The Alkaholiks

Firewater is billed as the fifth and final release by the Alkaholiks, a group that has, despite issuing several good albums, never achieved critical mass outside its California fan base. You wouldn’t know this from the group’s music, however, since the trio — Tash, J-Ro, and producer E-Swift — rarely spend time reflecting on their careers together. For them, it’s all about fun, and self-explanatory titles such as “Party Ya Ass Off” and “Drink wit Us” are typical of the album’s tone. “I know what it feels like to wake up broke/And face another day with your back against the ropes,” raps J-Ro on “Poverty’s Paradise,” a rare respite from drinking metaphors and MC beat-downs. For the most part, though, Firewater is an upbeat West Coast party record, but it isn’t a memorable one. And like the best (or worst) of binges, you may have trouble remembering what happened after you’ve heard it.