AMG Review of Short Dog's in the House

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

With Short Dog's in the House, Oakland's most sexually explicit MC gave his followers more of what he was known for -- X-rated lyrics, a relaxed style of rapping, and addictive, melodic tracks recalling the splendor of '70s funk. R&B fans who complained that rap on the whole wasn't sufficiently melodic couldn't make that complaint about the distinctive Too Short. When his raunchy lyrics continued to come under fire, he maintained that he was simply portraying a character -- and that he wasn't really the ghetto pimp he portrayed. As entertaining as his albums are, Short's inspired interpretation of Donny Hathaway's "The Ghetto" makes it crystal clear that he would do well to be more lyrically challenging more often.