He’s produced hits for the likes of Usher, Petey Pablo, Trick Daddy and newcomer Ciara.  Now the self-proclaimed “King of Crunk” is back to worsen our case of sore throat.  Lil Jon, the man who took simple words like “Yeah,” “Okay,” and “What,” and made them part of our hip-hop vocabulary, has just the thing to soothe our ailments with his album Crunk Juice. 

Now, if you’ve heard a Lil Jon song, then you know what to expect.  Anticipate a lot of ridiculous, bottomless bass, that can only be appreciated on a high volume level.  Synthesized blips and simple melodies will accompany about every track.  As perfunctory as this may sound, Lil Jon has sampled a wide array of genres from music’s buffet, including rock and R&B. 

At the head of this table is club smash, “What U Gon’ Do” featuring newcomer Lil Scrappy.  With its speaker-destroying capabilities, “What U Gon’ Do” is quintessential crunk.  “Lovers and Friends” treads familiar and undoubtedly hit-making territory.  “Lovers and Friends” is bound to be a sure hit with guest shots by R&B’s man of the moment, Usher and rap's golden boy, Ludacris.  It proves that Lil Jon can slow things down but still keep the party going. 

Also sipping some of the crunk juice are his cohorts The Eastside Boyz and the Pied Piper himself, R. Kelly.  Kells is joined by Ludacris on “In Da Club.”  8Ball and MJG make a rare appearance on the rock-laced track “White Meat.”

Its fair to say that Lil Jon has hit-making powers.  After a monstrous year with Usher’s “Yeah!”, Petey Pablo’s “Freak-A-Leak” and other chart toppers, Lil Jon’s the one to dial up if you are in need of a club staple.  Just don’t expect anything different or earth shattering with Lil Jon’s own set.  Its more of the same, so drink up.  (11/04)