Amazon.comAfter his riveting role as Raekwon's trusty sidekick on the landmark Only Built for Cuban Linx, it was inevitable that Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah would fly solo on wax. True to early Wu Tang form, Ironman is a family affair. The fragmented flows of other Clansmen are present on RZA-spawned adrenaline rushes like "Winter Warz." What differentiates Ironman from the rest of the Wu is Ghostface's vulnerability, belying the superhero overtones of the album title. The genuinely touching dedication "All That I Got Is You," and the bitter remonstrative missive "Wildflower," reveal an emotional frankness behind Ghostface's infectious verve and densely woven wordplay. Wu-Tang sound scientist RZA takes note, imbuing his patented razor-sharp dissonance with explicitly soulful hues. --Del F. Cowie
REVIEW
The first album in a consistent catalog In 1996, hip hop was a different place for many reasons, reasons that'll take me all day to explain, but I do know that Wu-Tang was still in their prime and a dominating force like no other. In regards to solo projects, the Wu was really hitting their stride with a string of successful and classic releases, beginning with Method Man's Tical in 1994, which resulted in a platinum plaque and a Grammy win for the popular MC. Ol Dirty Bastard's (RIP) debut album Return To The 36 Chambers was as raw and in your face as you can get, as this album would remain his most well regarded material. And how can anyone forget about Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Other than this being my second favorite album of all time and truly epic and classic in every sense of the word, what else can I say about this album that hasn't be said already? And last but not least, GZA/Genius' awesome Liquid Swords album, which is heavy on sharp lyricism and production. All of these acolades leads me to the one and only Ghostface Killah and his debut in 1996, Ironman.
To begin, in NO WAY should this album be compared to Cuban Linx, as it's pretty clear that they are not the same albums and Ghost and the crew were realistically not trying to top that album with Ironman or essentially make Ironman Cuban Linx 2, even if there is a slight hint on this album.
As I continue, I would like to incorporate my new rating system for my reviews, which is the following:
***** Awesome material, worthy of repeated listening
**** Pure excellence
*** Decent
** Ok, but nothing special
* Poor, no redeeming qualities
Ironman's rankings are as follows:
Iron Maiden ****
Wildflower ***
The Faster Blade ****
260 *****
Assassination Day *****
Poisonous Darts ****
Winter Warz *****
Box In Hand ****
Fish ****
Daytona 500 ****
Motherless Child ****
Black Jesus *****
After The Smoke Is Clear ***
All That I Got Is You *****
The Soul Controller ****
Marvel (Bonus Track) ***
Production wise, this album is excellent, as The Rza comes with the same fire behind the boards that he always came with around this time, and we also see of True Master's first tracks here (Fish). Nothing dull here. Overall, Ironman was a solid debut album from Ghostface, and his catalog would only extend from here. Initially, I rated this album four stars, but from a historical perspective, I have to bump the rating up to 5 stars, which gives this album classic status.
John Favreau directs the first ever feature based on the famous Marvel character created by Stan Lee.
The music in Iron Man plays a powerful role in the viewer's experience with an epic soundtrack from composer Ramin Djawadi (Prison Break) as well as several bonus tracks including 'Institutionalized' by Suicidal Tendencies.
REVIEW
Speechless! Very disappointed with the cd, I bought it with the hopes that the songs from the previews and in the movie would be there. NO, appears to be instrumental, which is ok if you are into that. But I like to crank up the radio and sing outloud...its hard to do with no words!
