UGK fans can breathe a sigh of relief; UGK 4 Life is everything you could possibly want from an Underground Kings release. With Pimp C's passing last year - a tragic end to a story that climaxed all too recently with a triumphant chart-topping release in 2007's Underground Kingz - the idea of yet another true UGK album seemed like too much to hope for. While it's only natural to speculate about the extent of Pimp C's influence on the construction of this record, particularly since he was known for his considerable control over the group's sound, the record doesn't just contain its fair share of verses from him; it genuinely feels as if his spirit was guiding the record in absentia.

Of course, it does feel slight when compared with the duo's last record, an ambitious double-disc effort. But very little is sacrificed with the tighter scope. And it's got that singular UGK style from front to back - Bun's regimented baritone and Kool G Rap-influenced lyricism complementing Pimp C's raw country attitude, tied together by his exuberant musicality and affecting falsetto, those heavy drums balanced with the smooth '70s southern soul musician's love of organ licks and country guitar.

Picking highlights is difficult, if only because there are so many. The opener, Still on the Grind, is an incomparably rugged statement-of-purpose. The Ron Isley-assisted The Pimp and the Bun has B spitting some of his tightest lines ever, which is saying something: "The game need a hero, not another fake-ass Pacino or wannabe De Niro, a real pistolero, bandito that's muy malo." But it's impossible not to focus on the departed Pimp C. Listen to his vocals on the chorus of Feelin' You, and it's hard not to get choked up. But don't sell his verses short, either; Pimp's energy is contagious, and his final recorded material sounds so vibrant it's easy to forget that he is no longer of this world.

Pimp C was one of the most significant personalities to hit the rap game in the past two decades, and certainly one of the most well-defined; hearing him call out weak-ass rappers on lead single Da Game Been Good to Me, a swaggering high-noon country-rap soundtrack, is a powerful reminder of how few emcees could pull off this kind of real rap. Pimp's fearless devotion to ethics - the kind of thing all rappers pay lip service to, but seldom convincingly and often dishonestly - is probably one of his most important ideological contributions to the game.

The guests gracing the record's credits are legends both current and future; Used to Be features West Coast titans E-40 and B-Legit alongside the Memphis icons 8ball and MJG, a huge track uniting the '90s generation's "regional" heroes that cements their reputations as truly national artists. Lil' Boosie and Webbie, protegees of Pimp's and beneficiaries of his underground legacy, contribute exceptionally apropos verses to the very Pimp C-conceived track Harry Asshole. As pimp-tracks go, the Too $hort- and Snoop Dogg-assisted Steal Your Mind is moderately disturbing, but only one track feels especially awful: contrary to the received wisdom, Akon has been involved in plenty of classic rap singles, from Soul Survivor to last year's I'm So Paid, but Hard as Hell is decidedly not in the same category.

Yet that's the sole caveat for a record that is otherwise a blessing, albeit a bittersweet one. As the final document of UGK's greatness, it's hard to complain. As a reminder that Pimp C's talents have been quieted for eternity, it's one of the most melancholy. Rest in Peace, Pimp C and UGK.