Music reviews. CD reviews. Critically hip!

Bouncer Crew is a group of MCs who claim a wide range of origins but seem to be based primarily out of Detroit. XTASY FOR LADIES, their initial project, is produced by DJ Cam, whose production values tend to the minimalist, which is good, very good, actually. Most of the joints on here feature bass and drum beats, an occasional keyboard, and an r & b sample. There accordingly is some continuity between tracks, while at the same time none of them sound exactly the same (always a danger on a rap CD).

The result is that XTASY FOR LADIES is one of those CDs where you can have several favorite tracks that will change over time and with repeated listening. Initially mine were “Lowrider,” featuring MC Eiht, and “Can’t Get Enough,” featuring Inlove, both of which feature a cool female vocal sample; lately it’s been “Climax” featuring Med, a slow slider with a soulful groove, and “Ganjaman,” featuring Buckshot, which is a dancehall track by way of Detroit. There’s not a bad or low track on the whole disc, however, so there’s no temptation to skip over a hidden gem that might not hit you the first pass. It bears repeating that Cam’s production is impeccable on each and all of these tracks, so that it’s difficult to have a consistent preference of one mc over another.

Nine rap tracks, two mixes, and an instrumental (“Bouncer Crew Theme”) make XTASY FOR LADIES a welcome surprise on the underground hip hop scene. If you have been on the verge of giving up on the genre, XTASY FOR LADIES will give you fresh hope.