Amazon.comAfter his riveting role as Raekwon's trusty sidekick on the landmark Only Built for Cuban Linx, it was inevitable that Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah would fly solo on wax. True to early Wu Tang form, Ironman is a family affair. The fragmented flows of other Clansmen are present on RZA-spawned adrenaline rushes like "Winter Warz." What differentiates Ironman from the rest of the Wu is Ghostface's vulnerability, belying the superhero overtones of the album title. The genuinely touching dedication "All That I Got Is You," and the bitter remonstrative missive "Wildflower," reveal an emotional frankness behind Ghostface's infectious verve and densely woven wordplay. Wu-Tang sound scientist RZA takes note, imbuing his patented razor-sharp dissonance with explicitly soulful hues. --Del F. Cowie
REVIEW
The first album in a consistent catalog In 1996, hip hop was a different place for many reasons, reasons that'll take me all day to explain, but I do know that Wu-Tang was still in their prime and a dominating force like no other. In regards to solo projects, the Wu was really hitting their stride with a string of successful and classic releases, beginning with Method Man's Tical in 1994, which resulted in a platinum plaque and a Grammy win for the popular MC. Ol Dirty Bastard's (RIP) debut album Return To The 36 Chambers was as raw and in your face as you can get, as this album would remain his most well regarded material. And how can anyone forget about Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Other than this being my second favorite album of all time and truly epic and classic in every sense of the word, what else can I say about this album that hasn't be said already? And last but not least, GZA/Genius' awesome Liquid Swords album, which is heavy on sharp lyricism and production. All of these acolades leads me to the one and only Ghostface Killah and his debut in 1996, Ironman.
To begin, in NO WAY should this album be compared to Cuban Linx, as it's pretty clear that they are not the same albums and Ghost and the crew were realistically not trying to top that album with Ironman or essentially make Ironman Cuban Linx 2, even if there is a slight hint on this album.
As I continue, I would like to incorporate my new rating system for my reviews, which is the following:
***** Awesome material, worthy of repeated listening
**** Pure excellence
*** Decent
** Ok, but nothing special
* Poor, no redeeming qualities
Ironman's rankings are as follows:
Iron Maiden ****
Wildflower ***
The Faster Blade ****
260 *****
Assassination Day *****
Poisonous Darts ****
Winter Warz *****
Box In Hand ****
Fish ****
Daytona 500 ****
Motherless Child ****
Black Jesus *****
After The Smoke Is Clear ***
All That I Got Is You *****
The Soul Controller ****
Marvel (Bonus Track) ***
Production wise, this album is excellent, as The Rza comes with the same fire behind the boards that he always came with around this time, and we also see of True Master's first tracks here (Fish). Nothing dull here. Overall, Ironman was a solid debut album from Ghostface, and his catalog would only extend from here. Initially, I rated this album four stars, but from a historical perspective, I have to bump the rating up to 5 stars, which gives this album classic status.
Amazon.comAfter his riveting role as Raekwon's trusty sidekick on the landmark Only Built for Cuban Linx, it was inevitable that Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah would fly solo on wax. True to early Wu Tang form, Ironman is a family affair. The fragmented flows of other Clansmen are present on RZA-spawned adrenaline rushes like "Winter Warz." What differentiates Ironman from the rest of the Wu is Ghostface's vulnerability, belying the superhero overtones of the album title. The genuinely touching dedication "All That I Got Is You," and the bitter remonstrative missive "Wildflower," reveal an emotional frankness behind Ghostface's infectious verve and densely woven wordplay. Wu-Tang sound scientist RZA takes note, imbuing his patented razor-sharp dissonance with explicitly soulful hues. --Del F. Cowie
REVIEW
The first album in a consistent catalog In 1996, hip hop was a different place for many reasons, reasons that'll take me all day to explain, but I do know that Wu-Tang was still in their prime and a dominating force like no other. In regards to solo projects, the Wu was really hitting their stride with a string of successful and classic releases, beginning with Method Man's Tical in 1994, which resulted in a platinum plaque and a Grammy win for the popular MC. Ol Dirty Bastard's (RIP) debut album Return To The 36 Chambers was as raw and in your face as you can get, as this album would remain his most well regarded material. And how can anyone forget about Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Other than this being my second favorite album of all time and truly epic and classic in every sense of the word, what else can I say about this album that hasn't be said already? And last but not least, GZA/Genius' awesome Liquid Swords album, which is heavy on sharp lyricism and production. All of these acolades leads me to the one and only Ghostface Killah and his debut in 1996, Ironman.
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To begin, in NO WAY should this album be compared to Cuban Linx, as it's pretty clear that they are not the same albums and Ghost and the crew were realistically not trying to top that album with Ironman or essentially make Ironman Cuban Linx 2, even if there is a slight hint on this album.
