Nineteen Naughty Nine: Nature's Fury  (LP Record) 
by Naughty by Nature

It may not be nice to fool with Mother Nature, as the saying goes, but Nature's Fury, Naughty by Nature's fourth LP (not counting the greatest-hits compilation Nature's Finest), really is more of a mild storm front than a hurricane. When they stick with the formula that made them famous--catchy loops fronted by relatively innocuous rhymes, but with a furious delivery--Naughty do well (see "Jamboree"). But on too many of the tracks here, NBN play host to a guest star--Big Pun, Krayzie Bone, and a host of No Limit all-stars, among others--and find themselves playing second fiddle. On one of the album's best tracks, "Radio," Naughty indiscriminately plunder the past, with a backing track that nicks LL Cool J's classic of the same name, lyrics that hark back to Run DMC ("I'm the nigga hip-hop / There is none higher / Sucka motherf**kers better call me sire!"), and a "la-di-da-di-da" chorus. Other songs find Naughty going reggae, dance-floor pop, and, on "Thugs & Hustlers," into Timbaland's quirky neighborhood. They handle each chore like pros, but never once do they sound like a group with anything to say for themselves. --Randy Silver