Even after removing the audio equivalent of packaging peanuts, there's still some disposable rap. PE remains committed to overhauling compositions that don't need a remix. (Greatest Misses, a 1992 effort devoted to this questionable cause, provides the only other blemish on the group's discography.) The album's attempts to hypnotize stark percussive backdrops into a techno trance can be summarized by the name of one of the remixers: Scattershot. These guest producers, chosen for inclusion through an online contest, create serviceable beats that don't serve the songs, turning Chuck's radical rants into distorted disco-diva dressing. Completing the padded portion of the program are three live recordings, two of which are listenable.
Eliminating "Put It Up," an unsatisfying sequel to "Shut It Down" and "Give It Up," leaves just 7 tracks out of 21 left to peruse. These tunes contain flashes of brilliance -- Gary G-Whiz's juicy funk hooks, Chuck's gift for placing his old lyrics in new context (9/11 ain't no joke) -- and plenty of well-intentioned calls for "raptivism." But they can't save Revolverlution from becoming Public Enemy's first inessential album in a decade.
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