Lost and Found

1	Here He Comes 2:19
2	Party Starter 4:09
3	Switch 3:16
4	Mr. Niceguy 2:21
5	Ms. Holy Roller 3:39
6	Lost & Found 4:15
7	Tell Me Why 4:29
8	I Wish I Made That/Swagga 4:16
9	Pump Ya Brakes 3:34
10	If U Can't Dance (Slide) / Nicole Scherzinger 4:02
11	Could U Love Me 2:50
12	Loretta 4:55
13	Wave Em Off 3:30
14	Scary Story 3:39
15	Switch / Thicke ...R&B Remix 4:45
16	[Untitled Hidden Track] 3:50

Barnes & Noble

Given the degree of success Will Smith has attained in Hollywood, it's easy to forget his humble beginnings as a Philadelphia rapper. And lest anyone think the Fresh Prince hasn't heard the sellout cracks, Lost and Found settles the score for the still quick-witted MC. Look no further than the thumping "Mr. Niceguy," where Big Willie takes Eminem and New York radio personality Wendy Williams to task over a recurring heavy metal riff. Smith also proves he hasn't forsaken his hip-hop roots on the Jazzy Jeff–produced "Here He Comes," which samples the Spider-Man theme, and on the title cut, which dresses down the lack of originality in today's hip-hop scene, over darting strings and a head-bobbing beat. And while the Academy Award–nominated actor will never be mistaken for 50 Cent, he's comfortable enough in his own skin to mockingly point out his lack of street cred on "I Wish I Made That," where he gives props to Dr. Dre, Jay-Z, and Biggie. That said, not every R-rated rapper has distanced himself from Mr. Smith. Surprisingly, Snoop Dogg pops up amid the Jazzy Jeff scratches and jittery beats of "Pump Ya Brakes," and Mary J. Blige lends her gospel-flavored vocals to the solemn "Tell Me Why," which touches on 9/11 and other tragic events. With Lost and Found, Smith proves you don't have to glorify violence, degrade women, or brag about expensive cars and jewelry to make an entertaining rap record. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

You can't help but respect Will Smith for continuing to make Will Smith albums -- street cred be damned -- and maintaining a semi-frequent release schedule, despite his more lucrative and demanding movie career. More than ever, despite all the hits he has racked up since the late '80s, it seems like Smith is an actor who happens to record every now and then, rather than a rapper who acts or even an actor/rapper. His previous album, 2002's Born to Reign, fell short of gold-level sales by some distance. That disappointment, combined with some blows he has taken from harder rappers and radio personalities, has made him a little bitter. This is one of the factors that makes Lost and Found the least party-oriented album Smith has made, despite a generous supply of the lighthearted, humorous songs you're accustomed to hearing from him. On "I Wish I Made That," he jokes about adopting more of a street persona in order to gain some respect ("Just ig'nant, attackin', actin' rough/I mean, then, will I be black enough?"), knowing full well that he'll always be thought of as, well, Will Smith. Smacks are dealt to a hypocritical (but not hypothetical) born-again Christian, as well as pretty much any larger than life MC riding high on the charts. "Tell Me Why" -- in the vein of Jadakiss' "Why," only far more dramatic, with Mary J. Blige on board to expected good effect -- is the most sobering song he has written, expressing how difficult it can be to explain the ugly aspects of the world to a child. Some of the playful songs are as joyously boisterous and willfully corny as anything in Smith's past, making Lost and Found an entertaining and thoughtful album for young kids and their parents to listen to and talk about. Andy Kellman