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RapReviews.com

Pro Tools could be called a return to form, but since GZA never lost the form in the first place, it would be more apt to say that he's kept the peak form he already had and just honed his lyrical tongue to an even sharper and more polished edge.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

GZA's cold-blooded sonic cinema invites and rewards repeat visits.

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MSN Consumer Guide (Robert Christgau)

Never thought I'd say this, but RZA isn't missed--the budget production enhances a master lyricist's specialty by subtraction.

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cokemachineglow

His flow is, as always, commanding, effortless, and unrelenting, making it hard to grab individual lines when each is intricately related to the next.

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Hartford Courant

Pro Tools surprises because it features consistently powerful backing tracks, several built on the strings-and-scratchy-soul brilliance of Wu mastermind RZA.

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Billboard

You could count the number of hooks on one hand and most tracks clock in at the three-minute mark, ostensibly to let GZA inhale occasionally. But it's worth a listen to hear what sneaky, suspicious, image-heavy tricks still emerge from his notebook.

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All Music Guide

Even if they're slow to arrive, GZA's full-lengths rarely disappoint. Pro Tools is no different, but with so many divergent projects and experiments from the Clan filling the five previous years, this throwback also proves the crew's original formula still works splendidly.

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Slant Magazine

More than anything, it serves as a satisfying example of a hip-hop artist who has not burnt out or sold out his craft to be an industry kingpin.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

The Genius’ latest full-length Pro Tools is no different; while its power as a long-player doesn’t hold up very well, random dissection brings out tracks destined for analog and digital freaks alike (in case that title--and the sparse cover--had you worrying).

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Pitchfork

As a pure lyrical record goes, Pro Tools doesn't disappoint, but fans who want everything to be a banger will be let down to find that there's not a lot of headknock here.

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PopMatters

For those who listen to hip-hop for great lyrics, GZA is still as good as it gets.

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NOW Magazine

Alphabets picks up where Animal Planet left off and the devastating Labels began in 1995, but it suffers from the law of diminishing returns.

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Spin

These C-grade tracks ape RZA's trademark sound, but lack any sense of melody; and the album seems randomly cut-and-pasted. [Oct 2008, p.112]

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 9 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Casey E gave it a10:
Holy good god this album is amazing. sooooooo smooth makes me very happy.

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