Original Soundtrack - How High (CD)

All Music Guide

Def Jam's How High soundtrack comes close to being another Method Man and Redman album, a follow-up to the blunt-smoking duo's successful Blackout album from two years before. But it's not a proper follow-up, even though Def Jam markets it as if it was indeed another Meth and Red album. This becomes evident about halfway through How High, when the album segues into previously released Def Jam material such as DMX's "Party Up (Up in Here)" and Ludacris' "What's Your Fantasy." Up until this point, this album features mostly new Meth and Red songs. And they're not throwaways but instead songs recorded specifically for this soundtrack. Most noteworthy is "Part II," yet another version of the Meth and Red staple "How High." Erick Sermon produces this update, which prominently features Toni Braxton on the hook. It's a catchy song, one of the duo's better smoking anthems -- which is saying a lot since smoking anthems are the duo's specialty. Elsewhere, Meth and Red hook up with Rockwilder and... Cypress Hill for an update of War's "Cisco Kid." It's not much of a departure from the original -- for example, the hook is practically untouched -- but this is exactly why it's such a standout song: The original "Cisco Kid" is fine as it is and makes for a great smoked-out hip-hop track. The other new Meth and Red songs aren't particularly novel, and you're left with lots of Def Jam's back catalog: the aforementioned DMX and Ludacris songs, in addition to previously released Meth and Red tracks like "Da Rockwilder," "How High Remix," and "How to Roll a Blunt." Overall, you can approach the How High soundtrack with different presumptions: It's both a Meth and Red album, yet it's also a compilation of previously released Def Jam songs. Either way, everything on the album is of high quality, what you've come to expect from not only Meth and Red, but also Def Jam. However, this doesn't prevent you from feeling a little cheated. After all, you're listening to this soundtrack for the new songs, not old songs like "Bring da Pain" or promotional guest spots like Saukrates' "Fine Line." And as great as the new songs are, there's not enough to leave you satisfied. Instead, you get just enough to tide you over until the next Meth and Red release. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less