7

Sounds like … Goodie Mob, Cee-Lo, OutKast, Ludacris, Nappy Roots, and GRITS's own earlier albumsAt a glance … it's a lot of bang for buck, but unless you're completely unfamiliar with GRITS, there's little reason to buy this incomplete retrospectiveTrack Listing Here We Go Tennessee Bwoys Make Room (remix) Ooh Ahh (remix feat. tobyMac) Where Are You Going? Bobbin Bouncin Hittin Curves (feat. Syntyst) I Be (feat. Pettidee) Changes If I I Try (feat. Jason Eskridge) Get Down Love Child (feat. Antonio Neal) High Sippin Some Tea Time to Pray (feat. Lisa Kimmey) Jay Mumbles Mega Mix (feat. Iz)

Bestselling rap maestros GRITS have been busy lately launching a clothing line, starting their own record label, and developing new artists. As a result, their output was naturally put on hold, and we may not see a new album from them—the last under their contract with Gotee Records—until the spring of 2007. That's a long time to wait, considering that their latest studio project, Dichotomy A and Dichotomy B, was released in 2004.

So in a sensible move, Gotee went ahead and assembled the semi-anthology 7, a compilation that brings together the best of GRITS' post-Art of Translation material—four albums in all if you include 2004's remix disc The Art of Transformation. We're not told exactly why only those albums were included, but given the retrospective's title, one would hope a sampling of all their repertoire would be here, including selections from their underrated gems Mental Releases, Factors of the Seven, and Grammatical Revolution.

Including earlier songs would've definitely provided an accurate picture of the group's evolution. Instead, we're given the group's poppier, more commercial side, which certainly isn't bad—just not representative of GRITS' entire storied career. The obvious choices are all here ("Here We Go," "Ooh Ahh," "Hittin Curves"), as are some delightful curveballs ("Get Down," "Where Are You Going?") that point to the twosome's maturation over the years.

The new tracks ("Changes," "I Try," "Time to Pray") are all vintage GRITS, with a vibe that's soulful, old-school, and meditative, not unlike the duo's Dichotomy A and the Factors projects. They're really the main incentive to get 7, which seems well-intentioned if you're a latecomer to the GRITS party, but unnecessary if you're already a fan of the group.