“I’m sick and tired of being criticized/ I’m sick and tired of barely gettin’ by/ … I’m sick and tired of being pushed aside.”

Those are lyrics from the Nappy Roots’ sophomoric release Wooden Leather.

Now that we know what the Nappy Roots are sick of, I’m sick and tired of hearing watered-down hip-hop albums.

Wooden Leather is no exception. The LP has three good songs, the other 15 are fillers – an excuse to put out an album and make extra cash.

Nappy Roots mixes acoustic guitar in their beats, resulting in a down-home country hip-hop sound. Which, in the days of synthesizers and drum machines, is like a blast of fresh air.

The best track on the album (and first single) is “Roun’ The Globe.” The catchy hook (“The whole damn world is country”), acoustic guitar, piano and bongos make an original beat.

Originality saves this disc from being a complete loss. Nappy Roots doesn’t rhyme about packing heat or smokin’ weed. They rhyme about life’s struggles, living poor and getting by.

The enhanced CD includes video footage of the band visiting their roots at Western Kentucky University, and it is a preview for the “Half the Truth” DVD/EP which will be in stores December 2003.

Although Wooden Leather’s beats are fresh, and its message is positive, it isn’t worth $16.

Or as the great rapper K-Nutson once said, “They better get used to being criticized/ I’m sick and tired of albums just gettin by/ And for the dollar I’ll push this album aside.”