The Greatest Story Ever Told

After the usual round of label delays and tracklisting shuffles, David Banner’s fourth solo album has finally come to light. True to its author’s nature, The Greatest Story Ever Told is fiercely conflicted, an album torn between mainstream aspirations and revolutionary ideals. It's unlikely that 2008 will see a more incendiary rap song than “So Long;” with unparalleled venom, Banner tears into the police establishment, as well as his complacent peers in the rap industry. The song’s opening verse should be a contender for the year’s best: “When do we stop playing / When do we stop pimpin and start spraying / 50 shots for every cop that shot Sean Bell, his body laying / But they don’t quit cause they know that our generation won’t do s**t.” “A Girl” and “Fly” are hollow imitations of Banner’s raunchy smash hit “Play,” but on the other hand, “Shawty Say,” “Get Like Me” and especially the brilliant posse cut “9mm” are some of Banner’s best club songs to date. But the real gems are hidden on the album’s second half. “Hold On,” “I Get By,” and “B.A.N. (The Love Song)” are haunting and imaginative productions that exhibit Banner’s inimitable mixture of empathy and outrage.