With A Tribe Called Quest's recent break-up, The Love Movement is not just their fifth album, but most likely their last. As an unplanned swan song, TLM isn't much of a grand finale for Tribe, but it is a surprisingly strong effort that follows the critical disappointment of their last album, Beats, Rhymes and Life. Most likely, old-time Tribe fans won't be won over with TLM's sparse sound or simplified lyrics, yet there's still a good album that's just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

Musically, Tribe continues the trend they began on Beats, Rhymes and Life, stepping further away from their rich, thick sample-based past productions to a stripped down, minimalistic aesthetic. Compared to their earlier loop-heavy songs, new tracks like Da Booty and Against the World are light, airy textures punctured by crisp snares and key chords but little else. Even on songs with a more expansive feel (The Love, Common Ground), symphonic backdrops are muted to keep the mood light, unobstrusive...and forgettable.

Ironically, the album includes five older Tribe songs ("rare remixes" they call it) which provides an unintentional comparison in style. Songs like the Scenario and Jazz (Re-Recording) were also on the sparser side, but rocked with massive sonic force unlike the meek productions on TLM. As well, the old Oh My God remix is intoxicatingly melodic and strikingly memorable - in contrast, most of TLM's beats are functionally enjoyable but not works of aural art on their own. Only songs such as Busta's Lament, Hot 4 U and Rock, Rock Ya'll flex the kind of sublime jazziness or kinetic funkiness of Tribe's past work.

Yet, even if the individual songs are not among Tribe's strongest, the album is surprisingly compelling. The trick is to listen to TLM as a complete album, not just a collection of songs. Concept albums are rare enough in hip hop, and focusing on love is practically revolutionary for a musical culture that equates sentimentality with weakness. Yet, Tribe manages to pull it off with charm, insight and humor. Q-Tip and Phife have been tighter on mic, but even at half-strength, Tribe cranks out better rhymes than most other MCs at full-power.

Ultimately, TLM hints at new directions in sound and concept that we may never see realized with Tribe's break-up. Yet while it may not be a satisfying conclusion to their storied 9-year career, if you actually give the album a chance and listen to it as a whole, you may find that Love's gonna getcha.