New Orleans' ambassadors of jazz-funk continue to deliver unassailable grooves on 2007's FROM THE CORNER TO THE BLOCK. This time around, however, there's a twist to the formula: the band invites MCs to guest on a number of tracks, resulting in an organic, pulsing hip-hop extravaganza that rivals the early days of the Roots. The approach works well, thanks to the quality and variety of the MCs, who include Juvenile, Lyrics Born, Digable Planets' Ladybug Mecca, and Gift of Gab from Blackalicious. Galactic's sophisticated funk is the perfect complement to FROM THE CORNER's cornucopia of rhymes, and should please a wide swath of R&B, funk, and hip-hop fans.