Nelly - Nellyville (CD)

All Music Guide

When it came time for Nelly to follow up his enormously popular debut album, the pop-rapper faced a particular challenge: how to do so without alienating his millions of fans. It wasn't so much about bringing in more fans; he already had a gigantic, widespread fan base that stretched coast to coast. It was more about giving all those millions of listeners more of what they liked about his debut, Country Grammar (2000), namely bouncy rap songs with catchy singalong hooks. What made doing so difficult was the simple fact that Country Grammar had been a unique album, somewhat of an anomaly. The album didn't feature sure-fire producers like Timbaland, but rather Jason "Jay E" Epperson, a relatively unknown producer at the time who produced practically the entirety of Country Grammar. Plus, there was Nelly himself, a talented pop-rapper who tried to cast himself as a street-smart thug. So, when it came time for this follow-up album, Nelly had to make the calls: stick with Epperson or go wit...h big-money producers and, also, stick with his thuggish posturing or accept his teen pop-esque status? Well, for the most part, he decided to stick with Epperson's bouncy beats (though he did bring in the Neptunes for "Hot in Herre") and he also decided to stick with his tough-guy front (though he does bring in Justin Timberlake for "Work It"). In other words, he didn't take any unnecessary risks -- after all, the formula proved successful the first time around -- and that's partly why Nellyville isn't as exciting as it perhaps could be. When Nelly joins the Roc-a-Fella clique and producer Just Blaze on the "Rock the Mic" remix placed late on the album, you see what could have been. Yet there's no reason to bicker because Nellyville is on a par with, if not a notch above, Country Grammar. In fact, it's essentially interchangeable, which means it should satisfy millions of listeners, if not impress them. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less