THE RZA Vinyl & CDs

Review: Following the release of Jim Jarmusch movie Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai in 1999, many hip-hop heads were keen for the RZA's immaculate soundtrack - his first movie score - to get a release. It did, but only in Japan. Finally, the RZA has put that right, and now the soundtrack, which features a number of contributions from the Wu-Tang Clan, is available around the world via this new pressing. Largely warm, light and airy, much of the material mixes traditional instrumentation - electric piano, various Japanese instruments, guitar - with head-nodding hip-hop beats and the kind of obscure, Blaxploitation-era funk samples that have long been a staple of the RZA's work. It's a great set of instrumentals, with just enough forthright vocal cuts to keep things fresh.