On the scale of uncreative album names, the eponymous album is at the top. Right below it is what Styles P chose for his third solo release – and first for Koch. Hoping to recapture the gold status of his 2002 debut, A Gangster and a Gentleman, The Ghost attempts to up the ante with Super Gangster, Extraordinary Gentleman.

He gets off to a good start with the first single, “Blow Ya Mind,” an up-tempo joint (pun intended) with beat and hook both provided by Swizz Beats. With lines like, ’Loving the smell, digging the texture, we got a whole lot but we still getting extra/Guess what’s on the menu for breakfast? Roll with The Ghost if you wanna get messed up,’ there should be little doubt about exactly what blows his mind.

Super Gangster… also closes on a high note, with “Cause I’m Black” exploring how things still aren’t all good in the era of Imus and the Jena Six. Keeping up with guest Black Thought isn’t easy on a socially conscious song, but Styles P proves he’s up to it, spitting, ‘The struggle goes on and I tire on/Imus never should have been fired just fired on/Not with a gun, hit him up with a water hose/Got some nerve to call a black man’s daughter hoes.’

In-between, not everything lives up to the same high standard. Whether it’s the production (like on “Let’s Go,” a rare miss by Hi-Tek), the concepts (try to keep a straight face when you hear the chorus to “Super Gangster”) or the execution (“Look @ Her”), something seems to be off on numerous songs, and the result is something that’s less than the sum of its parts.

There are highlights in there. The Kid Capri-produced “Da 80’s” shows off P’s raw lyrical skill over a suitably retro backdrop, Alchemist adds some weight to “All I Know is Pain” and running mates Jadakiss and Sheek Louch make us all fiend for that next Lox/D-Block group effort on the Pete Rock-laced “Gangster, Gangster.” Styles even teams up with Ghostface Killah to hit listeners with the Twin Ghost Experience on “Star of the State.”

Still, it says a lot about Styles P’s ability on the mic that getting a half dozen high quality tracks feels like a slight letdown. You come away with the feeling that the man who once dubbed himself “your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper” is capable of more, and it leaves you wishing there was more.

In an interview with ArtOfRhyme.com to promote the album, The Ghost said to expect “fire as always. More fire.” He definitely brings some, but not enough to live up to those lofty adjectives he added to the title. – Nick Tylwalk