Hand on the Torch

1	Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) 4:39
2	I Got It Goin' On 5:18
3	Different Rhythms, Different People 1:16
4	It's Like That 3:41
5	Just Another Brother 3:42
6	Cruisin' 3:30
7	I Go to Work 4:06
8	Tukka Yoot's Riddim 5:41
9	Knowledge of Self 4:18
10	Lazy Day 4:40
11	Eleven Long Years 3:47
12	Make Tracks 4:45
13	The Darkside 5:19

Barnes & Noble

You've got to hand it to Us3. To release the jazz hip-hop classic Hand on the Torch after Guru and A Tribe Called Quest had stamped their mark on the genre with supremely gifted albums (Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1 and The Low End Theory, respectively) was a bold move. But then, given the huge back catalogue made available to Us3 after they signed to Blue Note, it was hardly surprising. Under the guiding hands of producer and sometime radio DJ Geoff Wilkinson and musical director Mel Simpson, the British trio crafted such exquisite tunes as the breezy "Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)," featuring the now familiar sample from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" and "Tukka Yoot's Riddim," which used Grant Green's "Sookie Sookie." Other shaking tunes include "Just Another Brother," which incorporates riffs from Art Blakey's "Crisis," and "Eleven Long Years," which calls upon the Horace Silver tune "Song for My Father." With Hand on the Torch, Us3 did their part in leading British hop hop out of the darkness. Chiedo Nkwocha

All Music Guide

Hip-hop/jazz fusionisters Us3 have forged the most elaborate union between the styles since the early days of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. Blue Note's vast catalog gives them a huge advantage over several similar groups in terms of source material, and classic sounds by Art Blakey, Horace Silver, and Herbie Hancock provide zest and fiber to their narratives. Indeed, when things falter, it's because the raps aren't always that creative. They are serviceable and sometimes catchy, but too often delivered without the snazzy touches or distinctive skills that make Quest and Gang Starr's material top-notch. But when words and music mesh, as on "Cantaloop" or "The Darkside," Us3 show how effectively hip-hop and jazz can blend. Ron Wynn