The sophomore album from Los Angeles native Xzibit, 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz, is a phenomenally well put together collection of songs that show a great deal of growth artistically from his powerful debut, At The Speed of Life. While a couple of the album's 13 legitimate tracks are a bit lacking despite admirable effort, Xzibit shines brightly through with his trademark gruff vocals and enthusiasm.

Xzibit's strengths lie in his unyielding fealty to the art of MCing -- crafting lyrics that strike quickly and powerfully. When you hear him say, "killin' all your B.I.G. plans like Wilshire & Fairfax," or "picture yourself crushin Xzibit with your tough talk/ it's like Christopher Reeve doing the Crip walk," you almost cringe at how far he's willing to go. With delicate strings over brutal drum and bass lines, Xzibit makes his point on works of art such as "Los Angeles Times," "Inside Job," the Likwit Crew posse cut "Let It Rain," the lead single "What U See Is What U Get," and "3 Card Molly" with fellow Golden State Warriors Ras Kass and Saafir.

When you hear the likes of "Shroomz" -- a tedious drug laced ditty -- or the tepid "Pu**y Pop" (which even guest appearances by Method Man and Jayo Felony couldn't save), you wonder how they snuck on this album. When giving in to his baser instincts, Xzibit's material likewise sinks to a lower level. But when the haunting melodies of "Recycled Assassins" or the forceful crashes of "Chamber Music" wash over you, all memories of those lapses in musical and personal judgment will be washed away.

Xzibit is well on his way to carving a solid place in hip hop history as one of the good ones.