Ja Rule: Rule 3:36 : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Ja Rule plays it painfully safe on his second album, doling out pop hooks over gimmicky production. His gruff voice hasn't changed, but aside from the nimble singsong flow he flexes on the fluffy radio hit "Between Me and You," Rule doesn't push himself much; he simply musters the requisite rawness ("Die") or throaty sentimentality ("I Cry"), and moves on. The only surprise is "Extasy," which finds Rule and his Murder Inc. brethren crooning praises for the so-called hug drug and gleefully trading in their Cristal for Evian. O.J. and E. Irv Gotti's tracks shoot for a trendy Timbaland-Swizz Beatz hybrid, but with the exception of the reggae-tinged "It's Your Life," they're plagued by corny riffs ("Watching Me"), tired strings and almost-tricky percussion ("6 Feet Underground"). "Do you love me/ Do you hate me," Rule says on one song, but, too often, Rule 3:36 falls somewhere in between.