The song "Ghetto Story" is an instant classic, the type of song you have to hear only once to get you singing along and jumping around like you've got a ferret in your pants. Cham's evocative lyrics detailing his poverty-stricken childhood, the uber-hot hook, and Dave Kelly's understated production combine to craft the type of dancehall perfection that comes along only once or twice a year. Don't expect the same level of freshness from Ghetto Story the album, however. Not that it's bad, but most of the set -- with the exception of the gleefully self-promoting hip-hop track "Cham" -- is a been-there, done-that affair. Too often it sounds like Cham (formerly Baby Cham) is trying too hard to craft a hit, so the hooks end up overly cutesy ("Tic Toc," "Don't Test Me," and the "Boom Boom"), and tunes like "Bad Boys," "Talk to Me," "Love It Like That," and "Boom Boom" take their cues from the fluffy Sean Paul/Beyonce duet "Baby Boy" when they should be focusing on the stricter dancehall template of "Temperature" or "Gimme the Light." Aside from the title track, a couple of tunes do manage to stick to the dancehall sound successfully: the adrenaline-pumping "Wah Dem a Seh Now?" and the remix of "Bring It On" are sure-fire bets to stir up a party (or a mini-riot, whichever comes first). Most of the time, though, when Cham goes hard, he also goes hip-hop, making the album sound a bit too self-consciously targeted to cross over to the American audience. Cham has one of the most powerful voices in dancehall and can deliver crafty rhymes with a flawless flow, but the type of insightful lyrics that help make "Ghetto Story" so great are nowhere to be found elsewhere on the album. Rather, we get crude boasts like "Bring It On" ("I'm the dude that baby mommas givin' brain... I feel up yu gal and we splashin' champagne... I'm makin' money so mi gal a wear mink. / I'm in my jewels at the bar having a drink."), which seem to contradict his "Rude Boy Pledge" that "I don't worship money; that's not what counts." But when he drops the seriousness of his posturing, he's much more likeable; the playful opening to "Bad Boys" showcases his sharp wit: 

   She got a man with the perfect height
   Who remember birthdays and stay home at night,
   The kind of man who walk away from a fight,
   A perfect man, a Mister Right.
   Yeah, right! That's boring.
   He's into Dr. Phil, I'm into scoring. 

On the enhanced CD, a bonus version of "Ghetto Story" (in addition to the Alicia Keys version that's climbing the charts) and a fun, T.O.K.-like sing-along "Bad Mind" add value, making the album worth a listen.