All Samples Cleared!

by John BushChastened by his court battle over a sample from pop crooner Gilbert O'Sullivan, Biz Markie returned with All Samples Cleared!, a safe record, both legally and artistically. Sampling conservatively, Markie nevertheless opened with a forceful statement of purpose ("I'm the Biz Markie"), but elsewhere hoped for another hit with the same blend of great storytelling and artless balladeering that had made "Just a Friend" his only Top Ten hit. "Young Girl Bluez," one of the few outside productions, was a solid return to form, but his reinvention as a disco diva for "Let Me Turn You On" was a step too far. All Samples Cleared! had a few amusing songs, including "I'm a Ugly Nigga (So What)" and "The Gator (Dance)," as well as an interesting blend of humor with social topic ("Hooker Got a Boyfriend"), but for the most part Biz Markie was keeping his head down, and it showed.