Album review: 'Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head' by T.I.

In "Can You Learn," a slow-rolling cut from his new studio disc, T.I. beseeches a lover to look past his recent legal troubles to focus on "the good qualities within." "Trouble Man" asks something similar of listeners: The Atlanta rapper's first album since being released last year from federal prison following a probation violation, it surrounds a handful of his sharpest, most insightful songs with far less effective material — tracks that either vague out into club-rap utility or sag hopelessly under the weight of cornball sentiment.

By Mikael Wood

December 18, 2012