Thug By Nature

As a member of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Layzie Bone helped create a unique, sing-song vocal delivery that became the group's trademark. Now under the new moniker L-Burna, he gives exactly what's expected from the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony family, and not much more. Most of the tracks on Thug By Nature are right out of the Bone Thugs playbook: introspective, thoughtful lyrics about street life delivered in rapid-fire fashion. Most of the time, however, L-Burna's good intentions fall flat. Songs like "Deadly Musicals" and "How Long Will It Last?" do little to draw the listener's attention. Only when L-Burna breaks from his usual form does he get any results. The unique horn loops on "Make My Day" and "Battlefield" help break the monotony and provide an all-too-brief glimpse of what might have been if L-Burna had been willing to take more chances.