Jay-Z, 'The Blueprint 3' - Metareview

"The Blueprint 3" (Roc Nation/Atlantic) -- Jay-Z's 11th studio album and the finale of the Blueprint album trilogy -- is in stores now. This will be Jay-Z's first album on his new Roc Nation label after leaving Def Jam, which includes a plethora of guest stars including Swizz Beatz, Pharrell Williams, Young Jeezy, Alicia Keys and Rhianna. Check out some of the album reviews below, and be sure to listen to the whole album on AOL Music's Free Free Full CD Listening Party (Please note- this listening party expires Sept. 13). You can also listen to select songs off the album on AOL Radio's New Hip-Hop First station.

Chicago Tribune (2.5/4): "'Blueprint 3' splits the difference between its two predecessors, with Jay-Z sounding hungrier than he has in years on about half the tracks while sharing time with guest stars or grappling with undercooked production on the rest...He's the king of New York, able to command cameos from Rihanna and Alicia Keys on 'Run This Town' and 'New York State of Mind,' respectively. These tracks are the sound of Jay-Z cruising for pop hits, and they already sound like anthems."

Slant (3.5/5): "'Blueprint 3' is not nearly as sonically innovative as the original 'Blueprint'...[it] is more a cobbling of hip-hop trends from the past three years or so: "A Milli"-style bruisers ('On to the Next'), Timbaland space-hop ('Off That'), Kanye-patented Eurofabulation ('Hater'), Miami yacht rap ('Real as It Gets')...these songs may knock righteously, but they are mirrors to the present and recent past, not windows into the future."

USA Today (3.4/5): "But where the first album was raw, aggressive and virtually guest star-free, the new one is closer to 2002's 'Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse', with its polish and roster of collaborators...his most dismissive track, 'D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune),' finds him wearying of rappers' overuse of the voice-altering device that West himself employed on his '808s & Heartbreak' album."

Entertainment Weekly (B+): "The guest list makes 'Blueprint' feel less like a solo project than a sonic 'Ocean's Eleven': slick, frenetic, parade-of-stars entertainment...Purists may blanch at a reworking of the teardrops-on-my-keytar hit 'Forever Young,' from '80s German synth-poppers Alphaville (on 'Young Forever'), but the ladies will probably love it...'Blueprint' is hip-hop as big business, and Jay retains his CEO throne."