Critical reception Professional ratings Review scores Thus, the vocals on Ironman had to be recorded in a different studio with different equipment and settings, which slightly altered their sound. RZA had set up individual microphone preamps and compressors for each member, which were destroyed in the flood. This is because Ironman was released following a flood that destroyed the basement studio in which those recordings were made. In his book The Tao of Wu, producer RZA points out that Ghostface's voice sounds noticeably different on Ironman from previous Wu-Tang releases. and Liquid Swords respectively, to engender a soulful and melodic, yet dark and harsh feel that later influenced many other Wu-Tang releases, such as Wu-Tang Forever and Uncontrolled Substance, as well as numerous other East Coast artists. The album also features a substantial amount of story-telling rap, such as the song "260." Producer RZA combines his dark keyboard tones and early-1970s soul samples, heavily used on Only Built for Cuban Linx. Ironman contains more of Ghostface Killah's highly praised unique uptempo, stream-of-consciousness rhyming style, which he would go on to further utilize on his highly acclaimed second studio album Supreme Clientele. However, the rest of the album contains many street oriented, and organized crime topics, similar to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx., in which Ghostface was heavily involved. This is perhaps best illustrated on the single, " All That I Got Is You", which is essentially a tribute to his mother. Cappadonna appears on five tracks.Īs opposed to earlier Wu-Tang solo projects, in which the performers involved were believed to be infallible, Ghostface is somewhat vulnerable on several of the album's songs.
Raekwon appears on 13 of the 17 tracks, with "The Faster Blade" featuring him performing solo. The two most prominently featured artists are Raekwon and Cappadonna, who both accompany Ghost and have their names on the album's cover. Problems playing this file? See media help.Īlthough a solo album, Ironman features many Wu-Tang collaborations and only four tracks feature Ghostface performing as the sole rapper. The song features crooning vocals by the Delfonics and raw lyricism by Ghostface Killah and Raekwon.