  cover art  Ise Lyfe  Prince Cometh  (789 Music; US: 15 Jul
2008; UK: Available as import)  Some people call it “sophomore
jinx”. Others say it’s the “second album curse”. Whatever the
label, the situation is the same. An artist releases an
excellent debut album, which either sells a whole bunch of
records, receives high marks from critics, or both. A year or so
passes. Then the artist releases a follow-up album, which either
fails to sell a whole bunch of records, receives low marks from
critics, or both.  It’s possible that a quick listen to Ise
Lyfe’s Prince Cometh would lead you to think that the Oakland,
California wordsmith is in danger of succumbing to this well-
known tragic fate.  Granted, this follow-up to his stellar debut
Spread the Word (2006) falls short of the quality and expertise
exhibited by its predecessor, but it hasn’t fallen victim to a
jinx or a curse either. Spread the Word presented a grab bag of
spoken word and straightforward but forward-thinking hip-hop.
Prince Cometh attempts the