Joe Budden doesn’t disappoint with his third album, No Love Lost, his first solo album in four years.

His sophomore album Padded Room was released in 2009, which is centuries ago in Hip-Hop years. No Love Lost is only projected to hit 30,000 copies sold in its first week, but that doesn’t mean this album will be a flop.

His first hit “She Don’t Put It Down” featuring Lil Wayne and Tank - its video already has over one million views on YouTube - has a catchy chorus that would fit seamlessly into a Drake album. The song “NBA” featuring Whiz Khalifa and French Montana, with a Boi-1da beat, is another hot track that is worthy of multiple rotations.

No Love Lost is by far his most mature album, with a lot of R&B-style songs like “You and I”, “Castles, and “All In My Head”. However, Budden sometimes seems to be trying too hard to be versatile, ignoring his lyrical prowess and letting other artists overshadow him on his own tracks, like Emmany in “You and I”.

The album still features glimpses of the energetic Joe Budden who burst onto the scene in 2003, as well as the lyrically-savvy Slaughterhouse Joe Budden. In fact, the album features the three other Slaugtherhouse MC’s, Royce Da 5’9”, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I.

Overall, No Love Lost is an album that takes a while to truly appreciate, but it is a breath of fresh air in a genre full of would-be rappers. It’s an album that has a little bit of everything and is worth a listen.