That Mos Def is one of the most talented rappers to ever rock a microphone is beyond dispute. His first LP, Black On Both Sides, is universally acclaimed as a classic of the genre and remains the standout record of the post-Golden Age era of hip hop, both for its lyrically dextrous fire and its deployment of beats by the heavyweight producers of the time. However, his two subsequent long players have singularly failed to match the heights of his debut; indeed they fell disappointingly short in the shadow of a burgeoning side career as an actor.

So it was with somewhat muted expectations that I bought The Ecstatic. What delight then to hear an album worthy of the name. This record is emphatically a collection of songs that make sense alongside each other, and it is obvious that serious consideration has gone into righting the wrongs of The New Danger and True Magic. Certainly the production credits read like a tacit acknowledgement of past failures as Mos has enlisted the cream of the contemporary hip hop underground to provide the beats for this scorching return to form. Madlib is the most prominent of these as he provides four tracks for the album, with the standout being Mos' duet with microphone king of yore Slick Rick on 'Auditorium', where the old timer makes a mockery of the notion that an MC has to spit in order to show his skills; his laconic delivery is so old school, it sounds box fresh.

However, Madlib's little brother, Stones Throw label mate Oh No, also brings some subtle beats to the party. 'Pistola' is a heavy tune on the quiet that draws the song out of its MC's flow. In fact, such a matching of microphone skills to production vibes is a key feature of the album, and reveals what a phenomenal rapper Mos Def really is. 'Quiet Dog, Bite Hard' features a pared down beat that lets the voice shine, and the brass-nasty bass of Chad Hugo's 'Twilite Speedball' provokes a spit up there with anything in his back catalogue.

The defiantly left-field/underground credentials of this (independently released, it should be noted) LP are nowhere more clearly defined than on the appropriation of Georgia Anne Muldrow's 'Roses'. That an MC of this calibre can take such an idiosyncratic tune and nudge it in a different direction should not be a surprise, and yet I was left stunned by Mos' ability to match and then lift the almost atonal sound of the song.

The Ecstatic is already hot, then. However, it goes positively volcanic for the finale as a new Dilla beat surfaces for the Black Star reunion with Talib Kweli on 'History'. If ever a production matched two voices, it's this trademark cut-up soul beat from the Detroit genius' archives. Bizarrely however, the temperature goes up again for the closing track 'Casa Bey', which manages to reflect everything that's great about Mos Def. The beat goes all over the place in terms of both tempo and vibe, opening with Mos on point on the first beat of the first bar. Of any rap I've ever heard him deliver - including his legendary freestyles - this got right inside my head like no other, before seamlessly progressing onwards and upwards to its trademark sung zenith that matches anything (including 'Umi Says') he's ever done that way.

I had written off Mos Def as a truly great hip hop artist (although not MC) a long time ago. This fantastic and original return to form has happily shattered any such notion, however. The only remaining doubt after listening regards to whom the title refers because audience and artist are equally well described. A classic.