Rating: NNN
As the title and Twin Towers-enhanced skyline sleeve art suggests, To The 5 Boroughs (out Tuesday) is the Beastie Boys’ love letter to the city of New York. It’s a straight-up throwback concept, with the 40-something trio time-warping back 20 years to the party-rockin’ beats and wiseacre rhyme-swapping of their misspent youth. Even the sampling style is mid-80s period perfect, with nostalgic cops from the Sugar Hill Gang, Partridge Family, Run DMC, the Dead Boys and Funkmaster Wizard Wiz. Younger hiphop fans who consider Nas old-school might be perplexed by the rudimentary nature of the production and the references to Mr. Belvedere and Carl Sagan’s turtlenecks, but dedicated Beasties buffs who still rock Paul Revere will celebrate it as a long-overdue return to form.
