Three years after his definitive solo debut, Bun B reminds listeners why he's among the strongest lyricists out of the South. Aside from a guestlist longer than Manute Bol, II TRILL benefits from impeccable production work throughout (courtesy of Clinton Sparks, JR Rotem, DJ Khalil, and the Blackout Movement, among others), as well as Bun's precise flow, commanding vocal presence, and straight-up skills. Super Producer Chops puts together one of the smoothest, down south funk tracks of all time for the monumental collaboration between Bun and Lil Wayne on "Damn, I'm Cold." Bun pays homage to his deceased partner Pimp C throughout II TRILL and reserves the heartfelt track "Angel in the Sky" as a personal eulogy. Z-Ro, J Prince, Sean Kingston, Lyfe Jennings, Junior Reid, Lil Razah, Juvenile, 8-Ball & MJG, and Lupe Fiasco are just some of the guests.
Professional Reviews
Spin (p.104) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Bun B has a flair for Southern-fried folksiness and lyrics that are as poignantly evocative as they are salaciously entertaining."
The Wire (p.66) - "IL TRILL blends sorrow, contemplation and grim determination to keep on keeping on. The beats are tighter, the rhymes sharper and the subject matter more relevant..."
Vibe (p.70) - "[W]hat makes the album tick is an emotional complexity: Like an old sage, Bun B gracefully vacillates between raw fury and weathered wisdom."
Q (Magazine) (p.140) - 3 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he atmosphere is often weighted with menace....'That's Gangsta' buzzes with defiant menace."
Blender (Magazine) (p.74) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[He has] the kind of rich, stentorian rumble that would sound at home in the pulpit or at a Senate podium...Bun B crafts complex, vibrant, often surprising rhymes..."
