J. Rocc doesn’t need an introduction to any working deejays out there. As a founding member of the Beat Junkies, along with Melo-D and Rhettmatic, they set the standard for turntablism in the ‘90s. If you’ve had the chance to catch him live, you know that he operates on a level that few deejays are able to reach. While he’s produced tracks here and there, it may surprise you that this is his first solo album.

With the pedigree that J. Rocc has, and as long as he’s been in the game, it’s hard not to have high expectations for this record. Creating an instrumental album is no easy task though, and J. Rocc not only gave us one, but he also packaged it with a bonus “Mystery Disc” that contains seven more tracks. When holding this release to a critical standard, it becomes difficult to discern the criteria under which to judge it. If this was a bunch of shorter tracks all on one disc that was released just a beat compilation, I’d probably listen to it and think, “Not bad - J. Rocc’s got some good ideas to work with if he wanted to develop any of these further.” But with songs clocking in between five and seven minutes, and the grandiose packaging, I’m being forced to judge it against a higher standard, one which I’m afraid it doesn’t quite reach.

The opening track, “Rocchead’s Delight” pieces together sound bites to give the impression that people are talking about J. Rocc, which has two problems. It reminds me of obnoxious promos for classic rock radio stations and goes on way too long. If you get bored with an introductory track, there’s a problem. Rocc then makes the odd choice of launching into the album with one of the slowest tracks on the album, killing what little momentum he built with the intro. The album eventually picks up, and some songs do deliver, especially “Party,” a well-developed upbeat number built off of some Bollywood samples. However, most tracks lack the development in song structure necessary to demand the length of the tracks. The biggest problem I have with the album, though, is the flow. Momentum is often lost from one track to the next. This surprises me, considering this was put together by a world famous deejay.

Calling this album a disappointment is a tricky thing, because there is plenty to like about it. Instrumental albums are not an easy feat to pull off. But when you’re capable of greatness - which I know J. Rocc is - it’s hard to except a mediocre album as anything less than a failure. I know Rocc has a brilliant album in him. I’ll just hope I hear it next time.