The music used in the Broadway play +Topdog/Underdog, about two orphaned African-American brothers, is a mixed and disjointed bag, like many such plays that use a variety of music from records in the production. The 12 selections include some important African-American music, but the jumble of blues, soul, jazz, and hip-hop doesn't flow well as a listening experience, even if it might be more effective or logical as the background setting to a theatrical endeavor. There are some classic electric Chicago blues by Howlin' Wolf ("Poor Boy"), Muddy Waters ("Got My Mojo Workin'"), and John Lee Hooker ("Boom Boom"); classic acoustic blues by Robert Johnson ("Hell Hound on My Trail") and Son House ("Drinkin' in Your Face"); James Brown's great soul hit "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag"; and good jazz by Wayne Shorter. There's also rap, and not as classic, by Wu-Tang Clan, DMX, Jay-Z, and Mos Def (one of the two stars of the play), and an OK, brief, moody acoustic blues piece by Jeffrey Wright (the other star of the play). If this turns on some listeners to some great music they haven't heard before, that's good. But as a compilation of songs on its own terms, this is too brief and inconsistent, with no firm stylistic theme. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide