"From Nothin' to Somethin' " by Fabolous; Def Jam

The mumbly monotone of Brooklyn rapper Fabolous marks his appeal and his limitations.

Typically, Fab is mostly tolerable in doses, paired with a vocal counterpoint that injects his songs with a needed pick-me-up. So it makes sense that on his fourth album "From Nothin' to Somethin'," Fab shares mike time on nearly every track with some of urban music's top names.

Some of the collaborations are magical. Timbaland's yearning synths and Ne-Yo's crooned hook gives "Make Me Better" — a song about the supportive nature of a woman's love — a rugged yet sensitive veneer. And "Brooklyn," a hometown homage featuring Jay-Z, newcomer Uncle Murda and a rousing Notorious B.I.G. vocal sample is an unrelenting club banger. Fab offers: "I'm right here BIG/ya boy sitting on top like a hair wig."

But on other tracks, Fab gets overshadowed by his peers. Akon's nasal timbre on "Change Up" is infinitely more memorable than Fab's lyrics. And likewise, on "Gangsta Don't Play," Fab's verses about the hard-knock life fail to impress next to reggae wailer Junior Reid's rousing chorus.

Consequently, "From Nothin' to Somethin' " frustrates as it astonishes, but Fab never manages to distinguish himself enough to be considered a major contender.

Check out this track: "Brooklyn" is a hypnotic ode to this New York 'hood that features organ blasts, drum smacks, Fab repeatedly intoning the borough's name and nimble wordplay from Jay-Z: "I'm back on my bully (stuff)/the Flatbush, Bushwick, black hoodie (stuff)/ half a billie in the bank roll."