I’m not gonna lie, on “I Can’t Help It” CL Smooth does in fact say, “tic-tic-tic, nigga, that’s the bomb!” But he can’t help it, right? Mike Loe, same man behind CL’s surprising street single “Smoke in the Air,” here throws down a fast-paced soul stomp. Smooth matches with the hurtling gusto of his cadence, and the result is a burner that’s also probably the best song on CL’s new album. Smooth basically brags/non-sequiturs/reminds of legendary status his way through the track, but his energy’s manifest and infectious, the production’s strong and visceral, and so the effort stands tall by perfectly embodying hip-hop irresistibility. Horns and vocals slip ‘n slide over one another; Loe pulls up cymbal splashes on the corner, little drills and drops in the moment, delivering a far more convincing drum track than he has any right to, seeing as no one knows who the hell Mike Loe is; and CL pummels the mic with the unhinged momentum of an effortless freestyle, using each bar as a holder for whatever pseudo-punchline he can cram in there: “I’m like hand crack, rolling the dice.” Uh, er, what? I dunno… doesn’t matter. I believe him. “I Can’t Help It” rivals Lupe Fiasco’s “I Gotcha” in terms of simple, assertive, this-is-that-good-shit appeal.

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