Cypress Hill III: Temples of Boomby Anonymous

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August 12, 2001: When Cypress Hill first let the rest of the world hear their own funky, but highly brutal form of music in 1991, little was known about them. By the time temples of boom was being recorded however, they had become one of the most sought after, not to mention hyped, rap groups in the world. They sold records from South Central to Southampton in a frenetic mid-nineties spell. This offering, from 1995, shot them flying in a totally different, but completely intriguing direction. The first track,'Spark another owl' combines a laid back, snappy drum-beat, with some chilled-out keyboard samples. Sounding far more drugged out than 'Black Sunday', the lyrics are more reflective, although at times, somehow sneering and cruel, with many of 'Sundays' comical rhymes missing. Cypress did themselves say that they wanted to be more underground with this effort, and the vivid imagery, coupled with some head-massaging sonics, make this album perfect for smoking purposes. The opening track is followed by some equally good songs, which sound far more produced than any of their previous offerings. As a Cypress Hill fan, I'm undoubtedly being biased when I say that I like all of the songs on this album, although the clear standout MUST be'Boom biddy bye bye', with it's addictive mix of soothing xylophones with crisp drums and over the top, gangsta lyrics. This is the best Cypress Hill album, and if you're a fan, you really should have a copy of it. Or two, for that matter.