A Better Tomorrow

Wu-Tang mastermind RZA reconvenes his famously fractious clan for a sixth and possibly final album. A Better Tomorrow may be but an echo of the group's seminal masterpiece Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), but it's still the Wu: gritty, grimy, bumpin'. Having graduated from the days of tape decks and turntables to film scores and session players, producer RZA turns in a slicker vision here: "Preacher's Daughter" is a lush throwback to Dusty Springfield, and the nimble "Keep Watch" is jazzy boom-bap. The album kicks off with "Ruckus in B-Minor," a throwback to the classic "Bring da Ruckus"; it features a cameo by deceased member Ol' Dirty Bastard.