Ghost is back! On 36 Seasons the veteran Wu-MC returns to Shaolin, backed by soulful boom baps provided by Brooklyn's The Revelations. You already know Tony Starks' mic skills stays on point, and it's proven once again over 14 tracks delivered in his signature rough and rugged style. The production from soul band/production team The Revelations is the perfect backdrop to GFK's poignant street tales, at times delicate like a classic soul jam ("Bamboo's Lament" and "It's A Thin Line", but also raw and intense with a fierce energy to backup Ghostdini's raw flow. Witness one of the best lyrical storytellers of all time lay it down on "The Battlefield," "Love Don't Live Here," "Here I Go Again," "Homicide," "Double Cross," and more. Features guest spots from fellow mic legends AZ, Kool G Rap, and Pharaohe Monch, plus soul singers Rell, Tre Williams, and Blue Notes' Kandace Springs. Recommended.

• music label: Salvation 2014

reviewed by Buck Strickland 01/2015