Versatile

At his recent album release party, local MC Versatile opened his short performance with an energetic freestyle. The rhymes came fast and furious, and the effort clearly took a lot out of Versatile, who was out of breath by the time he ended the spectacle a few minutes later. It was an inspired display. Unfortunately, the three-song set that followed didn't have the same effect. It didn't have the same "wow" factor.

To an extent, that feeling carries over to Verse the World, his debut release. The problem lies in the fact that Versatile doesn't know what he wants to be. There are two distinctly different outputs on this album: the socially conscious efforts and the materialistic club anthems. Neither turn runs flawlessly throughout the album, but neither wholly fails. There are, in fact, some real worthwhile efforts here.

"Dream," which features local R&B starlet Carmen Rodgers, is a nice commentary on American race relations; "Too Late" takes the strongest beat on the disc and offers up the album's most impressive verbal flow; and "M-It Smiffs," a track that muffs Cowboy legend Emmitt Smith's name and uses it as slang for 22-inch rims, shows Versatile's strong hook-writing ability.

In all, Verse the World proves Versatile a promising MC. But that promise isn't quite yet fulfilled. Worth watching, though, for sure.