The first verse of Gucci Mane’s “I’m Cool” includes the line “Gucci Mane’s back and they can’t get rid of me.” That probably sums up the way a lot of people feel about the Atlanta-born rapper, who came up off the strength of his 2005 single “Icy” and never left. Atlantic Records thought enough of his early success to sign him up, leading to his first release under his new deal, Back to the Traphouse.

The title probably comes as no shock considering his resume includes 2005′s Trap House and 2007′s Trap-A-Thon. What may come as a little bit of a surprise is how few of the songs on the album are of the gritty, street tale variety. They are in there, as songs with names like “Stash House” and “I Move Chickens” tell you at a glance, but a higher percentage of Gucci’s rhymes talk about sex (“G-Love (U Don’t Love Me)”), getting into clubs (“Jump the Line”) and the topic of the decade, how much money he has (“15 Minutes Past the Diamond”).

One thing success has afforded Gucci is the ability to get higher profile guest stars, and they provide some of the album’s best moments. That’s especially true for the latest remix in the seemingly endless “Freaky Gurl” series, with Lil’ Kim and Ludacris helping out, and on the smoothed out “I Know Why,” which enlists the help of the late Pimp C, Rich Boy and Blaze-1.

That’s not to say it’s all good on the team-up front, as Trey Songz can’t save the glorified liquor commercial “Drink it Straight.” As for what Gucci Mane himself brings to the party, his flow could best be described as what O.D.B. would have sounded like had he been born in Atlanta. His lines aren’t horrible, but you won’t be rewinding any songs to hear them for a second time either.

What Back to the Traphouse does have going for it is refreshingly varied production that keeps some of the songs from getting lumped in with other trap music sound-alikes. Frequent collaborator Zaytoven deserves a lot of the credit, though Nitti gives Gucci a perfect match for his style on the aforementioned “I’m Cool” and Shawty Redd (currently blowing up with Snoop Dogg’s “Sensual Seduction”) lends a sinister drum and bass line to “Bird Flu.”

Some people somewhere are digging Gucci Mane, and those fans should find this batch of songs right up their alley. They also won’t have to wait too long for more – Gucci’s already announced Trap Muzik is coming later this year. The rest of us will just have to respect the man’s hustle and accept the fact that he doesn’t seem to be going away any time soon. – Nick Tylwalk