This came out in October 2005 & I remember being so excited that I ordered the CD from Amazon & had it mailed to me in Spain when I was studying abroad, rather than wait until December when I returned. GZA's fascination with chess culminates in a (loose) concept album about the game, with what seemed at the time to be an unlikely collaborator.
In retrospect, perhaps the most surprising thing is how Wu-Tang the album sounds, despite GZA reaching outside the Wu camp, presumably for a fresh spin. The short pizzicato loops, gloomy keys & soulful vocal chops that populate beats like "Those That's Bout It," "Destruction of a Guard," "Exploitation of Mistakes" & "General Principles" could easily be RZA's handiwork. Muggs isn't just biting here, though; he injects his trademark swing into most of the tracks, & the closing 2 songs sound more characteristic, with the heavily flanged drums of "Illusory Protection" & the rock guitars of "Smothered Mate." Somewhere in between is the martial aggression of "Advance Pawns" & "Unprotected Pieces," which recall Jedi Mind Tricks' Stoupe (a careful student of RZA's style).
GZA uses his unique narrative style on several storytelling tracks on this album. Unlike his Wu-comrades Ghost or Rae, whose stories always pack an immersive visceral punch, GZA uses omniscient narration & seems to float above the events he's recounting, with a dispassionate eye for granular detail. The style works best in the forensic procedural "Exploitation of Mistakes," which plays like a CSI episode, & the equally chilly "Destruction of a Guard." It doesn't work out so well on "Queen's Gambit," another in his series of wordplay-heavy lyrical exercises where he tries to cram in as many references to a specific subject (here, the NFL) while superficially talking about something else. (See "Labels," "Publicity," "Animal Planet," "0% Finance.") The problem is, "Queen's Gambit" turns into a sex story, & GZA doesn't have the hot-blooded enthusiasm to pull it off. When telling the story of a steamy foursome, "bored" isn't the energy you want to bring across.
Another storytelling song that does work is "All In Together Now," a tribute to the recently deceased Ol' Dirty Bastard. The love & respect he had for his fallen comrade is evident, & the way he explains their come-up & Dirty's personality adds to the myth--& reality--that he was much smarter, savvier & more self-aware than people gave him credit for. After all, there's a reason GZA made an album called Beneath the Surface.
In hindsight, Muggs proved to be the perfect collaborator for GZA, as he was able to hold down the Wu sound while adding enough new elements to keep from sounding stale or samey. At 44 minutes, the album doesn't overstay its welcome, & even when the lyrics are less than interesting, there's a vibey instrumental to make each track worthwhile. Liquid Swords is still the crown jewel in the GZA solo discography, but I believe I've played this CD more than Beneath the Surface or Pro Tools.
Now speaking of which, why the hell has it been 15 years since the last GZA album??
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