Having been hired on production duties by the likes of De La, Nas and Fiddy Cent, Seattle's Jake One obviously has some pretty heavyweight contacts. This has enabled him to rope in an incredible array of talent for his debut album, the ironically titled White Van Music. Suffice to say, this album will not go well with a copy of The Sport and a touch of casual racism.

Jake One has assembled as near to a who's who of modern hip hop, both commercial and indie. They obviously see something in him, so his beats must be amazing? Well, not exactly. If there is a sound that unifies White Van Music, it's that of a kind of updated take on G Funk; the early 90s basslines and organs supplemented with more modern, aggressive percussion. This works brilliantly on 'Gangster Boy', its simple riff allowing M.O.P to provide their trademark (and always welcome) call and response aggression. 'Oh Really', featuring De La's Psdnuos, is another treat, its infectious gospel backing adding freshness to the G Funk template.

Elsewhere though, the production seems simply uninspired and dated; 'How We Ride', for all its bombast, bells and whistles shows the same failings that most modern commercial rap suffers from...a seemingly mortal fear of anything approaching subtlety.

Occasionally, Jake One deviates from his formula, and it is on these occasions that some of the standouts occur. Predictably, the best of all are the two that feature appearances from MF Doom. 'Trap Door' is all disconcerting horror basslines, surf guitar and high hat. Better still is 'Get 'Er Done', built around a glorious jazz piano riff and some familiar Doom wordplay:

'Make no mistake son, this Jake One, he makes beats well like I likes my steak done.'

In this instance, he certainly does. It does, however, raise an interesting point. Has Jake One actually saved his best beats for Doom, or has Doom simply made the beats his own more than any of the other vocallists? It's inconclusive, especially as the track that follows is the album's nadir; 'Feelin' My Shit', which is hackneyed in both beat and flow.

It was always going to be difficult to create a cohesive album with the sheer number and diversity of guests that White Van Music accommodates. Unfortunately, it's a challenge that Jake One ultimately fails, albeit with some euphoric moments along the way. It's certainly not a terrible album, and it's far from rare to end a hip hop album with the feeling that it should have had half its tracks culled. It's also not uncommon to wish that a producer would just do a whole album with Doom...