Missy Elliott opens (and closes) this new album with a declaration of its principles, , about recent high profile hip hop deaths, (like Aaliyah, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopez, Biggie Smalls)… thinking out loud about church aisles not just being used for wedding processions, about how hip hop used to be about celebrating life, and about urging everyone (especially the journos) to do what they can to strip away the bullshit, divisive violent rivalry and nihilistic anger that often threatens to engulf the music and instead focus on that which is positive…

…And so the album begins, shifting to and fro from revivalist old school style to inspiring ahead-of-the-pack future shock, Missy providing plenty of idiosyncratic lyrical meat and Timbaland * injecting state of the art helpings of two veg… The single, ’Work It’_ is all over the radio at the moment, and it’s a good sample of the food for offer, individual, funky, sexy music. Add that to moments of sober thought, moments of Salt, Pepa and NERD-y Chilli sauce, moments of banging old-school, moments of silky R&B, and you have a **killer album.