I'll be straight up, when I first listened to Blue Collar, I was not a fan. I'm not sure if it's the particular mood I was in, or not, but Rhymefest did little to capture my interest with his rather peculiar, and not quite polished, flow. I put the album down for awhile, and decided to check out other artists, as 2006 was still jam-packed with major releases. Now that 2006's dwindled down, and 2007 is merely days away, I decided to revisit this Chi-town native's debut album, and I was pleasently surprised on second listen. Rhymefest possesses more energy than I originally perceived, and his flow, while still a little off, is intriguing for its unique qualities.

While this album isn't likely to become a classic among anyone but hardcore Rhymefest fans, it shows than Rhymefest has more than enough potential to drop a classic before he's ever done emceeing. While not as comfortable, or sonically engaging as his Chi-town neighbor, Lupe Fiasco, Rhymefest is quite tight in his own right. Unfortunately, Kanye's contribution(Brand New) isn't as tight as his contributions to Doctor's Advocate and Hip-Hop Is Dead, but his presence isn't that missed, as No I.D. and Mark Ronson are the real bread and butter of production. Of course, Just Blaze and Emile also drop in for some dope cuts behind the boards, providing their usual heat.

So while this album is musically pleasing, and Rhymefest's flow is uniquely engaging, what about the lyrics? No need to worry if you thought Rhymefest came up short there, because this is where he excels. While the flow may not be perfect, and not all of the backdrops are overwhelmingly tight, Rhymefest consistently drops more hot bars than a coal miner, solidifying himself as one of the mainstream's premier lyricists on one album alone. Well-rounded, Rhymefest can kick fly stories(More, Bullet, Tell A Story), and braggadocious verbals with the best of them. While I won't be one of the people who jump on Rhymefest, saying he delivers a message with every opportunity he's given(while Rhymefest is an intellectual, he's hardly a conscious emcee; much like his friend, Kanye), but he does provide some great insight on his own life.

Rhymefest isn't the perfect emcee by any means, but there is unlimited potential that he didn't fully expose on this release. His sophomore album is destined to be better, and I'll be waiting patiently on that; in the meantime, I have no problem giving Blue Collar its share of spins, and you shouldn't either. Recommended.