Willenium may not have achieved the commercial success that its predecessor Big Willie Style did, but unlike its counterpart it is a much more varied listening experience. Smith clearly learnt from mistakes made on his debut, and while the album is still despairingly inconsistent, both the highs and lows are of a better standard and crucially more equally dispersed throughout. Infectiously catchy tracks such as opener Im Comin and lead single Wild Wild West provide the pop sensibilities that one would expect from Smith, but beyond this is a layer of equally well crafted hip-hop that was evident in parts on Big Willie Style. The consequence of this is that at times the album loses some of the flow that the early tracks promise, and while Smiths indisputable charm makes up for some of this, Willenium still comes off as a little disjointed in the crucial middle section, a hitch that is regrettably made worse by the introduction of Smith’s one-time partner DJ Jazzy Jeff. On top of Jeff, a multitude of guest stars are paraded throughout the album generally giving good quality performances, and it is credit to Smith that he is never outdone. Despite its flaws, Willenium remains both catchy and outrageously fun throughout and while it is not an album for all occasions surely there are few better ways to embrace a new millennium.
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