** Ghostface Killah

SUPREME CLIENTELE

(Razor Sharp/Epic)

Ghostface Killah's always been a particularly likable Wu-Tang MC, in part because he's the most sentimental: whether he's shouting "Suck my dick, it's the kid with the fat knob!" or whispering "Word up, mommy, I love you," he generally sounds as if he were about to cry. His first solo record, Ironman, was both intense and half-assed (several songs were missing entire verses!), and his subsequent star turn on Wu-Tang Forever only made his emo-rap that much more tantalizing.

Supreme Clientele is the long-delayed follow-up, and it's loose and offbeat in a way that would have been unthinkable in the years before RZA As Bobby Digital in Stereo and Nigga Please redefined the Clan as less of a gang and more of a quirky drinking club. It's not a bad approach to take on a sophomore disc, as it gets around the high expectations and rewards curious listeners with unexpected pleasures (there's an engrossing three-minute skit set in a crack house). But most of the time, the music on Supreme Clientele is as puzzling as its title: there's a recurring pseudo-jazz theme song complete with off-key instruments and black-nationalist lyrics, a high-energy posse cut produced by RZA ("Buck 50"), and stultifying appearances from B-teamers like Cappadonna. The most memorable moment is a melancholy, vaguely psychedelic track called "Child's Play," which is so wistfully nostalgic that it almost sounds like a swan song.

-- Kelefa Sanneh