Pete Rock loves horns the way other DJs and producers love drums. It's this obsession with funky horn breaks that sets Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth apart from regular hip-hop bassheads. With its crucial James Brown breaks layered between trumpet and sax loops, coupled with the laid-back vocals of Smooth and Rock, Mecca and the Soul Brother--their first full-length--struts back and forth on that line between rap and soul. Rock's production style is peerless, funky on "If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right" and sexy on "Lots of Lovin'." Smooth's liquid freestyle delivery (notably on "Straighten It Out" and "They Reminisce Over You") has been echoed in other skilled MCs (see Common's work). And with their combined skills, Mecca stands up without ever really dating itself.