Lupe Fiasco’s debut album Food and Liquor showcased the quick-witted rapper’s penchant for good vibes and G.O.O.D. beats, following in the footsteps of Chicago’s pride and joy, Common and Kanye West. His ambitious coupling of diverse subjects and long narratives (summarized with his heartfelt paean to skateboarding, “Kick, Push”) made for a well-rounded but exhausting listen (the nine-minute “Outro” was a miscalculation).

Being too eager to please all audiences may have stunted Food and Liquor ever so slightly, but not enough to consider it anything less than a good album by a promising artist. Now in 2007, The Cool is upon us.

After a poetry-slam intro and a forgettable, minute-long Akon-esque dirge The Cool picks up where Food and Liquor left off, with Fiasco’s witty wordplay and ever-changing flow dominating “Go Go Gadget Flow,” while “The Coolest” echoes latter-day Jay-Z over brooding synth-work. So far, so-so. (more…)