CD Reviews

Gucci Mane | The Return of Mr. Zone 6

Brick Squad (2011)

By CARRIE BATTAN | March 23, 2011

3.0 Stars

After a sub-par, commercially warped album, an arrest followed by a brief stint in a mental hospital, and a supremely unfortunate face tattoo, it seemed Gucci Mane had turned a very sad corner. But his latest picks up smack dab in the mixtape-geared sweet spot he'd settled into before his wackier antics took charge. The Return of Mr. Zone 6 is an album pared down to the elements Gucci knows best - sinister beats fueled by snare pellets and twisted, carnival-like synths, deadpanned prioritization of cash over women, and collaboration with a slew of Brick Squad compatriots and friends (we hear everyone from Birdman to Master P to Waka Flocka Flame, many times over). Gucci has refined this formula so successfully, and used it so frequently, that this disc can feel sedated and slightly monotonous, if not interchangeable with a good deal of his endless mixtape catalogue. But the king of Brick Squad's flame is one that burns slow and consistent instead of bright and fast, and The Return gives it some much-needed oxygen to sate diehards yearning for the reliable, slightly more sane pre-2011 Gucci.

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