Restless

With his appearance alongside Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and Eminem on this year’s Up In Smoke tour, Xzibit made it clear his days as the West Coast’s favorite underground rapper were over; it was time for him to surface. On his third album, Restless, this fact seems a little too clear, as Xzibit allows executive producer Dr. Dre to shape the album too much in his own image, giving it an almost by-the-numbers quality. Dre’s trademark production on tracks like “U Know” and “X” feels a bit tired, like he’s picking through well-worn beats and organ riffs and just mailing them in. EPMD maestro Erick Sermon steps up though, jumping into the production hotseat and crafting an irresistible hook for the catchy “Alkaholik.” Likewise, Eminem spews impressive bile across “Don’t Approach Me,” but Restless actually works best on gutsy tracks like “Sorry I’m Away So Much,” where Xzibit stands on his own two feet and lets his raw, tough-minded rhymes tell his story, not someone else’s.