Review
You gotta give it up for "Big Will," the man knows how to throw a party. On his latest effort, Willennium, pop culture superstar Will Smith, along with his considerable posse, sets the mood, a little early, for your upcoming New Year's parties.
In addition to naming the album Willennium, the first single off the disc is the party anthem, "Will 2K," which features a sample of the Clash's "Rock the Casbah" and vocal help from K-Ci (of K-Ci & Jo-Jo). Though it's the second track on the disc, it sets the tone for the celebratory side of the album.

On the party scene is where Smith, who's made his name by playing the likable class clown, normally excels. He stakes his claim to being rap's No. 1 party animal on tracks like the Latin-flavored "La Fiesta," the previously released celeb-fest "Wild Wild West," and the old-school-styled "So Fresh," which features hip-hop veterans Biz Markie and Slick Rick.

As much as Smith is on top of his game on the feel-good tracks, the record's finest moments come when he lets his vulnerable side come through, such as on the R&B-flavored "Afro Angel," featuring an appearance from his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and background vocals by Anthem; the sweet "No More, " in which Smith asks his partner for forgiveness for an affair (hopefully, not autobiographical), and the closing track, "The Rain," about finding what really matters in life.

If the finest moments come when Smith opens himself up, he slips when he stoops to answering his critics. In the opening song, "I'm Comin'," Smith warns, "You can't stop me, I'm comin', you can't hold me back." That's nothing compared to the bragging in "Freakin' It," where Smith challenges "all the rappers yelling about who you put in a hearse" to do me a favor and "write one verse without a curse" and boasts about his Grammys, his money, and Jada.

From someone who's built his reputation on a sense of humor, all the bravado comes off as unnecessary and, if anything, drags Smith down to the level of his "competitors." Smith himself says in "The Rain," "Amongst the fall is where you truly find yourself." Perhaps, then, on his next album, he can stick to doing what he does best for an entire album, not two-thirds of one.