Speech (1996)

With its rapturous echoes of Sly, Stevie, and Prince, Speech by Speech, the boss of the defunct Arrested Development, is more arresting than anyone had a right to expect. Whether the songs wallow in ''ghetto sex'' or condemn ''the system,'' the music is always heady yet funky, smooth yet gritty. Only a few overly defensive raps about his street credibility may ruin this Speech therapy. B+