Personnel: Big O, Jonathan Doyle (vocals); Rob Mathes (guitar); Tom Timko (alto saxophone); Jeff Kievit (trumpet); Birch Johnson (trombone); Candice Wilson (background vocals). Audio Mixers: Ryan West; Jason Goldstein; Nikos Teneketzis; Gimel Keaton. Recording information: Baseline Studios, New York, NY; Manhattan Beach Studios, New York, NY; Reddline Studios, Staten Island, NY. Director: Ghostface Killah. Editor: Christos Tsantilis. Photographers: Tai Linzie; F. Scott Schafer. FISHSCALE, the fifth solo album by Wu-Tang Clan's Ghostface Killah, is a brilliantly cryptic album drenched in complex ghetto slang that reinforces the MC's status as a master wordsmith. Ghostface doesn't disappoint with lines like, "Ay-yo I should just bark on you/burn your car on you/'cause I'm too much man to leave a mark on you." His voice is mellifluous even when he's shouting, and the infectious beats (provided by Pete Rock and MF Doom) and rare soul and funk samples (a staple of any Ghostface venture at this point) provide the perfect backdrop for the unveiling of Ghost's enigmatic persona. FISHSCALE, packed with gritty tales of the inner-city coke trade, occasionally meanders into tired Tony Montana-posturing, yet occasionally hitting par for the course can be forgiven when the game is being played by a proven champ like Ghostface.
