Montezuma's Revenge (album)

Since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album ''93 'til Infinity'' (1993), Souls of Mischief's albums struggled to achieve mainstream success. After the release of Trilogy: Conflict, Climax, Resolution (2000) the group focused on touring and working on Hieroglyphics' albums, along with their own solo albums. ''Montezuma's Revenge'' was the group's first album in nearly a decade. ==Recording==

Souls of Mischief invited producer Prince Paul, known for his work with Stetsasonic, De La Soul, and Gravediggaz, to work on ''Montezuma's Revenge''. To work on the album the group and Prince Paul moved to a house "in the middle of the wilderness", with no connection to the outside world and with only studio equipment. They spent six weeks there, working on the album. The album was named after Montezuma Road where the house was located. Before starting his work on the album Prince Paul gave the group a deadline: if he was not satisfied with the result after two weeks he would drop the project. The deadline motivated the group. In a 2011 interview with Complex magazine Prince Paul admitted he is still not fully satisfied with the end result, but thinks the album is pretty good. ==Release==

''Montezuma's Revenge was released on December 1, 2009, by Clear Label Records, The album was supported by two singles: "Tour Stories", released as Tour Stories EP'' on January 6, 2009, and "Proper Aim", released on November 26, 2009. A music video for "Proper Aim" was released, which showed the artist Steven Lopez creating the album's cover art. ''Montezuma's Revenge'' peaked at number 93 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. ==Critical reception==

''Montezuma's Revenge'' was met with generally positive reviews, with most music critics praising Prince Paul's production but highlighting the group's lack of originality. Clayton Purdom of AllMusic called it "the opposite of a comeback – a stay-put, maybe, right back in the halcyon '90s", noting that neither Souls of Mischief nor Prince Paul changed since then, which makes ''Montezuma's Revenge look like a cash grab. HipHopDX Luke Gibson wrote that Montezuma's Revenge'' "rightfully stands beside [the group's] first two releases", as Souls of Mischief stay true to their audience and themselves. Andrew Martin, writing for PopMatters, called the album "a slightly bloated, though almost-great record", listing occasional weak rhymes and hooks as its downsides. Steve Juon of RapReviews praised the album, writing that ''Montezuma's Revenge'' "has the makings of a brand new classic". ==Track listing==

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. • Prince Paul – mixing, arrangement • Opio – mixing, arrangement • A-Plus – mixing, arrangement • Domino – mixing, arrangement • Steven Lopez – artwork • Justin Herman – layout ==Charts==