There are always a few MCs in the game that are intensely gifted, but horribly underappreciated. Aceyalone is among the forefront of these. This Freestyle Fellowship alumnus has released a string of solid material from 1993's Inner City Griots by the Freestyle fellowship, to his 1995 solo debut All Balls Don't Bounce (recently re-released on Ground Control). His group projects, including Haiku D'Etat and A-Team featuring Abstract Rude are equally as innovative. Still, even those who say they've never heard of Acey-de-uno just might have. Why? Because much like Kool Keith, many artists in the game owe homage to him for their flows.

After a three year hiatus from his last solo album, A Book of Human Language, 2001 has Aceyalone returning to the spotlight with Accepted Ecletic, showcasing his various flows over better beats than he has historically recieved. Lyrics are never really a concern with a cat like Acey. While some of the more commercial heads might have problems because he doesn't usually discuss guns, thuggery and promoting ignorance, his intelligence allows him to address a variety of topics not always explored in hip-hop. For example, he addresses a lack of personal space in "Five Feet," overdoing drug use in "Master Your High," and gives thanks for life on "I Can't Complain."

This time, production is all the difference. He has enlisted a group of less known, but talented producers this time out including Evidence of Dilated Peoples, Fat Jack, Joey Chavez and Jissm High Definition who produced the brilliand "B-Boy Real McCoy." The unifying factor among the beats is their simplicity. These are definitely minimalist beats, using a small number of elements in interesting ways to maintain a song's progression. The simplicity also complements Aceyalone's flow extremely well, as he doesn't try to overwhelm you, choosing instead to make sure he's clearly heard and understood.

This is a solo album in the truest sense. Ace-one lets his natural talent, charisma and skills carry the album rather than enlisting a whole crew to cover for him. In fact, the only guest MCs are fellow Project Blowedians Abstract Rude and P.E.A.C.E. Their appearances are welcome, especially as they don't take away from Acey's shine, rather adding to the final product.

While and older track (first released on Strength Magazine's Subtext compilation), "Rappers Rappers Rappers" has aged well. "Five Feet," the Ed O.G. and the bulldogs remake "I Got To Have It Too," the title track "Accepted Eclectic," "Golden Mic," "B-Boy Real McCoy," "Master Your High," "Bounce," and "Project Blowed" stand out as particularly strong tracks, although there aren't likely to be a lot of mandatory track skips here.

It's been a while since heads have been blessed with some solo material from Aceyalone, but this album is well worth the wait. If you want to hear the same old cliched rhyme forms and tired "wordplay," this is the wrong album for you. If you appreciate something a little different from the norm, Acey has provided.