On paper this is one hell of a collaboration - slam poet and lyricist Saul Williams with industrial rock king Trent Reznor. In their respective fields Williams and Reznor are both clear leaders, but will combining their talents produce an incredible matrimony or simply a clashing of sounds?Saul Williams' incredible talent for articulating his intelligent social observations will blow you away. "Hail Mary, Mother of God./ Got the whole host of angels shuffling in my ipod" on ‘DNA' or "So what y'all Niggas wanna do?/ I'm standing at the Pearly Gates so you can run and get your crew" on ‘Niggy Tardust'. Saul's lyrics seem to be an extension of his ideas on his previous self-titled album, where he commented how far removed current hip hop and rap artists are, and have almost become a parody of themselves, and his rejection of this image, despite his stereotypical Bronx upbringing. "Perhaps we should not have encouraged them to use cordless microphones for they have walked too far from the source and are emitting a lesser frequency", he says on ‘Telegram'.In this album, it's the character of Niggy Tardust that casts his wary eye over the world in general, and particular Williams' criticism of the Bush administration, the war on Iraq, and religion, delving far further into what are some uncomfortable issues.Fundamentally it's the lyrics that take centre stage in Williams' work, as he is firstly a poet and then musician. The increased prominence of the music on The Inevitable Rise... has mixed results. Generally it augments Williams' vocals well, almost as a supporting role that help sets the mood and tone of the song, and ultimately turn his poetry into music. There are some eyebrow-raising covers such as U2's ‘Sunday Bloody Sunday' which Trent Reznor transforms into an electronic stomp, but falls a little flat, particularly due to Williams' somewhat strained vocals. Earth Wind and Fire's ‘Can't Hide Love' is more effective, transforming the opening bursts of horns into frenzied techno stabs and crescendo into a full on fit that renders the song almost unrecognisable. Clever, yes, but it seems fairly pointless considering what Williams is capable of in his own songs.‘Break' seems to be the track where the two talents fuse together perfectly. There's a subtle riff in the background which explodes at certain points to echo Saul's army-chant vocals, going with them instead of against. Its subtle simplicity in the verses, combined with the dark, intense sounds of the chorus show Reznor's work at its best, mimicking the vocals rather than overshadowing them.‘Convict Colony' is also a stand-out, with a Pendulum-esque bassline and reflections of Williams' place in society. ‘Tr(N)igger' and ‘DNA' show Williams' cutting, brutally honest, brazen manipulation of the English language at it's full potential.However, in some cases the blend of jar rather than fuse. ‘No One Ever Does' is a strange pop ballad that feels a bit too goth-rock, and more Evanescence than Nine Inch Nails. And whilst Williams is a talents vocalist, his voice is simply not suited to singing ballads. ‘Pedagogue of Young Gods', a later track, almost demonstrates how ‘No One Ever Does' should have been. The simplistic piano is present, but instead the vocals are spoken rather than sung, giving a far better ethereal, other-worldly effect which seems to be the aim on ‘No One Ever Does'.At 20 tracks, The Inevitable... is certainly a lengthy one, and if you want to fully appreciate it, it's a fairly long time to keep up with and process Williams' fast paced lyrics. A few strategic song cuts could've made it a less daunting listen. Ending on one of William's best known songs, ‘Reparations', it's worth sticking it out ‘til the end. With its ridiculously ear-pleasing riff, swagger, and nice mix of Williams' singing and spoken word, it ends the album triumphantly.So whilst the Reznor/Williams partnership may not be a complete match made in heaven, it's produced some excellent tracks, and on the whole a brilliant album. Saul Williams continues to be one of the best lyricists around, but on the whole an undiscovered one. With such a big name and big talent behind him it can't be long before the rest of the world wakes up and listens. 80%Links Saul Williams [myspace]