As I continue, I would like to incorporate my new rating system for my reviews, which is the following:
***** Awesome material, worthy of repeated listening
**** Pure excellence
*** Decent
** Ok, but nothing special
* Poor, no redeeming qualities
Ironman's rankings are as follows:
Iron Maiden ****
Wildflower ***
The Faster Blade ****
260 *****
Assassination Day *****
Poisonous Darts ****
Winter Warz *****
Box In Hand ****
Fish ****
Daytona 500 ****
Motherless Child ****
Black Jesus *****
After The Smoke Is Clear ***
All That I Got Is You *****
The Soul Controller ****
Marvel (Bonus Track) ***
Production wise, this album is excellent, as The Rza comes with the same fire behind the boards that he always came with around this time, and we also see of True Master's first tracks here (Fish). Nothing dull here. Overall, Ironman was a solid debut album from Ghostface, and his catalog would only extend from here. Initially, I rated this album four stars, but from a historical perspective, I have to bump the rating up to 5 stars, which gives this album classic status.
Amazon.comAfter his riveting role as Raekwon's trusty sidekick on the landmark Only Built for Cuban Linx, it was inevitable that Wu-Tang Clan member Ghostface Killah would fly solo on wax. True to early Wu Tang form, Ironman is a family affair. Thefragmented flows of other Clansmen are present on RZA-spawned adrenaline rushes like "Winter Warz." What differentiates Ironman from the rest of the Wu is Ghostface's vulnerability, belying the superhero overtones of the album title. The genuinely touching dedication "All That I Got Is You," and the bitter remonstrative missive "Wildflower," reveal an emotional frankness behind Ghostface's infectious verve and densely woven wordplay. Wu-Tang sound scientist RZA takes note, imbuing his patented razor-sharp dissonance with explicitly soulful hues. --Del F. Cowie
REVIEW
The first album in a consistent catalog In 1996, hip hop was a different place for many reasons, reasons that'll take me all day to explain, but I do know that Wu-Tang was still in their prime and a dominating force like no other. In regards to solo projects, the Wu was really hitting their stride with a string of successful and classic releases, beginning with Method Man's Tical in 1994, which resulted in a platinum plaque and a Grammy win for the popular MC. Ol Dirty Bastard's (RIP) debut album Return To The 36 Chambers was as raw and in your face as you can get, as this album would remain his most well regarded material. And how can anyone forget about Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. Other than this being my second favorite album of all time and truly epic and classic in every sense of the word, what else can Isay about this album that hasn't be said already? And last but not least, GZA/Genius' awesome Liquid Swords album, which is heavy on sharp lyricism and production. All of these acolades leads me to the one and only Ghostface Killah and his debut in 1996, Ironman.
To begin, in NO WAY should this album be compared to Cuban Linx, as it's pretty clear that they are not the same albums and Ghost and the crew were realistically not trying to top that album with Ironman or essentially make Ironman Cuban Linx 2, even if there is a slight hint on this album.
As I continue, I would like to incorporate my new rating system for my reviews, which is the following:
***** Awesome material, worthy of repeated listening
**** Pure excellence
*** Decent
** Ok, but nothing special
* Poor, no redeeming qualities
Ironman's rankings are as follows:
Iron Maiden ****
Wildflower ***
The Faster Blade ****
260 *****
Assassination Day *****
Poisonous Darts ****
Winter Warz *****
Box In Hand ****
Fish ****
Daytona 500 ****
Motherless Child ****
Black Jesus *****
After The Smoke Is Clear ***
All That I Got Is You *****
The Soul Controller ****
Marvel (Bonus Track) ***
Production wise, this album is excellent, as The Rza comes with the same fire behind the boards that he always came with around this time, and we also see of True Master's first tracks here (Fish). Nothing dull here. Overall, Ironman was a solid debut album from Ghostface, and his catalog would only extend from here. Initially, I rated this album four stars, but from a historical perspective, I have to bump the rating up to 5 stars, which gives this album classic status.
Track Listing: Side One - 1. PS 491 2. Ironman 3. Monterey Nights 4. One to One 5. The Grip ** Side Two - 1. Exit Mulholland 2. Dijon Reprise 3. Group 5 4. Wimby Thrills
