Back after one of the longest hiatuses in rap history (six years), the Wu-Tang Clan return with a new studio collaborative album.

The biggest revelation on the set isn't the Beatles reinterpolation' of The Heart Gently Weeps or even that the album actually came out.

It's that the project is as strong as it is - for all the years of obligatory infighting there's a cohesion and strength to these 8 Diagrams.

RZA keeps his foot in the sludgy gutter beats and extended chopsocky' decoration of the Wu-Tang past, but he's also expanding his reach.

George Clinton cameos on the nodding Wolves, and Rushing Elephants rolls on a shimmering string section from hell. Overall, the Clan are growing older and wiser.

In comparison, Wyclef Jean's Carnival Vol. II is less creative than anticipated.

Ten years ago he released The Carnival, an acclaimed concept work that explored immigration and crime.

While this set finds him again decrying social ills, Clef seems more concerned with wrangling high-profile guests and crossbreeding musical styles, perhaps as a gambit to recapture the ubiquity of last year's duet with Shakira, Hips Don't Lie.

The result is a crowded set of world-beat-tinged collaborations, with commentary a mere afterthought.

Matthew Eagleton-Pierce