Ghostface Killah keeps the Wu-Tang Clan saga alive in late '96 with the fifth solo release by a member of the hip-hop dynasty from New York's Staten Island. It has been three years since the release of the group effort Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). But like the other solo albums, Ironman plays like a Wu-Tang album; it was produced by the group's RZA, and there are appearances by the extended posse. But RZA reinvents his sound once again, propelling you into his chamber of innovation.

After defining the music's rhythm in his dusted, offbeat, signature style, RZA emphasizes simple, precise percussion and bass thuds that are augmented by moody traces of lush strings, baroque riffs and samples from '60s soul records. As on other Wu-Tang projects, movie dialogue (from films such as Carlito's Way and The Usual Suspects) and real-life sound bites make the album feel like a seamless whole and give substance to the characters in Ghostface's raps – like the ghetto-vet superhero, Ironman.

Ghostface has survived setups and shootouts in the drug game and lived to rap about it, but Ironman shows that he also has a sensitive side. He's a sweet-talking suitor in "Camay," and he takes time out from all the curses and crime talk to give thanks to his mother and acknowledge his humble beginnings in "All That I Got Is You," a tear-jerker set to a melancholy R&B backing track.

The guest Clansmen shine on the lyrical tip, too: Check Method Man's robotic style on "Box in Hand," driven by a suspenseful piano break. RZA slices up the Pledge of Allegiance over the neck-snapping beats of "Assassination Day," while any verse that Cappadonna touches turns to instant gold. In short, Ironman is yet another solid Wu-Tang production for hip-hop fiends to sink their fangs into. (RS 749)

S.H. FERNANDO JR.