So if press releases and interviews are to be believed, Theater of the Mind is supposed to be a cinematic concept album, a journey through the characters and situations running amok in Ludacris’ boundless imagination, an album with not guests, but “co-stars.” Ludacris is attempting to provide the soundtrack for a blockbuster movie that doesn’t exist.

Maybe that movie should be called “How to Make a Solid, if Not Overly Formulaic, Hip Hop Album.” While the album isn’t at all bad, and Ludacris is still a pretty great emcee, the pretentiousness of the whole pseudo concept album is a bit hard to swallow. Luda is creative enough to do a true concept album, and it’d probably be amazing. Theater of the Mind, however, isn’t it.

I’ll get to what the album does well in a second, but it’s worth emphasizing how the by-the-books approach is really disappointing, especially for a hyped-up “concept album.” You get the double-time flow on the intro, the “guess who’s back” style lead-off track, the “let’s try to re-make ‘What You Know About That’ for the 10,000th time” song (complete with T.I.), the requisite ladies’ jams, gangsta posturing tracks and everything you’d expect from a mainstream hip hop release in 2008. It’s not wack, just extremely predictable, and Ludacris seems to be capable of so much more.

That gripe aside, Theater of the Mind does showcase Ludacris in top lyrical form. He is, after all, a punchline rapper, and the punches here are frequent and funny, often creative and always engaging. Amped-up and full of personality, he sounds hungry, which says a lot for a millionaire releasing his sixth studio album. On songs like “Undisputed,” “Last of a Dying Breed” and “MVP,” Luda is absolutely hypnotic—he’s a master at using his flow to build tension and getting the listener to really anticipate the punchlines.

The production, done by committee (Don Cannon, DJ Toomp, Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, 9th Wonder, a million other guys), is solid—again, a bit predictable—but very well-done all around. I definitely don’t hear a great, world-conquering single anywhere on the album, but there also aren’t many skippable tracks. The hook on “Everybody Hates Chris,” which is funny the first time, becomes unbearable by the end of the song, and the three “for the ladies” jams grouped together are pretty forgettable, but none of that breaks the album.

The few surprises include a Primo beat (“MVP”), which is legitimately pretty great, and a song with Common (“Do the Right Thang”), which might be more interesting if Common hadn’t already become mainstream hip hop’s go-to guy for “conscious” rapper guest-spots. The song itself is cool (and features a beautiful 9th Wonder beat), though Spike Lee’s presence is unnecessary. Nas and Jay-Z also show up for “I Do It For Hip Hop,” which has a few great moments (Nas’ bee metaphor, Jay dissing/thanking “Jaz-O’s bum ass,” etc.).

Overall, Theater of the Mind is a very solid album with delusions of grandeur. When Luda raps, “top five, damn right, but really it just hit me/ that three of your top five’s too scared to fuck wit’ me,” it’s a great line, even a great moment, but it’s probably not true. Maybe it will be someday; Luda certainly has the talent, and you can tell that he wants the respect of hip hop as cultural, historical entity. But great artists take chances; they give people something more than what they expect. Theater of the Mind is fun, but it doesn’t come anywhere near the classic status Ludacris is reaching for.

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Also: (Chingy & Ludacris on the Late Show with David Letterman)