Anyone who cares about the state of beats will want this soundtrack companion to the Jessica Alba-starring hip-hop saga. The inventiveness of rhythm and sound on Honey's first half dozen or so tracks makes for its own drama and should even provide some hope to those who bemoan the genre's recent lack of boundary pushing. Missy Elliott's "Hurt Sumthin'" is a fitting start to the CD; it's another of her and Timbaland's forays into minor-key funk-exotica and a match for anything on her own albums. Rodney Jerkins' setting for Blaque's independent-women manifesto "I'm Good" stomps its percussive way to the top of the must-play list, while further offerings from Mark Ronson (with guests including Ghostface Killah) and the duo of Erick Sermon and Redman keep the progressive-party feel going. The disc's second half winds down into more standard-issue ballad fare, but even then, the flow feels correct - a natural winding down from what the first sizzling cuts began. --Rickey Wright
