Some artists know how to strike when the iron is hot, and some don’t. Rahzel created incredible buzz with the Pete Rock produced All I Know and then pushed his album back month after month. Mobb Deep nearly bled themselves dry with a year of delays on Murda Muzik, by which time the entire album had been bootlegged online and a lot of it had to be re-done. Sometimes it is the fault of the artist, sometimes of the label, and most of all an unsympathetic public can give you a warm embrace when you debut and a cold shoulder on your return. The Visionaries at least are taking no chances. After the friendly reception that their debut album Galleries received and the success of group members at cameo appearances and solo twelve inches (most notably LMNO’s “Grin and Beat It”) the group has wasted no time in recording the ironically titled Sophomore Jinx. This album is arguably a case study in how NOT to slump after initial public success and acclaim.

Musically, this album is a smorgasboard of different tastes and flavors. Mums The Word provides an airy light feel on tracks like “Stand Still” and “Reach”, Key Kool has hardcore old-school swing on songs like “LA Fresh” and “Self Sufficient”, and the rest of his Beat Junkies crew flex throughout – DJ Babu, J-Rocc, and DJ Rhettmatic each taking turns at the beat. Despite the diversity the sound is very coherent.

As for the wordplay, it’s hard to find fault with their style – progressive lyricism that owes a debt to the stylings of Aceyalone (obvious on “Come One Come All”) but stays true to the hardcore L.A. roots (the homage to Ice Cube/N.W.A. on “Self Sufficient”) for a combination that is pleasant and never boring to listen to. Some may have mistaken this rap group for the “God Squad” on the basis of earlier songs like “Audible Angels”, “Rejoice and Praise” and “Pope Mobile” – but their steelo is much broader and deeper. If anything can be said about their higher calling, it’s that they don’t feel a deep-seated need to swing their balls and call shots on every track – that’s a more than welcome change in a hip-hop world drowning in testosterone. Yet at the same time, this kind of righteousness, along with the Visionaries’ dictionary approved pronunciation styles, may turn off those who enjoy ghetto style ebonics and harder deliveries currently dominating the rap scene.

But as a total package, Visionaries’ Sophomore Jinx is anything but – it’s a successful and progressive return of a crew that is upbeat without being Will Smith and edgy without being DMX. While the experimental styles of the L.A. underground may soar over some heads in the hip-hop audience, the Visionaries do a good job of catching the attention spans of underground listeners worldwide.