In their 14·plus years as group, Slum Village have been through some changes. It's a journey that has seen the Detroit collective go from being a J Dilla-backed trio to an Elzhi-Ied duo, sans Baatin, to now being reportedly de­funct. Ironically, the group's sixth album, Villa Manifesto, marks the first time every member, living (T3, Elzhi) and deceased (J Dilla, Baatin), has contributed to the same project.

Cee·Lo Grean is Atlanta's truth speaker, who will never "lie to ya, make it sound fly to ya." From his gene­sis with the Dungeon Family-aligned Goodie Mob to the DJ Danger Mouse­powered Gnarls Barkley, the soul­ful rapper/Singer is the alternative . On his upcoming third solo album, Cee­La Green Is the Lady Killer, scheduled for release later this year, the self-pro­claimed Soul Machine aims for the hearts of the opposite sex with a mix­ture of a balladeer's aura and a rap­per's swagger. With some spare time in his busy recording schedule, Cee­Lo offers XXL a sample of the LP that'll shift the paradigm once again.

"GEORGIA" (ProdllClNJ byMenahan Street Band) "Georgia" is a very obvious and out­spoken love song to the city and state that raised me-Atlanta, Georgia. It's written figuratively, in terms of Georgia raising me like a mother and a father. People have said that it could possi­bly be a new state song-and that kind of would be the [follow-up to] Sir Ray Charles 's "Georgia on My Mind." I wouldn 't compare the two songs at all, nor myself to Ray Charles . But be­ing alongside father Ray Charles is some great company to keep . "BODIES" (Produced by Salaam Remi) [This is about] the Lady Killer's pur­suit of happiness, who, at heart, is a

a mere afterthought, as "Daylight," the over­lapping instrumental, runs way too long. And the potentially enthralling SV and Uttle Brother collaboration "Where Do We Go From Here" falls short of expectations.

While Villa Manifesto has a mosa­ic of beautiful moments, it's not enough to be placed next to the other offerings in Slum's canon. -LAURENCE BASS

helpless romantic with an insatiable ap­petite. And you just go through a number of bodies-hence the title Lady Killer-to find someone like-minded. "LANGUAGE OF LOVE" (ProducedbyT-Pain) This song is uncharacteristically T-Pain. It's very clean. It's very different. .. I really com­mend [T-Pain 's] effort on this track, be­cause it really blew me away, and I believe it's going to serve a great deal of good for him as a producer. "Language of Love" is made with an Irish chant. I really don't know where he got it from, but he made some­thing very peculiar and made it peaceful­made it a party, as well. "OLD-FASHIONED" (Produced by Alan Eng/ish) It started off as a disclaimer of why I do things my way. Why my particular taste in classic music, and why my mission has been to modernize something that's ultimately timeless. I was trying to break down the mechanics and function of a soul machine. Then, a suggestion was made that I could use it for a more practical, means of music, by making it a love song. Being that the album is laced with love, it ends up being that love is an old-fashioned approach, but not obsolete. -L.B.

F/; ifr91J if I] ... SLUM VILLAGE Villa Manifesto

Despite the physical alterations, SV's sound is consistent. Here, Elzhi's eloquent punch lines and T3's heady delivery inter­twine with masterfully arranged bangers. "Scheming," a J Dilla cut featuring Native Tongues old hands De La Soul and Phife from a Tribe Called Quest, is an instant winner. ?uestlove's presence on "2000 Beyond" backs Elzhi 's running flow to per­fection, while "Faster" is a club-friendly vibe carried by Colin Munroe's hook.

At times, lyrics and themes get lost in down-tempo selections that miss the mark. "Dance" favors a post-funk template that is very slim on lyrics. Dwele's soulful im­print on "Don't Fight the Feeling" becomes