Okay, so they need a little polishing up, but at the base of "Twin Cities or Bust," the debut from Minneapolis hip-hoppers Word For Word, has a lot of potential.

Take, for example, the intro to "3AM." As MC Content confidently (who, along with Bueffard Bustwell, represents half of the lyrical play on the disc) opens up the track (beautifully produced by Neveator) with the line "Ghosts burning on the sides of monster trucks/Gremlins scream at night with skin made of rust." It has all the makings of a subtle underground classic. But right after great lyrical back and forth, and amazingly well put-together production, Word For Word falls flat. They can neither write nor deliver a chorus. Nearly every "hook" on the album makes the listener want to skip back to the beginning of the song, one of the few chorus-free, and thus safe, places.

Beyond that, the group uses great guest appearances and highlights talent from Nomi, Brendonna and Craig Finn of the Hold Steady, among others. However, the "biggest" guest appearance of the album is Rhymesayers own P.O.S. on the track "Elevata Muzic," which is the weakest track, a generic group of bars pretty much just taken from his most recent album.

What should this group do? Keep on keeping on, do a new record with a ghostwriter for the hooks and assume that Neveator will continue to progress as a talented beat constructor. BO

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