In a step out from previous albums and a giant step away from his youthful Fresh Prince days, Will Smith's Lost and Found represents his growth as an artist and as a person. Smith's persona as a family man, however, makes the album's sneering lyrics less than convincing.
There is a deep thread of arrogance running through the album, as most every song's lyrics shamelessly praise Smith's talent and success. A braver Smith takes a few chances and avenges his disses from Eminem and others who have considered him \lost"" in the rap scene.
For each song on the album there seems to be another that contradicts it, which also does not help in generating a convincing tone. ""Mr. Nice Guy"" uses a ""Humpty Dumpty"" rhyme as Smith wonders why anyone would hate him, contradicts ""Lost and Found,"" in which he uses condescending lyrics to comment on the current rap scene, saying ""it's like a circus wit a bunch of clowns."" In the same song he claims himself to be a real and original emcee. But Smith jumps on recent rap trends, having Snoop Dogg guest on ""Pump Ya Brakes."" He and other featured artists-Mary J. Blige, Swagga, and Robin Thicke-bring flavor to the blandness of the same simplistic rhymes used throughout the album.
""Pump Ya Brakes"" is a tutorial on how to attract and handle women, and Snoop's unique voice adds a smoothness to Smith's choppy words. Another informational song is ""If You Can't Dance,"" which gives rules on how to dance in order to attract women.
Unlike Smith's other albums, Lost and Found has only a couple songs with the potential to be catchy singles. There is no ""Summertime"" or ""Gettin' Jiggy Wit It"" style song that would inspire a mass sing-along during a party. The catchy songs of the album are ""Switch,"" whose steady bass beat would make it easy to dance to, and ""Party Starter."" The third version of ""Switch"" on the album (yes, there are three versions) features Elephant Man. His fast-paced rhyming skills give more energy to the song.
Lost and Found will not win Smith another Grammy. The family guy in Smith shines through in this album-perhaps his children's nursery rhymes inspired him to use their beats, reducing the effectiveness of his serious tracks. However, the release of his album will help Smith become 'found' again within the music industry.
