The Greatest Story Ever Told (2008)

BANNER YEAR? David Banner's Greatest Story has some righteous moments, but gets sidetracked by detours into gratuitous misogyny

Like his small-screen namesake — you know, the friendly scientist who sometimes turned into a rampaging Lou Ferrigno — David Banner is a man of contradictions. His biggest hits have been lewd club jams like 2005's ''Play,'' yet he's given voice to a powerful social conscience in interviews. That thoughtful side shines through on his fourth studio CD's opener, ''So Long,'' a raging indictment of police brutality and public apathy. The Greatest Story Ever Told contains a few more similarly righteous moments, but too many of its 21 sprawling tracks — notably ''A Girl'' — fall back on gratuitous misogyny. All things considered, we like Banner much better when he's angry. C+
DOWNLOAD THIS: Hear ''Freedom'' at David Banner's MySpace page