* 1/2 WILL SMITH, “Big Willy Style,” Columbia

He’s rich and adorable, with a squeaky-clean image. At this point in his red-hot acting career, Smith has nothing to prove to anyone. Having attained a level of success that few others in the rap world will be able to easily duplicate, Smith dispatches his return to the music field with an air of casual interest--and that’s the record’s big shortcoming.

There are risk-taking rap artists out there, like Master P, Mase and Timbaland, who approach making records as if it’s their No. 1 priority. Even LL Cool J, who has been making rap records for years, manages to still sound fresh and vital. Smith’s album sounds as if it was banged out between meetings and script-readings.

“Just the Two of Us,” a love song written for Smith’s son, is the most touching and original-sounding track here. That the album is so personal and candid is a plus. There’s no debating that this multitalented charmer has the goods to compete in many arenas. It’s just that making records no longer seems to be where his heart or true interest lies.

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Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).

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* Excerpts from these albums and other recent releases are available on The Times’ World Wide Web site. Point your browser to: https://www.latimes.com/soundclips