The Score realizes the promise shown by the New Jersey trio -- Hill with guy rappers Wyclef and Pras -- on their 1994 debut, Blunted on Reality. Smart production and arrangements combine hip-hop loops and beats with heavy reggae flavors, soulful singing, and live instruments. Sure, they rap about sucker MCs and crooked cops, but they also cover deception ("The Mask"), loyalty ("Family Business"), emotional pain ("Manifest," a dancehall "Killing Me Softly"), and hope (Wyclef's take on "No Woman, No Cry"). The skits flow cinematically from absurdly funny to tragic -- highlighting the group's remarkable humanism, intelligence, and sense of drama. The Score is feel-good, must-hear, thrill-a-minute hip-hop.

-- Roni Sarig