Trick Daddy: Thug Holiday : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

This latest, greatest installment in the Trick Daddy saga finds the mush-mouthed, gold-fronted Dade County, Florida, thug sounding more on the ball than Bruce Springsteen. "If it wasn't for all these killers/And all these conflicts of religion/Then the Muslims, Jews and Christians would know that they're all God's children," he raps on the plaintive, piano-laced title track. On "In Da Wind" -- an instant Dirty South classic that features some web-spinning acoustic guitar and a bluesy chorus from Cee-lo -- Trick remembers how growing up he "drunk sugar water/Ate mayonnaise sandwich" and proclaims, "Trick love the kids!" Thug Holiday has plenty of predictable smoking, freaking and riding, but it's the album's improbable treats -- such as the children's-choir-blessed gospel bounce of "God's Been Good" -- that elevate the plate.

PETER RELIC
(RS 905 - Sept. 19, 2002)