLECULES, and despite the lapse in time between the two releases there is no lapse in quality in Robust’s joints, which are uniformly fine. As he raps in "Retrobust," "I’m dope." It ain’t braggin’ if it’s true.

Robust’s work in general, and EL FOTO GRANDE in particular, is characterized by Clever turns of phrase combined with beats that are catchy if not always unique, and samples that are appropriate, as opposed to kitchen-synched, so to speak. "Word of Mouth," which is built around a jazzy piano riff, One element of this genre with which I occasionally have difficulty is the tendency of some mc’s to make the mix so dense that they get lost in it. Robust doesn’t have that problem, indicating a confidence in his own work; he doesn’t need to hide, he’s right there, front and center. "Cold Chilling" is just that, Robust delivering a stark rap over a guitar sample and a drum and bass beat. EL FOTO GRANDE is closer to LL Cool J’s ROCK THE BELLS than to Public Enemy’s IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS, thematically and artistically (indeed, one track is titled LL Robus T,") and at this point in the genre that is a good thing. It’s tough to pick a favorite track on EL FOTO GRANDE, but it would probably be "Strictly Underground," with Mestizo providing what on this disc is a rare guest turn. Or, it might be "What Up Fam;" Robust takes what in lesser hands would have been a simple shout out and turns it into an east coast geography lesson with a faint element of irony and bittersweetness.

There probably isn’t enough gloss and glamour on EL FOTO GRANDE to merit terrestrial radio airplay, and that is to its credit. Robust doesn’t rely on smoke and mirrors but instead, like the best of an artist in any medium, on a deep vein of talent. If EL FOTO GRANDE is any indication, he’ll be able to mine it as long as he wants.