The Love Movement

This album is, to be frank, boring. Two stars were added because of the inclusion of the bonus tracks such as "Hot Sex" from the "Boomerang" soundtrack and the hard-to-find classic remix to "Scenario" (but the "Oh My God" remix is wack). On the other hand, those old-school tracks placed with these newer songs show just how much Tribe has fallen off. The newer songs feature boring production that makes every song sound the same and Q-Tip and Phife sound like they came in the studio saying, "All right, but this is the last time." This was supposed to be their swan song but they tried to make a comeback in 2003.

Stop complaining that this album is not People's Instinctive Travels or Low End Theory because that's not even what they're trying to do. I think they are trying to change their sound and project a more mature and modern image, as is represented in the well done but completely unexpected album cover design that probably alienated a lot of fans. That being said, I don't know whether they completely succeeded in their image transformation (which got off to a good start with Beats Rhymes and Life). Although Q-Tip, as always, has very strong artistic intent, I think he has gotten worse as a rapper, or at least incredibly uneven, because he gets away with saying some very weak rhymes. Phife, on a couple songs, seems distracted or disinterested during the call and response, like he got woke up to make the album and was just trying to sound good. The group does have some great moments, which are improved further by the constant appearances of Busta Rhymes, who is one of rap's most consistently jaw-dropping acrobats. Some of the other guests seem out of place, like Noreaga, and the guitar thing is just OK.
I think Q-Tip's UMMAH production thing works well. The beats on this album are very different than most of the previous work, but the concept for this album's sterile and laid back backing tracks is far more solid than the lyrics spit over them ("make me feel special like a prominent man"). Also, most of the bonus tracks are great, but I think maybe they were just trying to release all their stuff to get out of their record deal, not looking forward to the two or three subsequent albums of rereleased tracks that reeked of commericalism.

The reviewer who said "this album isn't as close to as great as their previous 3" has no place calling himself "probably the world's greatest tribe fan." Tribe put out 4 albums before The Love Movement, not 3.
Now that I got that off of my chest, I think the Love Movement is highly underrated. I think the members of Tribe knew exactly how they wanted to go out: subtly and smoothly. If you listen closely, you'll find that this album contains the same social consciousness that made them famous, particularly on tracks such as "The Love" and perhaps less obviously on songs such as "Give Me." But the most important statement this album makes is about love on all levels, a message that doesn't always have to come in a complex package. And quite simply, this is one of the most chill albums ever made.
Is "The Love Movement" their best work? Probably not. Is it a darn good hip hop album? You better believe it. All who were disappointed in this album should give it another spin.
I can't wait till Tribe makes their new millenium comeback in a few months...
By the way, to the reviewer who only counted 3 previous works, the one you left off is Beats, Rhymes, and Life, another underappreciated album.