by Matthew KantorGuru is a model of understated consistency -- from "Manifest" to "Just to Get a Rep" to "You Know My Steez," he can always be depended on for thoughtful and innovative material, if not outright classics. But Baldhead Slick & da Click, his first non-Jazzmatazz solo effort, veers from this course, with just about nothing notable on the entire disc. Guru sounds obsessed with fake thugs and gangsters, and at 21 tracks without an updated flow or much variation in theme, the record becomes a struggle early on. His usual insight, storytelling, and clever swagger are replaced by a punchless braggadoccio, and his guest artists only offer the same. For longtime fans who counted on the monotone to never become monotonous, Baldhead Slick & da Click is nothing short of a disappointment.