Bone Thugs-N-Harmony are back from a four-year hiatus with their new album Thug Stories. The album creates a new image for the group, which is now a trio following the departure of Bizzy Bone and with Flesh-N-Bone still in jail. Despite missing two of their members, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony still moves forward with their latest release.

If you are looking for songs that relate to the album’s title, you will not find them on this album. Bone Thugs take a different approach on the album while still managing to keep to their roots. The album’s title track “Thug Stories” is the toughest song on the album and echoes the old Bone Thugs-N-Harmony style in which all three artists give stories of thug life and being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

The song “Don’t Stop” takes a different approach not typical of Bone Thugs. The track is a love song that the ladies will enjoy. The song “Do it Again” keeps the laid-back style flowing with sampling this time from the Staple Singers’ “Let’s Do It Again.” It also has the type of appeal that speaks to listeners who like the old-school feel, which will keep them two-stepping to this song in the months to come.

“So Sad” changes the vibe of the album yet again with the song being about “slimy, grimy, nasty women.” This song is horribly placed and really put a dent into the production of the album. The club track “Fire” has commercial appeal but an annoying, albeit catchy, chorus of “I got that fire/fire baby.”

“What You See (Reload)” is one of the album’s better tracks, featuring Bone Thugs’ trademark fast-paced delivery coupled with a heavily urbanized beat. The song “Stand Not In Our Way” shows the group’s spiritual side, with the group telling the devil that they have to resist temptation and that he has to step aside and get out of their way.

The last two songs, “Still No Surrender” and “This Life,” have a great message. In both Bone Thugs rap about police brutality and speak out to kids that want the thug life. Thug Stories is an above average album that mixes old and new Bone Thugs-N-Harmony approaches.