Walking With a Panther stands as a key turning point in LL Cool J's long career, when he soon found himself not quite as "bad!" as he once claimed. When he devoted a large portion of his first two albums, Radio (1985) and Bigger and Deffer (1987), to boasting about his talent in old-school... [+] Expand

Walking With a Panther stands as a key turning point in LL Cool J's long career, when he soon found himself not quite as "bad!" as he once claimed. When he devoted a large portion of his first two albums, Radio (1985) and Bigger and Deffer (1987), to boasting about his talent in old-school fashion ("Rock the Bells," "I'm Bad"), he had justification -- at that point in time he was arguably the undisputed MC of MCs. But by the time Walking With a Panther hit the streets in 1989, LL had a roster of contenders, most notably Kool Moe Dee and Ice T, who both ridiculed him on vinyl. It was clear to most that LL had to modify his approach. And, yes, he indeed modified his approach with Walking With a Panther, rapping over much more developed and dynamic production featuring a heavy use of samples as was the vogue at the time; furthermore, he started rapping about a host of topics besides himself. But besides "Going Back to Cali," one of LL's perennial moments, he's at his best here when he's rapping about women ("Big Ole Butt," "Jingling Baby"). Still, despite the variety and the improved production, this album never comes across as successfully as it should. While some tracks such as "Going Back to Cali" and "Jingling Baby" are successful, most aren't. At this point in his career, LL's limited -- he can rap about himself and ladies but not much else. [Walking with a Panther was also released in a "clean" edition, containing no profanities or vulgarities.] ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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